Louis Rees-Zammit says it was “horrible” to leave rugby behind but is in confident mood ahead of the first hurdle in his attempt to find an NFL team — a trial in front of team scouts on March 20. The Wales and British Lions star stunned the rugby world when he announced in January that he was quitting the game to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program.

Sean Bowen insists his chances of riding a winner in the big race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival have improved – but admits he still expects State Man to win the Champion Hurdle. The Welsh jockey rides Not So Sleepy in Tuesday’s feature race, which has been denied its biggest draw card in the absent Constitution Hill, last year’s winner.

Joe Roberts believes Wales will avoid the embarrassment of a Six Nations whitewash this weekend by winning at the final attempt. The centre, who was controversially picked ahead of George North to face France last weekend, is confident Warren Gatland’s misfiring team can beat Italy in Cardiff in the final round of the tournament.

Italy captain Michele Lamaro has insisted his team did not play that well when they beat Wales two years ago – and vowed they will be better this weekend. The Italians take on Wales in confident mood after their stunning victory over Scotland at the weekend.

Luke Williams insists Swansea City are not sleep-walking back towards a relegation scrap. The Swans head coach saw his team lose 1-0 at Bristol City on Sunday, to bring a three-game unbeaten streak to an end.

Erol Bulut has hailed Cardiff City’s smash-and-grab victory over Ipswich Town as possibly their best of the season. The Bluebirds manager has heaped praise on his players who are now just five points off the Championship play-off places after four successive victories.

Soft tries, a retreating scrum and poor game management were all to blame for Wales’ latest Six Nations loss to France on Sunday as coach Warren Gatland conceded next weekend’s home clash with Italy is “massive” as they aim to avoid the wooden spoon. Wales were in the game for an hour but lost 45-24 as the visitors turned the screw in the final quarter with their massive pack and forced Wales into errors, which they converted into points.

Kieffer Moore may be a friend, but he will also be a foe who has to be stopped at all costs when he returns to the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday. That’s the view of Bluebirds midfield ace Ryan Wintle, who will be parking his friendship with the Wales striker for 90 vital minutes as he attempts to steer Cardiff to a fourth successive win over a team chasing a second successive promotion.

Warren Gatland has admitted Wales are desperate for a win to put some meat on the bones of their claims they are a young team who are progressing. Gatland has underlined Wales’ desire to end their losing Six Nations run this season and claim what would be a statement victory over France on Sunday.

World and European champion Emma Finucane is hoping to inspire the next generation of young girls after helping to overhaul the fortunes of Great Britain’s women’s sprint squad. Amid the dominance Britain has enjoyed in Olympic track cycling since Beijing, there had been a glaring weakness since London 2012, with the country failing to even qualify to race in the women’s team sprint at the last two Games as Katy Marchant was left to fly the flag alone in the individual events.

Laura McAllister’s football journey has taken her from modest beginnings on the playing fields of South Wales to sitting at the top table of the European game. From being excluded by football’s law-makers and having nowhere to play her “first love” to being the only woman on UEFA’s 20-strong executive committee (ExCo) and in a position to implement real change for women in the sport.

Will Rowlands insists he is already a better rugby player for having spread his wings and moved to play in Paris after last year’s World Cup. The second row forward – who left the Dragons to join Racing 92 – believes his all-round game has improved and intends to show it against some of his clubmates and regular opponents when Wales host France on Sunday.

Wales slipped to a third successive defeat in the U20 Six Nations as they succumbed to the power of the France pack in a 45-12 defeat at Cardiff Arms Park. There were two home tries for the crowd to savour, but it wasn’t enough to derail the reigning World Rugby U20 global champions.

Sam Underhill is savouring his England revival having feared his international career might already be over. The former Ospreys star is poised to win his 34th cap in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham after returning to favour under Steve Borthwick – a comeback he views as a personal triumph.

Luke Williams insisted Swansea City had left two points behind after they left Watford with a 1-1 draw to ease their relegation worries. The point stretched the gap between the Swans and the drop zone from four to five points as the head coach saw his team remain 15th in the Championship table.

Hannah Jones has retained the Wales captaincy within a squad that contains seven uncapped players for the upcoming Women’s Six Nations. The bulk of the squad includes players who played in last season’s campaign and achieved Wales’ highest world ranking of sixth to qualify for the new WXV1 global tournament for the six best sides in the world.

Erol Bulut insists he is not thinking about the play-offs, despite overseeing a third successive victory for Cardiff City. The Bluebirds manager watched his team grind their way past Championship strugglers Huddersfield with a 1-0 home win after Famara Diedhiou’s first goal for the club.

Wales insist they have not dropped George North even though the 120-cap centre has been left out of the team to play France despite being fit. Both North and Nick Tompkins have been replaced for Sunday’s Six Nations clash in Cardiff, with head coach Warren Gatland opting to pick Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin instead. North and Tompkins have 155 caps between them but assistant coach Mike Forshaw claimed the decision was made in order to assess Roberts and Watkin. “I don’t think they have been dropped,” said Forshaw.

Wales’ hopes of hosting a World Cup finals match in Cardiff were rightly dumped, according to a UK Sport chief. Deputy CEO Simon Morton has insisted abandoning a potential joint UK and Ireland bid for the 2030 World Cup in favour of focusing on Euro 2028 was the “right decision”.

Swansea City head coach Luke Williams has heaped praise on Ronald for his impact since joining the club, expressing confidence in the Brazilian’s potential. Since arriving in the January transfer window, the 22-year-old has made a striking impression, notably with his two-goal performance in the recent win against Sunderland.