Wales will relish the challenge of facing an Ireland side they haven’t beaten in Dublin in the Six Nations since 2012, according to Gareth Thomas. The Wales prop is preparing to go head-to head with Tadhg Furlong in a critical front row battle at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday against hosts who have won their last 10 Championship matches.

Wales skipper Dafydd Jenkins has already notched one win over an Irish side with Exeter Chiefs against Munster in the Champions Cup this season. Now he is eyeing up an even bigger upset than toppling the URC champions with his young Welsh side in Dublin in this weekend’s third round of the Six Nations.

Erol Bulut refuses to accept that Cardiff City are in a relegation fight – despite their alarming slide down the Championship table. Having been firmly in the play-off mix earlier on in the season, Cardiff are now closer to the relegation zone than the top six.

Warren Gatland fears Welsh rugby is going to duck the essential changes he insists are needed to close the gulf between Wales and Ireland. The Wales coach says he is “not 100 per cent convinced” that regional rugby will undergo the proper reset he feels it requires. Gatland admitted “it has probably felt sometimes like you are in a sinking ship and you are trying to plug the holes a little bit”.

Jill McIntosh is confident Cardiff Dragons can build on their hugely encouraging Netball Super League opener when they host Manchester Thunder at the House of Sport on Friday night. Dragons fought back bravely to earn a thrilling 48-48 draw with Saracens Mavericks as all 10 teams got the season underway at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

Wales will travel to play Slovakia on June 9 for what they hope will be a warm-up friendly ahead of Euro 2024. The venue has yet to be confirmed, but the Football Association of Wales says the match will take place in either Bratislava or Trnava five days before Euro 2024 gets underway.

The size of the task facing Wales this weekend is illustrated by the statistics provided by the Guinness Six Nations official partners OPTA. When it comes to the tournament, Ireland have posted more wins than any other nation over the 26 years, have the highest win percentage and the second biggest points and try scorers.

Ruby Evans is on track for a history-making 2024 as Wales’ top women’s artistic gymnast. If she does ultimately go on to successfully secure selection for the Team GB women’s artistic gymnastics line-up for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, Evans will become the first Welsh gymnast to achieve that feat since Bedwas’ Sonia Lawrence last did so for the Atlanta Games way back in 1996.

Rob Howley knows a good scrum half when he sees one and he certainly likes what he’s seen from Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park. The New Zealand-born No 9 has become a lynchpin in the Irish side with his speed of pass, running game and tactical nous.

Wales’ fastest ever male and female sprinters are heading to the World Indoor Athletics Championships which start on St David’s Day. Jeremiah Azu and Hannah Brier have both been named in the Great Britain team to compete in next month’s event in Glasgow.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey is set to miss the Euro 2024 play-off against Finland, Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut has revealed. Ramsey made two substitute appearances for Cardiff earlier this month after spending five months out with a knee injury.

The play-offs are back within the sights of Pontypool after they defeated the side currently occupying fourth spot in the Indigo Premiership. Pooler’s timely 20-13 triumph over Cardiff at Pontypool Park completed a notable league double for Leighton Jones’ men over the Blue and Blacks to close the gap and reignite their hopes of finishing in the top four.

Rob Howley admits Wales must make life awkward for Ireland this weekend, otherwise the Six Nations favourites will find their groove and run riot. The Wales assistant coach believes unless his team ruffle Irish feathers from the opening whistle then any prospect of a shock away victory in Dublin is remote.

Paul O’Connell believes the legacy of influential former captain Johnny Sexton lives on among Ireland’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations squad. The reigning Grand Slam champions have made a strong start to the post-Sexton era by bouncing back from Rugby World Cup disappointment with successive championship wins over France and Italy.

Luke Hawker has revealed the commitment required to play international hockey was behind his decision to retire from the international game. The current Wales captain announced he was stepping away from the international stage after 12 years and 126 caps for his country.

Elfyn Evans ended a challenging Rally Sweden on a high by scoring a strong haul of points towards the World Rally Championship after setting the pace on the final day and claiming second overall. The Welsh driver moved into second in the standings for Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team and stands just three points behind Thierry Neuville who was fourth in Sweden.

Tom Lockyer said he “literally died” after his heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds during his harrowing on-pitch cardiac arrest. The 29-year-old Welsh star, speaking at length for the first time since he collapsed in the 59th minute of the Luton Town’s abandoned Premier League game against Bournemouth on December 16, admitted it is “out of his hands” if he will ever play again.

Piers Copeland produced the most spectacular finish of the day to snatch a brilliant gold medal in the 1500m at the Microplus UK Athletics Indoor Championships on Sunday. The Pontypridd Roadents AC man was tucked in behind Callum Elson, of Cambridge and Coleridge AC, and Adam Fogg, of Coventry Godiva AC, for the majority of the race.

Ospreys coach Toby Booth paid a glowing tribute to his match-winning “quarterback” Dan Edwards following the dramatic 19-17 victory over Ulster Rugby in Swansea. Fly-half Edwards landed a 30-metre drop goal in the 80th minute to snatch the spoils and was then engulfed by his delirious team-mates.

Comebacks were the order of the day in the senior races at the 119th Welsh Cross Country Championships in Brecon on Saturday. Senior men’s winner Matt Willis was competing at the championships for the first time in five years after a series of injuries halted his career as one of Britain’s most promising triathletes and endurance runners. While former Commonwealth Games marathon runner Caryl Edwards won her first Welsh Cross Country title for six years.