Joe Cordina insists he has given “journeyman” challenger Edward Vazquez plenty of respect ahead of their world title fight in Monte Carlo on Saturday night. The Welsh IBF super featherweight champion (16-0, 9 KOs) first became world champion in June 2022 when he dispatched Kenichi Ogawa with a shuddering one-punch knockout. However, a subsequent injury lay-off necessitated by hand surgery saw the 31-year-old stripped of his crown, with Shavkat Rakhimov beating Zelfa Barrett for the vacant belt in November last year.

Wales skipper Jac Morgan is expecting a few tugs on his jersey, a bit of niggle and a few harsh words when he finds himself playing against his Ospreys club captain Justin Tipuric in the game against the Barbarians. But while many see the non-capped match as being a bit of a jamboree, Morgan is going to impress upon his players that they will be representing their country – just as they did in France during the recent World Cup.

Karlan Grant has been backed to get his career back on track by keeping Cardiff City’s promotion surge rattling along. Grant was once a £15m player at West Brom and playing regularly in the Premier League.

Leigh Halfpenny looks set to continue his rugby career in the southern hemisphere after he makes a final Wales appearance on Saturday. The Wales full-back, who has won 101 caps, will bow out of international rugby following the Barbarians’ Principality Stadium visit.

World champion Matt Richards heads five Welsh swimmers who have been invited on to British Swimming’s World Class Programme (WCP) for the 2023-2024 season. With just over nine months to go until the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, world and Olympic gold medal winner Richards is joined by Daniel Jervis, Medi Harris, Tyler Melbourne-Smith and Hector Pardoe.

On the face of it, Richard Hodges has just about the toughest job in the United Rugby Championship as Zebre’s new defence coach. After all, the Italians conceded no fewer than 101 tries in losing all 18 league games last season, 28 more than any other side and an average of 5.6 a match.

There won’t be a dry eye in the Halfpenny household – or at the Principality Stadium – when Leigh Halfpenny takes to the field for one last time in a Welsh jersey against the Barbarians on Saturday. After 15 years and 101 caps, he will be hanging up his boots at international level before taking his place among the modern-day greats of Welsh rugby.  His has been an incredible career, as the following statistics prove:

Zoe Backstedt has been included in the Great Britain team to compete in the 2023 UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships this weekend. The Welsh rider will be in Pont-Chateau, France, to compete as part of an 11-strong mix of experienced and debutant riders, all vying to take a place on the podium to give an early boost to their cyclo-cross season.

Taking on a Swansea-based team will bring back fond memories for Hollywoodbets Sharks boss John Plumtree as he heads into this weekend’s ground-breaking BKT URC clash with the Ospreys. The Kiwi spent almost five years as coach of Swansea RFC through until late 2001, winning two league titles and the Welsh Cup. Since then, he’s worked in his homeland of New Zealand with the Hurricanes and the All Blacks, as well as in South Africa, Ireland and Japan.

The clock is counting down to ‘full time’ on the amazing rugby career of the world’s most capped player, Alun Wyn Jones. He will be back at the venue he graced for so long, and with such distinction, in a Welsh jersey this weekend when he captains the Barbarians team that will face Warren Gatland’s home side in a special, post-World Cup fixture.

Ioan Cunningham has made six changes to the Wales team hammered by New Zealand for their final match of their inaugural WXV1 campaign against Australia. The head coach has opted to ring the changes for the game against the Aussies at the Go Media Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland on Friday, November 3rd (KO: 7pm local time).

Warren Gatland’s Wales side to face the Barbarians on Saturday will come face to face with at least seven players they met at the World Cup in France. Scrum half Lautaro Bazan Velez came off the bench in the 29-17 quarter-final victory for Argentina over Wales in Marseille earlier this month, and half the Australian pack that met Wales in Lyon are also coming back for more.

Leigh Halfpenny expects a “pretty special” Wales send-off on Saturday while hoping to continue playing for another two seasons. Halfpenny announced his decision to retire from international duty following Wales’ exit from the recent Rugby World Cup and will make his final appearance in the red jersey against the Barbarians in Cardiff.

Gemma Grainger has insisted Wales are heading towards qualification for a major tournament – even though they could be relegated from the top tier of the Women’s Nations League. The Wales manager watched her team deliver a much improved performance, although it was not enough to prevent them failing to a 2-1 defeat in Denmark.

Eddie Jones has insisted he wanted to continue as head coach of Australia as he gets ready to take charge of the Barbarians against Wales in Cardiff this weekend. The former Wallabies coach says he has not had a job offer from Japan after his resignation was confirmed.

Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt has paid tribute to his region’s Wales World Cup contingent for returning to action sooner than expected. Tomos Williams, Corey Dowachowski and Mason Grady all offered their services and proceeded to play their part in Cardiff’s 16-9 victory over the Dragons at a wet and windy Rodney Parade last weekend.

Gemma Grainger insists she is not worried by Wales’ struggles among the elite of international women’s football. As Grainger’s team prepare to face Denmark on Tuesday evening, their manager has given a robust defence of her record in charge and argued her critics are underestimating the step up in class her players are grappling with.

Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt made few apologies for the lack of drama as his team won a 17th successive derby clash against the desperate Dragons. The BKT United Rugby Championship clash between the rivals went the way of all the others in the last nine years, but Sherratt admitted the 16-9 win at Rodney Parade will not live long in the memory.

Elfyn Evans has congratulated Kalle Rovanpera after the Finnish driver retained his World Rally Championship title. Welsh driver Evans conceded his race for the title was over at the weekend when Rovanpera’s main rival retired on Saturday from the Central European Rally, the penultimate event of the season.

Liam Cullen believes Swansea City are learning to win ugly. The Swans striker scored the only goal as his team beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at the weekend for their first Ewood Park victory since 1971.