They play every week and bid to outdo each other as much with their names as on the scoreboard. Base Invaders v Son Of A Pitch. Drum and Bases v Saved By The Balls. Bats Hit Crazy v The Merry Go Rounders.

Gemma Grainger has insisted Wales can still stay in the top tier of the Nations League despite suffering her biggest defeat as manager in front of her own fans. The Wales boss was left looking for crumbs of comfort after her team were demolished, 5-1, by a slick Denmark side at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Tributes have been paid from across Welsh rugby to Glanmor Griffiths, the founding father of the Principality Stadium, who has died at the age of 83. During his time as treasurer, chair and president of the Welsh Rugby Union he became a towering and sometimes controversial figure who became known throughout Wales simply as ‘Glanmor’.

Matthew Maynard insists it will be the business of winning and not emotion driving him through his final match as Glamorgan coach which starts on Tuesday. The Glamorgan stalwart – as superb batsman, trophy-winning captain and in recent years in coaching – will end his time as head coach at Sophia Gardens when the county play their final match of the County Championship season at home to Derbyshire.

Gemma Grainger insists she will send her Wales team out against Denmark on Tuesday night, convinced they can score the goals for success in the Women’s Nations League. Wales lost 1-0 in their opening fixture of the tournament away in Iceland last week, a failure in front of goal that has become a recurring theme against higher-ranked opposition.

Gareth Anscombe admits there is an element of relief after Wales avoided a fight to the finish in their quest for a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place. Wales’ record-breaking 40-6 victory over Australia meant they got the job done early in Pool C.

The Welsh fans ran out of songs to sing long before the celebrations ran out, after watching Australia routed in a way none had seen in their lifetimes. The helplessness of Wales against Australia on occasion down the years was replicated, but in mirror image.

Wales record victory over Australia has seen their odds on winning the World Cup almost halve overnight. Warren Gatland’s red wall shut out the Aussies with a record 40-6 triumph that has seen their price on lifting the trophy drop from 40/1 before the game to just 22/1 this morning (Mon).

Andy Cook scored a hat-trick as he helped to bury Newport County, 4-1 at Rodney Parade. Bradford City smashed Graham Coughlan’s team’s unbeaten league record. The 32-year-old striker, whose 31 goals last season enabled the Yorkshiremen to reach the play-offs, hadn’t scored this season, but grabbed two in the first half and then bagged his hat-trick in the 92nd minute.

In a tale of redemption and raw rugby spirit, Aberavon roared back to life after a recent defeat by Pontypool. The Wizards conquered the same team this time round with a triumphant 20-10 victory at the formidable Talbot Athletic Ground.

Gareth Anscombe picked up the Player of the Match award for his match-winning performance off the bench for Wales in Lyon, but he missed out on a Welsh World Cup record. Having struck the post with his first kick of the night after replacing the injured Dan Biggar early on in the first half, he then put together a series of eight successive kicks that condemned Australia to a record defeat against Wales.

Warren Gatland has promised to keep Wales players’ feet nailed to the ground in spite of soaring expectations after their hammering of Australia. The Wales coach insists Wales will not start looking further down the track than necessary after they cruised into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a record 40-6 win.

Erol Bulut believes his Cardiff City players are reaping the rewards for their hard work after they climbed to the fringes of the Championship play-off spots. The Bluebirds snatched a 1-0 win at Sunderland to make it three successive victories for manager Bulut after maximum points were taken off Swansea City and Coventry City.

John Devereux is backing Warren Gatland to send Eddie Jones packing on Sunday night – and leave the Aussies as silent as they were back in 1987. That was at the first Rugby World Cup when Wales shocked Australia, 22-21, to clinch third place at the tournament in New Zealand. It will be less of a surprise if Wales boot the Wallabies out of the 2023 version, so bad have they been since Jones and his players landed in France.

Michael Duff has thanked Swansea City fans for not giving him the bird. The Swans head coach earned a desperately needed first Championship win in charge of the club when he guided them to a convincing 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. The victory lifted the Swans out of the relegation zone and ended their longest winless League start since 1991.

Warren Gatland reckons he’s a happy man and to be fair, it doesn’t take much. Shoes that don’t pinch, a tie he’s able to loosen away from the cameras, maybe a beer or two. But what really makes him smile is winning and although there is still plenty of risk in Wales’ next Pool C match against Australia at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday, Gatland is sitting pretty on a pile of 10 points.

Former Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins has been named as the preferred bidder to take a majority shareholding in League Two club Newport County. The man who steered the Swans from near Football League oblivion to a seven-year stint in the Premier League and a trip into Europe is set to meet the Newport County Supporters’ Trust on Thursday to make his proposal.

Wales goalkeeper Ella Jackson believes Swansea Hockey Club can start the climb back towards the top level when their season begins on Saturday. Swansea open their National Hockey League Division One North campaign at home to Durham University, three years to the week since they became the first Welsh club – men’s or women’s – to play in England’s Premier Division.

Erol Bulut insists his Cardiff City “machine” can keep pumping out the results whether or not Aaron Ramsey is fit to play at Sunderland on Sunday. The Bluebirds have won back-to-back victories for the first time since February and aim to make it three wins on the bounce when they head to the North-East.

George North believes Wales are in a very good place going into round three of the World Cup in France. The Ospreys centre scored his 46th try for Wales, and his 48th in Test rugby, in the win over Fiji and is ready to try to add to the two tries he has scored for Wales against the Wallabies in Lyon on Sunday.