Tammy Beaumont admitted she felt devastated after the rain denied Welsh Fire a chance to contend the final of the women’s Hundred. The Fire captain and her team were left disappointed as a downpour at The Oval meant their eliminator against Northern Superchargers was abandoned.

Dan Biggar has announced that he will retire from international rugby after the upcoming Rugby World Cup – in order not to become an absent dad. The 33-year-old is due to compete in his third tournament after his selection was confirmed in Warren Gatland’s final 33-player squad ahead of the tournament in France. But Biggar has confirmed he plans to call time on his stellar international career, having made 109 appearances since his Wales debut in 2008.

Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut paid tribute to his players’ fighting qualities as they gave him a first Championship win on the day Aaron Ramsey savoured his first home taste of victory as a Bluebird since February 22, 2011. Ramsey’s side snatched victory in the 97th minute in a 2-1 triumph over newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday. The Wales skipper had a hand in the opening goal of the game two minutes after half time as Ike Ugbo hammered in his third goal in four games since transferring from French Ligue 1 side Troyes in the summer

Natasha Cockram revealed that regular hot tubs after training runs during the brief summer heatwave helped her prepare for the Hungarian hothouse she faced at the World Championships.

Geraint Thomas insists he can get his head down and pedal hard this weekend as he has the rest of his life “to chill and drink cocktails.” Thomas lead Ineos Grenadiers into the Vuelta a España, knowing his career is in its late stages.

Corey Domachowski readily admits that any suggestion of playing prop as a schoolboy would fill him with dread. A former centre and goalkicker at his local rugby club, a future in the front-row could not have been further from his mind.

There are probably few bets to be made over what job Dan Lydiate decides to do next when he packs up professional rugby. The Wales flanker – one of the daddies of the pack heading to the World Cup at 33 years of age – is firmly odds-on to become a full-time farmer, a lifestyle he has embraced to varying degrees since he was a boy. But there might be more scope for a wager over whether or not he will make the starting XV when Wales face Fiji on September 10.

From laughing-stock to record-breakers, from online abuse to on-field winners, the turnaround in fortunes for Welsh Fire Women this season is dramatic. As they trained in the Cardiff sunshine before heading up to London for Saturday’s Eliminator against Northern Superchargers, there was one more transformation possible for Tammy Beaumont’s team – from Hundred Wooden Spooners to Champions. Bottom of the table for last two seasons – one win last season after getting just two the year before – they were even bottom of the table in the abandoned 2020 season, though admittedly that was alphabetical order!

Swansea City are being linked with Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis after opting to sell Joel Piroe to Leeds United for a basic cut-price fee of £10.5m. Piroe completed his move to Leeds on Thursday evening, signing a four-year deal with one of the Swans’ Championship rivals. Former Swans head coach Russell Martin had suggested last season that Piroe was in the £20m to £25m bracket after the 24-year-old Dutchman had scored 20 League goals in both of his two seasons with the club.

Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club completed the double by winning the Women’s Team Championship, following on from the men winning their Welsh title last week.

It’s not just the Rugby World Cup that is on the near horizon. Before the tournament starts in France, the domestic season in Wales kicks-off and that means a new Indigo Premiership campaign which begins on September 2. Some new clubs, but they are old and very familiar faces as Mark Orders reports.

Welsh Fire’s bid to make the finals day of the men’s Hundred have been ended by Southern Brave. Fire needed Manchester Originals to beat Brave in order for the Cardiff-based outfit to make Sunday’s eliminator.

One in four Welsh football referees have suffered physical abuse, according to a survey published by the Football Association of Wales. They also claim almost nine out of 10 officials suffer verbal abuse and over half of all officials believe the problems are getting worse.

Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell will miss England’s opening Rugby World Cup match against Argentina after being handed bans following their red cards in warm-up fixtures, that included a second match against Wales. Vunipola was sent off against Ireland last weekend and has been banned for three matches, but it will be reduced to two if he agrees to attend tackle school.

Rabbi Matondo has reminded Wales manager Rob Page of his talents with a dramatic display for Rangers that revived their hopes of European progress. The Wales winger came on as a substitute to score against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League qualifying round play-off first leg at Ibrox which ended 2-2.

Melissa Courtney-Bryant has admitted she was left feeling disappointed after her 12th place finish in the final of the women’s 1500m at World Athletics Championships. The Wales Commonwealth Games star struggled to stay with the pace in the second half of the race and crossed the line as the last of the finalists in 4:03.31.

Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit believes he is “definitely quicker than last season” as he prepares to blast out of the starting blocks at his first World Cup. The 22-year-old has carved out a reputation as one of world rugby’s finest finishers, combining blistering pace with a box-office ability to score spectacular tries.

Welsh Fire opener Steve Eskinazi has praised his teammates after they moved to within one game of confirming their place in the semi-final eliminator of the Hundred. Fire beat Northern Superchargers by eight weeks in their final group game at Headingley on Tuesday night.

Elinor Snowsill has revealed she is not sure she is leaving the Wales squad at the right time. The veteran playmaker – one of the most influential players ever to play for her country – has mixed feelings about leaving the field after 14 years at the top.

Wales prop Corey Domachowski recalled “bittersweet” emotions after gaining World Cup selection on the same day as his great-grandmother’s funeral. The 26-year-old Cardiff prop was among 16 players in head coach Warren Gatland’s 33-strong squad who will have a first taste of World Cup action during September and October.