Former Wales full-back Lee Byrne says his former side face a “huge task” on Saturday as they head to defending champions France in the Six Nations. Les Bleus claimed a record 53-10 victory at Twickenham last weekend and can retain their trophy with a bonus-point win at the Stade de France if Ireland fail to claim a point against England in Dublin later in the day. Wales’ only victory of the tournament in coach Warren Gatland’s second spell came last weekend in Italy.

England World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi has been appointed to the independent review panel that will report on organisational culture and behaviour within the Welsh Rugby Union. Sport Resolutions, administrators of the review, had previously confirmed former Court of Appeal judge Dame Anne Rafferty as panel chair, and she will be joined by Alphonsi and Quentin Smith. A commissioning advisory group has also been established to support the review, which comprises WRU representative Henry Engelhardt and Sport Wales’ Emma Wilkins, the WRU said.

Sabri Lamouchi admitted he would have settled beforehand for the priceless point Cardiff City earned from their 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion. The point stretched the Bluebirds’ safety buffer between themselves and the relegation zone to four points with nine matches remaining. It was a reward that looked all the more vital after Huddersfield picked up a point at home to Norwich City, to move off the bottom of the table.

Wales assistant coach Alex King has compared France captain Antoine Dupont with New Zealand superstar Dan Carter in terms of the way he influences Test matches. Wales face France in Paris on Saturday, when a bonus-point victory for Les Bleus would maintain pressure on Guinness Six Nations leaders and title favourites Ireland. And Wales’ acute degree of difficulty has not been helped by full-back Liam Williams missing out due to a shoulder injury.

Sabri Lamouchi has hit his Cardiff City players where it really hurts – in front of their faces. The Bluebirds manager isn’t letting his Cardiff players escape from the reality of the precarious position they are currently in near the bottom of the Championship table. Ahead of their game at home to West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday night, the Frenchman has posted copies of the Championship table throughout the club’s training base to ensure everyone knows where they stand.

The last Welsh jockey to win the Gold Cup reckons that record may need updating before the end of this year’s Cheltenham Festival. It’s now 15 years since Sam Thomas became the last Welshman to ride to glory and win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he saddled the magnificent Denman to victory over great rival, Kauto Star in 2008.

Russell Martin insists Swansea City are already planning for a summer rebuild – with him still as head coach. The heat on Martin was turned up when his team lost for the seventh time in nine matches at Millwall on Tuesday night as they went down, 2-1. Swansea co-owner Steve Kaplan made a rare appearance to watch his club, but it failed to alter a familiar pattern where the Swans dominate possession but lose the game.

Aaron Ramsey is focused on joining Wales’ 100-cap club after being appointed skipper a decade after the “hurt” of losing the captaincy. Ramsey has been given the armband ahead of Euro 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia, replacing Gareth Bale who retired from football in January having won a record 111 caps for the Wales men’s team.

Aaron Ramsey has been named as Wales captain following the retirement of Gareth Bale. The 32-year-old midfielder, who has won 78 caps, will lead his country for the first time in the forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia later this month. Ramsey will spearhead a youthful looking 24-man squad named by boss Rob Page on Tuesday.

Wales manager Rob Page has left the country in suspense after delaying confirming his new captain in succession to Gareth Bale. Page has named a 24-man squad for the opening two qualifiers of Euro 2024, against Croatia and Latvia, but without specifying who will be his skipper. Former regular matchwinner and talisman Bale took off the armband for the last time at the World Cup last year and announced his retirement from football in January.

David Brooks’ return to first team duty felt a privilege for the man who selected him for club action last weekend. The Wales international was picked on the bench by Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil for his team’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool last Saturday. It was Brooks’ first inclusion in a match day squad for 525 days after his recovery from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The latest World Rugby rankings have seen Wales move into ninth place following the weekend’s Six Nations action. Wales fell to 10th following the 20-10 loss to England in Round Three but have regained ninth after defeating Italy. Wales avoid dropping out of the top 10

Joe Cemlyn-Jones proved his class by making sure he was among the medals at the Welsh Open Championships at the weekend. The Team Wales men’s artistic gymnast was in encouraging form at The National Sports Centre in Cardiff. Cemlyn-Jones took some time out after his Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer were hampered by injury.

Wales midfielder Jonny Williams has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 29. The Swindon player, who was a member of the Welsh squad at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, has earned 33 caps since his debut in 2013. His retirement comes after those of team-mates Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Chris Gunter in recent months.

The best women’s artistic gymnasts in Wales and Great Britain took centre stage in Cardiff at the weekend – with home favourites Poppy-Grace Stickler and Ruby Evans among the medals at the 2023 Welsh Open Artistic Championships. Stickler bagged a brilliant bronze in the Senior Open all-around competition; she scored 51.700 across her four pieces. World and European silver medallist Georgia-Mae Fenton, from South Essex, was victorious with a score of 55.100, ahead of fellow Great Britain star Ondine Achampong (55.050).

The delight at winning for the first time in this year’s Six Nations was writ large all over the faces of the Wales players, but the man wearing the biggest smile of them all was without doubt the captain, Ken Owens. What has appeared to be a poisoned chalice at times over the past five weeks had finally turned into something resembling hope for the recently installed leader.

Sabri Lamouchi took no prisoners after Cardiff City’s defeat at Preston North End – accusing his players of “stupid mistakes” after they lost 2-0. The defeat might have been costly had any of the clubs beneath Cardiff picked up points, but all three of those in the relegation zone lost, so the gap remains at six points. Bluebirds boss Lamouchi proved he is not one for hard luck stories as he accused his players of decisive errors which enabled Preston to add to Tom Cannon’s goal with another for Ched Evans after Cardiff goalkeeper Jac Alnwick was sent off.

Russell Martin was grateful for small mercies after Swansea City succumbed to defeat again – making them the team with the worst current form in the Championship. The Swans lost 3-1 at home to Middlesbrough to make it four defeats and a draw in their last five games – a poorer return than any of the clubs either below or above them. The gap between Martin’s side and the bottom three remains at 11 points, though, after Blackpool, Huddersfield and Wigan all lost.

Wales boss Warren Gatland hailed the excellence of scrum-half Rhys Webb after their 29-17 Guinness Six Nations victory over Italy at Stadio Olimpico. Webb’s first Test start since October 2020, and first in the Six Nations since 2017, saw him create two tries and deservedly take player-of-the-match honours as Gatland’s team ended a run of three successive defeats in this season’s tournament. “I thought he was excellent in the way his decision-making controlled the game,” said Gatland.

Rhys Webb ends a six-year Guinness Six Nations absence in the Wales number nine shirt on Saturday admitting he did not even want to watch the team play during his international exile. The 34-year-old Ospreys scrum-half last begun a Test three years ago and has not made a Six Nations start since 2017. But the 38-cap Webb returns to Warren Gatland’s starting line-up as Wales head to Italy in the hope of avoiding a Championship wooden spoon.