Warren Gatland has admitted he was in the dark over the mood of militancy among the Wales squad before he returned as head coach. The New Zealander delayed the announcement of his team to face England on Saturday, having originally planned to name his side on Tuesday afternoon. The Six Nations clash against Wales’ biggest rivals would have been one of the major matches he had in mind when Gatland decided to return for his second stint in charge back in December.

British, European and world goals were gained by Welsh athletes at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Paralympic legend Aled Davies shattered his own F42 world indoor shot put record while finishing fifth in the able bodied competition at the Utilita Arena. On the track, Melissa Courtney-Bryant, claimed gold in the women’s 3,000m and in doing so booked her place on the Great Britain team for next month’s European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

Welsh pride, generosity, and a love for top sport will all be on show on Sunday, March 5 when Ffos Las Race Course hosts its Proud to be Welsh Raceday. On the weekend of the St. David’s Day week, the course will offer a chance to celebrate the best of Welsh music, culture and sport as well as an opportunity to support victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Alongside a variety of on-course entertainment, there will be collections and a charity auction – run by the Rotary Club – to raise funds for the Disaster Emergencies Committee Appeal.

Chelsea’ former Swansea City boss Graham Potter has the full support of the club’s hierarchy despite his side’s poor run of results. The Blues have won just twice in 14 games in all competitions and were beaten by the Premier League’s bottom side Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Potter’s expensively-assembled side left the pitch amidst anger and a chorus of boos at full-time, with some voices near the dugout calling for the former Brighton manager to leave.

Wales is due to host fierce Guinness Six Nations rivals England next week – but the build-up has been engulfed by a possibility of player strike action. Contract chaos is currently centre stage in Welsh rugby, with many players – general estimates are between 70 and 100 – whose current deals expire at the end of this season have not yet received offers with their regional teams.

Great Britain’s Artistic World Championship silver medal winning women’s gymnasts are set to top the bill at next month’s Welsh Championships. The 2023 men’s and women’s artistic Welsh Open Championships return to take centre stage at Sport Wales National Centre over the weekend of 11/12 March. And it promises to be an action-packed two days of artistic gymnastics in Cardiff. The women’s artistic action is on Saturday 11th with the men’s competition on Sunday 12th.

Robert Milkins clinched his second career ranking title in a dramatic Welsh Open final, beating Shaun Murphy 9-7. Milkins’ previous ranking title win was at the Gibraltar Open the previous year. “Gibraltar was brilliant but beating Shaun in a final is the icing on the cake. You have to play well to beat Shaun,” said Milkins, 46, in an interview with BBC Wales.

Angry Wales players will decide on Wednesday whether to intensify their £10m poker game with their bosses and call a strike before next week’s Six Nations clash against England. But Wales coach Warren Gatland insists he is confident the players can be convinced to keep their boots on. The New Zealander reckons a deal can be struck between his squad and the Welsh Rugby Union to avert a disastrous no-show at the Principality Stadium that would cost the Union around £10m.

Russell Martin has asked Swansea City fans for patience as he strives to bring more consistency to a team now treading water in the Championship. The club’s most recent defeat – a 1-0 loss away at Blackburn Rovers – means it’s just one win in five for the Swans, who have dropped down to 12 th place in the Championship. They are seven points adrift of the play-offs and 11 above the relegation zone and they have won just three times in 16 league matches.

Rhodri Williams has backed Dai Flanagan’s warts-and-all truthfulness as the Dragons bid to get their season back on track.  Scrum-half Williams reckons it is a time for honesty at Rodney Parade after six straight defeats in the United Rugby Championship, dating back to November. The resolve of a team going through tough times will be tested to its utmost on Saturday night, when the Dragons are in Dublin to face mighty, unbeaten, 13 straight wins URC leaders Leinster in a match that is live on S4C. 

Mark McGuinness was at the centre of a red card row as Cardiff City boosted their relegation battle with a dramatic 1-0 win at home to Reading. Bluebirds defender McGuinness was shown a yellow card for a lunging foul on Amadou Mbengue in the first half, but Reading manager Paul Ince was left furious with referee Darren Bond for not showing a red. It proved a significant decision as Romaine Sawyers smashed home a 91st minute goal from the edge of the box to hand Cardiff priceless back-to-back victories, moving them five points clear of the relegation zone.

Cardiff City fans will be hoping Perry Ng is feeling chilled and his feet are ice-cool when the Bluebirds host Reading on Friday night. It was Ng’s sweet free-kick that sent his club on their way to a 2-0 midweek victory at Birmingham City to bring to an end a 14-match winless streak. Bluebirds manager Sabri Lamouchi revealed that Ng was slotting plenty of free-kicks into the net in training and added: “We had two goals from him like this before the game in the training session.

Welsh Fire will be undertaking a major overhaul for their 2023 The Hundred campaign, as they have only retained five players from last year’s squad. The team had a disappointing season in 2022, finishing last in the league table after losing all eight of their matches. In response, they have replaced head coach Gary Kirsten with Mike Hussey and will be very active on draft day, which is set to take place on March 23rd.

Laura McAllister, the former Wales captain, has secured a place on Uefa’s executive committee. The 58-year-old had been due to stand for election for the post in April, but she has been appointed unopposed, making her the first Welsh person to serve on Uefa’s executive committee. McAllister had been backed by the Football Association of Wales (FAW). Uefa also confirmed that president Aleksander Ceferin will stand unopposed for re-election.

Alun Wyn Jones has laid the blame for the Wales players’ strike threat firmly at the door of the Welsh Rugby Union. he world’s most capped rugby player and former Wales captain says the possibility of player strike action is “hard to deny” as elsh rugby finds itself gripped by a professional contracts freeze. Ultimately, if you treat people badly for long enough, you get to where we find ourselves,” said the 37-year-old Ospreys forward.

The Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh regions have said there is “no room for manoeuvre” on the budget for player contracts in Wales despite the threat of strike action putting next week’s Six Nations fixture against England in jeopardy. Nigel Walker, the WRU’s interim chief executive, met with senior Wales players on Wednesday in an attempt to soothe relations after it emerged strike action was being considered over the contract renewals, with a meeting soon to take place between the Welsh Rugby Players Association and players.

Toby Booth, the English coach caught up in a very bloody Welsh rugby civil war, says he “would completely understand” if his Ospreys players went on strike. The top region in Wales last year, and conquerors of the French and English champions in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, the Ospreys have 14 players in the current Welsh Six Nations squad. A proposed meeting of the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA) prior to the third-round clash between Wales and England is due to determine whether or not strike action is on the table.

Swansea City head coach Russell Martin admitted he was a relieved man after his side avoided a slip-up against 10-man bottom club Blackpool to eke out a 2-1 win. A man down for over half an hour after the dismissal of Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino, the Tangerines cancelled out Matty Sorinola’s opener through a Sonny Carey goal in the 70th minute. But Sorinola’s cross was turned into his own goal by Blackpool defender Callum Connolly three minutes later to give the Swans their first win in four league games.

Kayleigh Green’s first-half penalty secured Wales a winning start in the 2023 Pinatar Cup, as they overcame a disciplined Philippines side to win 1-0. Wales manager Gemm Grainger admitted her team had been severely tested and said: “We always want to win games and find out more about ourselves. “Today, being able to play against a team playing at the World Cup this summer, to test ourselves, it was a tough game, they sat in deep and made us work.

Welsh rugby players have been priced at 9/2 to go on strike before their Six Nations clash at home to England. Leading Welsh bookmaker DragonBet make the chances of players downing boots in protest over contract delays and planned wage cuts an outside bet. They make the February 25 showdown at the Principality Stadium 1/6 to go ahead as planned.