With no EFL or Premier League football going ahead this weekend, Daniel Parker considers recent activity at Swansea City – the Welsh club who seem to have the best chance of a successful season. It will require something special from their head coach, however, and the chances of him receiving much help from the club’s owners are remote. It’s been a mediocre start to the season for Wales’ big three. Newport County have shown glimpses of promise – particularly in the League Cup – but have struggled to build up any kind of consistency in League Two.

Wales will have to overcome Bosnia-Herzegovina and then Switzerland if they are to reach the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. The play-offs draw – which took place on Friday in Switzerland – is a favourable one for Wales, with a home tie first against the Bosnians on October 6. Should they win that semi-final game, they would then travel to Switzerland for the final five days later to face the Swiss for a possible place at next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

The Cardiff Devils take on Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm in a double-header on Saturday and Sunday, after the Elite League confirmed the start of the new season will go ahead. A meeting held by Elite League Board on Friday morning resulted with the league’s ten member clubs agreeing to proceed with the opening weekend’s […]

Swansea City have cancelled their pre-match press conference ahead of their planned fixture at Birmingham City on Saturday as clubs await a decision on whether this weekend’s games will go ahead following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Swans head coach Russell Martin was due to host a briefing on Friday morning, but the club announced late on Thursday evening it would not go ahead. The EFL games scheduled for this evening – Burnley v Norwich in the Championship and Tranmere v Stockport in League Two – have already been postponed.

Wales captain Rupert Shipperley believes England will offer “a  great challenge” after the two countries were grouped together at next year’s Hockey World Cup. The 16-team draw was held on Thursday and has seen hosts India pitted in a pool with both England and Wales. The format will see the four group winners qualify for the last eight and second and third in the pools playing cross-over matches.

Angharad James achieved two milestones this week – both of which underline how youth is powering the surge of interest in women’s football in Wales. Firstly, she won her 100th cap for her country and become the youngest to reach that landmark when Wales drew 0-0 with Slovenia to make the World Cup play-offs on Tuesday night. Secondly, the 28-year-old was part of a team that smashed the record for an attendance for a women’s football match in Wales, with over 12,741 turning up for the game at Cardiff City Stadium,

Gemma Grainger insists Wales still have plenty of hard work ahead of them before they reach their goal of World Cup qualification. The national team manager felt Wales deserved their play-off place after a goalless draw with Slovenia saw them through to next month’s knockout stage. Wales had to survive some scares on a nervy night at the Cardiff City Stadium but, in the end, Grainger’s side managed the game superbly to book their play-off spot.

Star-gazers looking for the future bright lights of Welsh rugby should tune in to the start of the National Schools and Colleges League this week, according to former Pontypridd, Newport and Cardiff full back Llywarch ap Myrddin. The current director of rugby at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf has a proud reputation to uphold from the school that has produced the likes of Jamie Roberts, Jamie and Nicky Robinson, Rhys Patchell, Seb Davies, Ioan Lloyd and Manon Johnes in recent years. But according to ap Myrddin, it’s not just live TV games or highlights shows that can catapult players forward these days. So, too, can their highlights reel on social media.

By James Skeldon A woeful Hundred campaign for Welsh Fire has lead to a fierce debate around the future of the team based in Cardiff. While attendances were up, the product on the pitch was poor, with only one win between the two sides, Welsh fans were left without any real excitement towards the crunch […]

By Gareth James Cardiff is now firmly Marnus Labuschagne’s second home after the Australian signed a deal to keep him at the Welsh County for another two years. Glamorgan Cricket have announced that the world’s current no.2 ICC Men’s Ranked Test batter, Marnus Labuschagne, has signed a new deal that will see him remain at […]

Jess Fishlock is not going to sit back and applaud those who have finally come around to the quality of women’s football. But Wales’ most experienced player believes the record crowd at the crucial World Cup qualifier against Slovenia on Tuesday night can be yet another catalyst for change in Wales.  Fishlock has long been a trailblazer in women’s football. 

By Matthew Burgess The Cardiff Devils wrapped up their pre-season schedule with back-to-back wins over the Nottingham Panthers to lift the pre-season Aladdin Cup, as Brodie Dupont hailed his team with the new season just around the corner. Sam Duggan scored twice and Joey Martin claimed a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win […]

Wales golfers have finished in the top 10 of the world in both the individual and team events at the Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Team Championships. The trio of Archie Davies, James Ashfield and Luke Harries finished tied eighth at the team event in France. Davies finished tied ninth on the individual leaderboard, up against the world’s best amateur golfers.

Michael Obafemi has been told to clear his head and let his feet do the talking. The sage advice has come from his Swansea City captain Matt Grimes, who knows what it is to have cluttered head space. Obafemi was left out of the Swans’ squad for the weekend 1-0 win over QPR by head coach Russell Martin after the striker’s hopes of a £10m deadline day move to Burnley evaporated.

By Steffan Thomas VAEA FIFITA has been tipped to take the United Rugby Championship by storm following his high-profile move from Wasps to Scarlets. The 11-times capped All Black, who has now thrown his lot in with Tonga following the change to World Rugby’s eligibility laws, can play lock or blindside, and his signing is […]

Machynlleth’s Osian Pryce ensured his quest for a maiden Motorsport UK British Rally Championship title remains firmly on track, by taking maximum points at the fifth round of the series, the Get Connected Rali Ceredigion.

Following two years of negotiations, the Welsh Rugby Union have performed a dramatic U-turn and tabled a six-year multimillion pound deal for the professional game which relies upon further debt and benefactor support having previously choreographed their removal. Wales’ four professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – have been struggling on and off the field for the best part of a decade with the WRU refusing to invest in its professional game the same way as their United Rugby Championship union counterparts.  After months of discussions surrounding a way forward for the professional game in Wales, including the resignation of Professional Rugby Board chair Amanda Blanc, the WRU’s long-term funding deal is set to meet stiff opposition.

Steve Morison has told his Cardiff City players to harden up after they fell to their third defeat in four matches at his former club. The Bluebirds manager was angered by another punchless display in a 2-0 loss at Millwall. Cardiff have now scored one goal in their last five games and picked up just two points – relegation form that has seen them fall to one place above the relegation zone.

Russell Martin reckons the best move Swansea City made during the transfer window was to give Leeds United the brush off when they came calling for Joel Piroe. After a 1-0 home win over QPR, the Swans head coach was full of praise and admiration for his Dutch striker, who has been the subject of rumour and speculation over a possible departure all summer. Martin admitted the uncertainty had affected last season’s top scorer in the opening weeks of the campaign, but once the window closed – and Leeds’ tentative enquiries on deadline day were rebuffed – then Piroe’s first game without conjecture saw him back to his familiar best.

Welsh international rugby star Sam Davies has had plenty of dramatic moments on live TV – but now it’s the turn of his partner, Elianna Chavez. Dragons No.10 Davies will be among those tuning in this weekend for the start of the Genero Adran Premier League, when interest and hype around women’s football has never been higher. The success of this summer’s Euro 2022 tournament, hosts England’s triumph in the final, plus Wales’ gathering momentum towards a possible first World Cup finals qualification, has all combined to focus attention on the sport.