It’s coming. D-day for Wales in their bid to make the World Cup finals. But few things are certain about this fixture, including the eventual full starting team that manager Robert Page will plump for. Daniel Parker reckons nine are nailed on, but two more will keep us guessing . . . and arguing. Sunday 5th June – it’s getting a bit close for comfort now, isn’t it? We’re less than three weeks away from Wales men’s golden opportunity to end 64 years of hurt by qualifying for a World Cup, and there remain a host of Rusmfeldian “known unknowns” in play.

Sophie Ingle will celebrate her Double triumph with Chelsea by trying to break the attendance record for a Wales women’s international later this year. The Wales captain helped her club lift the Women’s FA Cup at the weekend when they overcame Manchester City 3-2 at Wembley after extra time. It followed the club’s historic third successive Women’s Super League title clinched last weekend, a Double accomplishment of which Ingle has been a key part.

By Gareth James Saracens boss Mark McCall has hailed Aled Davies’ impact on the club following his “courageous” move from Welsh rugby. Former Scarlets and Ospreys scrum-half Davies made the last of his 20 Wales appearances against 2019 World Cup pool-stage opponents Uruguay in Japan. Because he does not meet Wales’ minimum 60-cap selection eligibility […]

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson insists even if his club fail to get a Hollywood ending to their promotion push, they will not be left on the cutting room floor. Parkinson has got used to cameras everywhere he goes as the manager working for A-listers and joint owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The perfect script would be for Wrexham to win the National League title and return to the EFL after 14 years away by winning at Dagenham and Redbridge on the final day of the regular campaign.

Steve Cooper insists he and his Nottingham Forest side will not be burdened by the weight of history as they prepare to face Sheffield United in the first leg of their Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final at Bramall Lane on Saturday. The Welshman will lead a club that has not featured in the Premier League this century, an absence keenly felt in a city steeped in the traditions of Brian Clough and his all-conquering sides that swept to back-to-back European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980. Expectations have been raised again by the club’s extraordinary rise since former Swansea City boss Cooper’s arrival at the City Ground in September, but the Pontypridd native is adamant that history must only be seen as a positive as they look to take the first steps towards a return to the game’s elite.

Patrick Swan may be from Cornwall, but he is more than happy to regularly make the trip across the Severn Bridge to compete in – and for – Wales. Despite being based across the water in England’s most south-westerly county, Swan is a familiar face on the Welsh athletics circuit, competing for Swansea Harriers and pulling on the red vest of Wales. Last weekend, the big shot putter added 15cms to his personal best at the National Athletics League’s opening Premiership fixture of the summer in Cardiff.

Dean Ryan admitted his Dragons team had given Rhys Priestland the chances to win their derby clash against Cardiff at Rodney Parade. Priestland kicked four penalties and a conversion for Cardiff as they edged out the Dragons 19-18 in a fiery neighbours’ dust-up which saw two players sent off. It was Cardiff’s first away win of the season, while the Dragons remain winless at home after their outside-half Will Reed missed a 79th-minute penalty that would have pinched victory.

Dai Young insists both Cardiff Rugby and the Dragons have a duty to produce an entertaining affair at Rodney Parade on Friday night following the downbeat mood which seems to have settled over Welsh rugby. The two sides will face each other in Newport in the final United Rugby Championship derby of the season, with all of the Welsh regions having failed to make the play-offs. But with Young still believing his men will take on a motivated Dragons side, he knows his own team will need to be at their best in order to claim a derby win.

Gymnast Poppy Stickler is the latest pupil to be honoured in Whitchurch High School’s renowned Hall of Fame. Gareth Bale, Sam Warburton and Geraint Thomas already grace the walls of the most famous sporting school in Wales. Now it’s the turn of Sticker. The Cardiff pupil – who turns 16 on June 12 – is a strong contender to be named in the Wales squad for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Welsh endurance athletes will be concentrating on the 10,000m distance this weekend, whether that is on the road or the track. On Saturday, a number of Wales’ top runners will be heading for London’s Parliament Hill track for the prestigious Night of the 10,000m PBs. The following day sees the roads of Caerphilly host a high quality Welsh 10k Championships in the shadow of the town’s famous castle.

Dafydd Lockyer enjoyed being back on his old stomping ground as he helped steer Abercwmboi to an historic Worthington’s Mid District Bowl triumph with a 25-17 victory over Cynon Valley rivals Abercynon at Sardis Road. Lockyer needs little introduction at The House of Pain, where he enjoyed a glittering 381-game trophy-laden career with Pontypridd over an 18-year period and is widely considered to be the best Welsh rugby player never to go professional. He brought the curtain down on his iconic Valley Commandos career last year in order to take up coaching and “play the odd game” back at Abercwmboi, his local club.

Roy Hodgson believes Watford have taken a “sensible” direction with the appointment of former Wales international Rob Edwards as the club’s new manager. The Hornets announced that Edwards, 39, would leave Forest Green Rovers to take charge at the end of the season, bringing Hodgson’s short-term tenure in charge at Vicarage Road to an end. But, speaking after a much-depleted side had held Everton to a goalless draw, the 74-year-old wished his successor all the best, and said: “I think the direction is really quite a sensible one.

By Harry Corish Anna Hursey celebrated being called up for her second Commonwealth Games by winning funding from the Charitable Social Enterprise GLL Sports Foundation. Hursey, who became Wales’ youngest ever Commonwealth Games athlete four years ago at the Gold Coast Games at the age of 11, has now been named in the 2022 Table […]

Dan James “feels terrible” over the red card that has ruled the Wales star out of Leeds United’s crucial Premier League run-in. Leeds manager Jesse Marsch revealed James’s regret over his lunge at Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic during Wednesday night’s 3-0 home defeat for the Yorkshire club at Elland Road. Replays showed James made contact with the ball first, but was off the ground and out of control when his foot then struck Kovacic’s shin.

Mojeid Ilyas’ love for the game of cricket began when he was a child, playing tape ball at the local parks with his brothers for hours on end. He has now taken that passion and turned it into a Ramadan Tape Ball league to bring together people from all across the community, with the hopes of making cricket a more inclusive game in Wales. Following recent controversies in cricket in the UK, Ilyas, who now serves as Cricket Wales’ Diverse Communities Development Officer, decided to set up the ‘Ramadan Cricket Festival’, a four-week tape ball tournament aimed at those who are fasting for Ramadan.

Wales will learn the destination of five World Cups on Thursday when the World Rugby Council vote in Dublin on host countries for the upcoming tournaments. While France are geared up to welcome nations from across the globe in 2023, there are several other key decisions to be made for the men’s and women’s editions in the years to follow. England are the frontrunners to host the 2025 Women’s World Cup while Australia look set to host the 2027 Men’s World Cup and the women’s showpiece two years later.

Newport County’s FA Cup legend Padraig Amond could be on his way back to Ireland after confirming his time at Rodney Parade has come to an end. The striker – whose goals inspired County to memorable FA Cup giant-killing triumphs over Leicester City and Middlesbrough, plus glorious near misses against Tottenham and Manchester City – is a free agent after spending this season on loan at Exeter City. Despite playing 30 matches for the Grecians and helping them to promotion from League Two, it appears 34-year-old Amond is not going to be offered a new deal by either Newport or Exeter and may well return to the League of Ireland.

By Stuart Taylor “I jumped for a medal for our Ukraine. I protect our country on the track and show that Ukrainian people never give up – and it is a strong nation which will do everything to win.” These are the powerful words of Yaroslava Mahuchikh after she claimed gold in the high jump […]

There should be plenty of Welsh voices offering support to Team Cymru in Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games this summer – thanks to Street Games. As part of their #Inspiration2022 campaign, Street Games have arranged for almost 500 young people from Wales to be at the Games on funded day trips with tickets to take in all the action. It means Welsh youngsters will get the chance to give vocal backing to the likes of runner Melissa Courtney, boxer Rosie Eccles and hockey star Luke Hawker as well as others.

Sophie Ingle will head into Wales’ crucial World Cup qualifiers, buoyed by a third successive Women’s Super League title. The Wales captain made it a treble triumph of consecutive WSL winners’ medals with Chelsea as they twice came from behind to beat Manchester United 4-2 and hold off the challenge of second-placed Arsenal on Sunday. Ingle was at the heart of the action in the Chelsea midfield and the 30-year-old will have a chance to finish the season with another trophy when her team face Manchester City this Sunday in the Women’s FA Cup Final.