By Paul Jones Robbie Savage praises his son Charlie for his “desire and work ethic” as he made his Manchester United debut on Wednesday whilst he was commentating on that very game. Charlie, who played for Wales U19s earlier this year, had progressed through United’s youth system and signed a professional contract in April. The 18-year-old was given the opportunity to grace the Old Trafford turf in the closing moments of United’s Champions League fixture against Switzerland side Young Boys.

By Tom Prosser Ospreys head coach Toby Booth pledges “continuous” support to Ifan Phillips but insists “the show must go on” after an emotional week for everyone at the region.   Phillips suffered “life changing” injuries after being involved in a motorcycle accident on Sunday and Booth says it’s important that everyone at the club is professional in the aftermath of this tragic injury. “It would be artificial for us to pretend that this has been a normal week because it hasn’t,” says Booth.

The Indigo Welsh Premiership finally returns on Thursday night, when Aberavon host the first game of the campaign at home to regional rivals Swansea. It’s been a much debated and much tweaked structure and even now the Welsh Rugby Union have revealed plans to increase the numbers from 12 clubs to 14. Whatever happens, Aled Thomas insists the league has a big role to play as he tells Tom Prosser. World Cup winner Aled Thomas has demanded more respect for Welsh Premiership rugby and insists the league plays a crucial role in developing the stars of the future. Thomas took Wales to the global summit in 2009 when he scored a dramatic late winning try in the Rugby Sevens World Cup final.

By Paul Jones James Rowberry believes Newport County have proven they have the stomach for a festive promotion surge. The County manager was full of praise for the manner in which his team fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Sutton United 3-2 at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night. Matty Dolan’s stoppage-time penalty […]

Ospreys and aspiring Wales hooker Ifan Phillips has suffered “life-changing injuries” after being involved in a serious road traffic accident in Swansea on Sunday. Phillips is in a stable condition and is being treated at Morriston Hospital following a collision between two motorcycles. The 25-year-old, who is the son of Neath rugby legend Kevin Phillips, is being supported by his family and friends as well as his Ospreys team-mates.

S4C chiefs believe their new Six Nations deal has reinforced their position as the primary TV broadcaster of Welsh rugby from the grass roots to the international game. The Welsh language broadcaster has secured the rights to every Wales men’s Six Nations match for the next four years. It will be the only broadcaster to show every Wales game, after successful negotiations with the primary rights holders, the BBC and ITV.

Wales star Josh Adams wants Cardiff to show “no fear” in an odds-defying mission against European champions Toulouse on Saturday. The Heineken Champions Cup clash will take place amid a back-drop of 42 Cardiff players and staff being in isolation at a hotel just outside London until next week. The likes of Adams and his Cardiff and Wales team-mates Tomos Williams, Dillon Lewis, Seb Davies and Ellis Jenkins did not travel to South Africa, which became a UK Government red-listed country last month as fresh travel restrictions were imposed following the discovery of a new coronavirus variant.

With the return of the Indigo Welsh Premiership this week, debate has begun again over what are the best routes to develop the regional and international stars of the future. Former Wales head analyst Alun Carter, now working at Cardiff Met, reckons the university’s system of developing talent like Wales’ Aaron Wainwright and England’s Alex Dombrandt proves a formidable pathway is already here under the noses of the Welsh Rugby Union.

By Paul Jones Swansea City plan to shake up their player recruitment strategy with two new positions following the departure of Andy Scott. The former Brentford head of recruitment and Watford sporting director has left his role as head of recruitment at the Swans. The club insists Scott’s decision to move on after two-and-a-half years […]

The Scarlets have had the door slammed in their faces by European rugby bosses who will not permit any escape route from this weekend’s opening Heineken Champions Cup fixture. The Llanelli region had pleaded for a postponement of their Pool B clash at Bristol on Saturday because of the chaotic fall-out from their South Africa trip. Their coaches and players are still locked down in a Belfast hotel serving out their quarantine, which will not finish until Friday – just 24 hours before the match.

Jamie Paterson has insisted he is not a diver and he should not have been booked in Swansea City’s 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough. The Swans midfielder was shown a yellow card for simulation in the first-half of the weekend loss at the Riverside Stadium after tumbling under a challenge from Boro goalkeeper Luke Daniels. But Paterson is adamant that referee Andy Davies made the wrong call and that the Swans should have been awarded a penalty, instead.

By Steffan Thomas   The walls inside Whitchurch High School are already lined with pictures of famous Welsh internationals but they need to find room for another.  Alongside the photographs of the school’s most famous sons – Gareth Bale, Geraint Thomas and Sam Warburton – some space must be found for Christ Tshiunza following his Wales breakthrough in October and the prospect of more Test caps to come in the Six Nations in a couple of months’ time. 

By Rob Carbon New Wales Women U18 coach Liza Burgess is set to step down as vice-chair of the Welsh Rugby Union. It has long been an established rule that if you are employed by the WRU, you cannot sit on the board so Burgess will step down as vice-chair after accepting a full-time coaching […]

New Wales cap Bradley Roberts has admitted he has to move to Wales to continue his international career and the Dragons are working to offer him a deal. They face stiff competition from Cardiff, however, in trying to sign the Ulster hooker. Roberts’ contract with the Irish province runs out at the end of the season and the Welsh Rugby Union’s 60 cap selection policy means he will have to join a Welsh side if he is to extend his Test career into a second season.

Steve Morison has claimed Cardiff City delivered a “positive performance” despite another home defeat that has put them back in relegation trouble. The Bluebirds manager insisted there was not much wrong with his team’s display in their 3-2 reverse against Sheffield United, aside from Sean Morrison’s sending off which his namesake said had “killed off” his team’s hopes of a victory. It was Cardiff’s second defeat in three matches and leaves them just one place above the Championship relegation zone, although they have a five-point lead over Peterborough United, who also lost.

Georgia Evans is hoping to gain bragging rights over three of her Welsh international back row rivals when Saracens welcome table-topping Bristol Bears to the StoneX Stadium for the game of the season in the Allianz Premier 15s on Saturday. They won’t come any bigger than the top two unbeaten teams going head-to-head in a match that will hold much appeal for Wales coach Ioan Cunningham. Both teams have won their six league games and only one try bonus-point separates them.

Welsh National hopeful Truckers Lodge will appear at Chepstow this weekend in preparation for the big race in the calendar at the same venue at the end of the month. The Paul Nicholls-trained horse heads to Chepstow on Saturday for the Welsh Grand National Trial, live on Sky Sports Racing at 1.22pm. Truckers Lodge was second in the Welsh National in 2019 before going on to win the Midlands National last year,

Cardiff City manager Steve Morison has claimed no-one cares whether his team win at home or away, so long as the points are gathered. The Bluebirds return to the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, looking to build on their away victory at Luton Town last week, which gave Morison his third victory since he took over from Mick McCarthy. Two of those three wins have come away from home, with Morison’s home record so far showing one win against Huddersfield, but two defeats – to QPR and Hull City.

By Rob Carbon The Ospreys have asked European rugby bosses to confirm their players will not be Cup-tied before they lend some of them to the Scarlets. The Swansea-based region are willing to help out their rivals following the Scarlets’ enforced quarantine which has wrecked planning for their opening match of their Heineken Champions Cup […]

Last weekend, Holly Jones retained her British title in Guildford. But the Swansea gymnast intends her success in the vault to be a springboard for more achievements and medals in a busy 2022, as she tells Lucy Rees. Holly Jones aims to have two teams behind her when she competes for her country at next year’s Commonwealth Games – Team Wales and Team Jones. Jones – who regained the British senior vault title at the recent British Gymnastics Championships – has a big year ahead that she hopes will include winning a medal in Birmingham.