Meirion Evans has his sights set on next year’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (ITRC) following a successful return to competition in Ireland on the recent Cork 20 international in his Scan Station-backed Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.

The Dragons will need to overturn recent history and defy the odds if they are to take down Leinster when the champions visit Rodney Parade on Sunday. But full-back Josh Lewis belives a mix of new faces and old heads can combine for a shock result, as he tells Graham Thomas. Josh Lewis believes the Jamie Roberts factor can lift the Dragons to a shock victory over champions Leinster at Rodney Parade on Sunday. The biggest task of the weekend falls to Dean Ryan’s men who become the first of the Welsh regions to attempt to put a spoke in the Leinster machine in the new United Rugby Championship.

By Tom Prosser Glamorgan batsman Nick Selman has decided to leave the county and return home to Australia after finding it difficult being away from his family and friends. The pandemic has undoubtedly had a big impact on Selman’s decision as it’s very difficult for families to plan visits during these uncertain times. Australia currently has some of the tightest travel restrictions in the world and they have even cast some doubt over the upcoming Ashes Tour.

By Tom Prosser Russell Martin is delighted that his Swansea side have the joint most clean sheets in the league so far this season and insists he is not going to panic about their concerning defensive record when playing away from home. Swansea have so far let in 11 away goals this season and have conceded three at Preston, Luton and Fulham. “We have the most clean sheets in the league,” explained Martin.

By David Williams Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is looking forward to the challenge of taking on a new opponent when his team face the Emirates Lions on Friday night. South African outfit Lions are the first of the four United Rugby Championship sides from the Rainbow Nation to arrive in Wales this season. They […]

By Tom Prosser Newport County manager Michael Flynn is set to leave the club after Saturday’s match against Scunthorpe at Rodney Parade. Flynn has been in charge since 2017 and is reportedly handing over the reigns to his assistant Wayne Hatswell who played for the Exiles during the 2011-12 season. Newport have had a successful time on the pitch with Flynn at the helm.

Today is National Sporting Heritage Day and sports across Wales such as swimming and cricket have both been celebrating their past as well as looking ahead to the future, as Graham Thomas reports.  Every sport likes to honour its heroes from the past. Whether it’s teams or individuals, a nod to those who have gone before can prove inspirational to everyone – whether they be elite performers, grass roots enthusiasts, or youngsters trying a new activity for the first time.

By Rob Carbon Scott Williams is hopeful of putting three years of injury hell behind him by firing the Scarlets to success this season.  The 30-year-old has been capped 58 times by Wales and prior to injury, he was considered one of the best centres in European rugby.  His move to the Ospreys in 2018 was plagued by injuries, but now he’s back at the Scarlets and keen to prove he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level. 

Russell Martin has insisted he was “really proud” of his Swansea City players – even though a 3-1 defeat at Fulham exposed now familiar shortcomings in a season that has yielded just two victories in the first 10 Championship matches. The Swans have 10 points and are back in 19th position after an Aleksandar Mitrovic hat-trick condemned them to a first defeat in five games. Head coach Martin was pleased with the way his team held onto possession and created their own openings, including a well taken goal by Jamie Paterson which brought the scores back to 2-1.

By Rob Carbon Rugby will return with a resounding bang at the Welsh universities this week when the BUCS Super Rugby competition kicks off after an 18 month enforced break. There are three Welsh teams in the top-flight and Cardiff Met have the honour of welcoming the reigning champions, Durham, to Cyncoed for their opening game on Wednesday night (6.30pm). Cardiff University host Northumbria and Swansea University welcome Exeter, who were champions in 2018 and finished runners-up in 2019. They will arrive in Wales having warmed-up with a 103-0 win over Sidmouth.

England’s 17-year-old squad member Lottie Woad enjoyed her first senior national win at the Welsh Ladies Open Championship in Newport.

Wales Women have turned again to Geraint Lewis to get them out of a fix after announcing he would jointly lead their team into a three-Test autumn series. Former Wales flanker Lewis will take charge of the national team, alongside Ioan Cunningham, for their matches against Japan, South Africa and Canada It is the second time the Welsh Rugby Union have called Lewis in an emergency. He was first summoned to step in after the mysterious departure of Rowland Phillips in 2019 and now he has been asked to steer the ship again following the bizarre resignation of Warren Abrahams this summer after just nine months in the job.

By Paul Jones Mick McCarthy is now under intense pressure as Cardiff City manager after admitting concerns about his own fans chanting ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ during their 4-0 defeat to West Brom on Tuesday. The result follows Saturday’s 5-1 defeat to Blackburn and means the Bluebirds have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions. “The away fans singing it at me doesn’t bother me one bit. But the home fans doing it? That’s a completely different ball game,” said McCarthy.

Osian Pryce and Matt Edwards are lying first and second in the British Rally Championshipas their fierce duel for the coveted drivers’ title intensified on last weekend’s Trackrod Rally.

Gareth Bale has been ruled out of Wales’ World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Estonia with a “significant hamstring tear” – and may even struggle to make the November matches. Skipper Bale has not played since Wales’ goalless draw against Estonia on September 8 after being injured on his return to Real Madrid. The 32-year-old was due to win his 100th cap against the Czechs and his absence for October’s double-header deals a serious blow to Wales’ qualification hopes for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

David Smith is the Cristiano Ronaldo of boccia and has the accolades to prove it, after winning yet another medal at this summers Paralympics, he is now focused on promoting the sport which is accessible to anyone, as he tells Tom Prosser.  Paralympic champion David Smith once dreamed about becoming an airline pilot, but his flight path has steered him in a very different direction. The Swansea-based Great Britain star has won everything there is to be won in the world of boccia.

Cardiff City have been warned that promotion-chasing West Brom will not be knocked out of their stride by a physical approach when they visit the Bluebirds on Tuesday night. Mick McCarthy and his team are desperate to stop the rot for the home side who have lost five of their last six games in all competitions and three on the trot in the Championship. The Yorkshireman is a manager under pressure with fans growing restless after the 5-1 hammering suffered at Blackburn Rovers last weekend, but any attempt to muscle their way to a result will be countered, according to West Brom boss Velerien Ismael, whose team have only lost once this season.

New FAW chief executive Noel Mooney says UEFA would welcome a British and Irish bid for the 2030 World Cup. Mooney spent 10 years at UEFA and worked with all 55 European federations in his role as head of strategic development there before joining the FAW in July. The Irishman’s arrival in Cardiff comes at a time when a feasibility study is assessing whether the UK and Ireland will go ahead with an attempt to host the 2030 World Cup.

Wales’ leading male gymnasts Brinn Bevan and Joe Cemlyn-Jones have been named in the Great Britain men’s team for next month’s Artistic World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan. For 2016 Olympian Bevan, it will be a third appearance at the Worlds having competed in Glasgow in 2015 and Doha in 2018 while, for Cemlyn-Jones, it will mark his debut at a major championship. The selection of the Commonwealth Games contenders is the first time for 34 years that two senior Welsh men’s gymnasts will compete in the British team at an Artistic World Championships in the same year.

By Steffan Thomas Willis Halaholo is desperate to represent Wales at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and believes Cardiff’s no excuse culture can help him achieve his goals. After excelling at regional level for the past four seasons Halaholo finally made his Wales debut in February’s Six Nations win against Scotland and having played an […]