By Paul Jones The British and Irish Lions are preparing for their first match in South Africa after their hosts have been cleared to return to action after three positive coronavirus tests were confirmed on Sunday.  The entire Springboks squad was placed in isolation as a precautionary measure after the positive tests, leading to the cancellation of Sunday’s training session, but were given the green light to resume training on Monday afternoon following feedback from the medical advisory group overseeing the series.  One of the players who tested positive, scrum-half Herschel Jantjies, has subsequently been cleared to join the training group, SA Rugby said in a statement. 

Aberdare duo Emily James and Mia Bernardo have been selected to represent Great Britain at this year’s Aerobic European Championships in Italy in September. In their first year in the senior ranks, 17-year-old James – who trains between Bulmershe GC in Reading and Phoenix DGC in Aberdare – and Bernardo, 18, from Phoenix, will become the first Welsh aerobic gymnasts to go to a European Championships since former senior women’s British champion Kayleigh Silver eight years ago. The pair have been selected as part of a five-strong senior group alongside double senior British individual champion Niamh Keane (Bulmershe) and Basingstoke Gymnastics Club duo Keleigh-Anne Blakey and Elizabeth Marais.

Meirion Evans was on a high in Scotland at the weekend, after recording his first major rally win on the Argyll Rally. In doing so, he also gave the Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 and Michelin Pilot Sport A tyre its first outright rally victory in the UK.

Geraint Thomas was to undergo an ultrasound on Monday night after dislocating his shoulder in a Tour de France crash. Wales’s 2018 champ had the shoulder painfully reset after the shunt following a touch of wheels just 37km into the 183km long stage three from Lorient to Pontivy.

Martin Galway enjoyed the biggest win of his career at the Welsh Seniors Open, with a hole-in-one setting him on the way to victory. In fact England golfer Galway and playing partner Richard Norton both had a hole-in-one in their opening round together at Tenby. “I don’t know what the chances of that are, astronomical I imagine,” said Galway, of East Sussex National golf club.

By Steffan Thomas  Taine Basham is hoping to use this summer’s tests against Argentina and Canada as a steppingstone towards the 2023 Rugby World Cup.  The 21-year-old Dragons openside has trained with Wales in previous squads but is expected to finally win his first cap at the Principality stadium next month.   He has long been considered one of Welsh rugby’s brightest prospects but fell down the pecking order following a broken arm suffered in January.  

Adam Beard believes getting dropped from the national squad last autumn was a blessing in disguise and insists he can fill the boots of injured Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones. The Ospreys lock – who was called into the British and Irish Lions squad on Saturday night for their tour to South Africa following Jones’ shoulder dislocation – was a regular starter for Wales during the latter part of the Warren Gatland era. But he was then dropped by Wayne Pivac and sent back to the Ospreys after a dip in form.

Robert Page is set to hold talks over his future following Wales’ exit from Euro 2020. The caretaker manager was in charge for the tournament with manager Ryan Giggs on leave and due to face trial in January. Giggs has been accused of deliberately headbutting his ex-girlfriend and controlling her throughout their relationship, charges which he denies.

Ben Pritchard has revealed he was unaware of the Paralympics when he suffered the accident that set him on a new course to Tokyo this summer. The Welsh para rower is one five debutants in a Great Britain squad of eight rowers heading for the Games in August. Pritchard made his international debut just two years ago after a cycling crash in September 2016 left him paralysed from the waist down.

Geraint Thomas lost time to his main Tour de France rivals on the brutal finish to stage two at Mur-de-Bretagne. Wales’s 2018 Tour champ slipped from 10th overall to 20th spot as the spectacular start to this year’s battle for the Yellow Jersey continued.

Bethan Davies claimed a sixth British outdoor 5,000m race walk title on a successful day for Welsh athletes in Manchester on Sunday afternoon. The Cardiff athlete was one of the most comprehensive winners on the third and final day of the Muller British Athletics Championships and British Olympic trials in Manchester.

Elfyn Evans picked up four precious points as he recovered to finish 10th on the Safari Rally. But the Dolgellau-born racer still saw his WRC title hopes take a big hit as Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sebastien Ogier claimed his second win in a row.

Conor Murray has admitted the loss of Alun Wyn Jones will be huge for the Lions after the Ireland scrum-half replaced the Wales skipper as tour captain. Murray was the surprise choice to replace Jones as British and Irish Lions captain for the trip to South Africa. The Lions suffered a devastating blow as Jones was ruled out of the tour after dislocating his shoulder in the 28-10 victory over Japan at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Gareth Bale has vowed to continue to play for Wales until he retires. The clarification – which came in a post-match interview after Wales’ exit from Euro 2020 following a 4-0 thrashing by Denmark – still leaves his immediate playing future open to question. But at least the Wales captain – who had earlier walked out of a BBC interview when asked about his future – seemed to indicate with S4C that he wants to hang around until next year’s World Cup.

Welsh 1500m star Jake Heyward must wait and see whether he has done enough to book a place at next month’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Cardiff athlete won bronze on day two of the Muller British Athletics Championships in Manchester, which doubles as the Great Britain Olympic trials.

Geraint Thomas is under no illusions about the level of competition he faces as he attempts to win his second Tour de France over the next three weeks. The Team Ineos Grenadiers rider will embark on his 11th Tour this weekend as the world’s biggest bike race gets underway in the town of Brest, in Britanny. After a disappointing 2020, in which he crashed out in stage three of the Giro d’Italia, Thomas believes he is in good shape ahead of this year’s race, having finished third, behind team-mate Richie Porte, in the Criterium du Dauphine, and won the Tour de Romandie.

By Tom Prosser “The boys are all extremely disappointed as we are like one big family but we know we have to bounce back-that is what great teams do.” Those are the motivational words of Wales U20s skipper Alex Mann who is eager for his side to write the wrongs of their 40 points to 12 defeat to a strong Ireland team. “It’s international rugby at the of the day, we knew it was going to be tough,” says Mann.

When Wales take on Denmark in the last 16 of Euro 2020 on Saturday, they will have the backing of what is now a football nation. They will also have the solid support of the school where Ben Davies and Rubin Colwill both started their sporting journey. It was not always like that, though, as Owen Morgan recalls. The images of Ben Davies and Rubin Colwill in matches, and training, with Wales at Euro 2020 fill me with a strange mixture of burning pride and utter amazement. As a fellow former pupil of Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur, I am obviously thrilled to see them on such a stage.

Former Wales manager Mark Hughes has backed his old team to withstand the wave of emotion carrying opponents Denmark into their Euro 2020 knockout clash on Saturday. Hughes believes the Danes have become everyone’s second favourite team because of the outpouring of sympathy since the cardiac arrest suffered by their star and talisman, Christian Eriksen. But the manager who took Wales to the brink of qualification for Euro 2004, reckons Wales have both the spirit and match-winning players to pull through in Amsterdam, in a game which is live on S4C.

Wales were unable to make it back-to-back wins in the U20 Six Nations as Ireland ran in five tries in a dominant 40-12 victory at Cardiff Arms Park. After starting with a victory over Italy, skipper Alex Mann’s side found the tournament favourites a much tougher assignment, although they did manage two tries themselves. Wales knew they were going to be given a sterner test by last season’s Triple Crown winners and the Grand Slam champions from 2019.