The joy of George North’s 100th cap landmark for Wales will be lined with sadness at his boyhood club. The Wales centre will lead his team out against England today, hoping his celebrations for a century of appearances can inspire the delivery of a Six Nations Triple Crown. But his record-breaking milestone has been put into perspective by the death of a member of his first rugby club.

Cardiff City have been blessed with a number of very good goalkeepers over the years, but none, surely, can boast a starting record like Dillon Phillips. The man likely to be in goal for the Bluebirds at Middlesbrough today has given manager Mick McCarthy a welcome selection quandary since Phillips took over from Alex Smithies. When Phillips joined Cardiff from Charlton for an undisclosed fee in the autumn of last year, he had to show considerable patience.

The first crowd-less Wales v England Six Nations match will take place this afternoon – an eerie prospect, even a year on from the disappearance of fans from most of our sporting fixtures. No roars, no shouts and certainly no singing. Rhodri Jeremiah details the power of song at matches between the old rivals. Let’s be honest here,  we all love a sing song. Whether it’s in the shower, the pub or even at a rugby international.

A group of Wales’ most promising athletes have been given access to approved training facilities as the sport takes its latest step towards returning towards normality. Until now, access had been limited to a group of 26 athletes who had been given “elite” status by virtue of them receiving the top level of Lottery funding under Welsh Athletics’ Commonwealth Games programme.

Elfyn Evans was fifth after the opening days of the Arctic Rally Finland on Friday. The Dolgellau-born racer was around 16 seconds slower on each off the two passes of the Sarriojärvi test – the second completed in darkness – as Estonia’s former world champ Ott Tanak dominated the first day.

Wayne Pivac has praised George North’s attitude and appetite as he prepares to win his 100th Wales cap and become a rugby union record-breaker. North will reach a century in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against England at the Principality Stadium. And at 28 years and 320 days, he will eclipse Australia captain Michael Hooper by four weeks as the youngest player to clock up 100 appearances for their country.

Simplicity has been the key to Cardiff City’s revival under Mick McCarthy, according to Wales midfielder Will Vaulks. The Bluebirds will be seeking a seventh consecutive victory when they go to Middlesbrough on Saturday and a meeting with former manager Neil Warnock. When McCarthy replaced Neil Harris, they were 15th in the table and 13 points adrift of sixth place. After taking 20 points from a maximum possible 24, Cardiff now occupy that final play-off position and are 11 points behind the automatic places with 14 matches still to go.

Eddie Jones has told England to pick up their own arousal levels when they face Wales this weekend. But it’s not a case of thinking Welsh fires can melt the mighty iceberg, says Harri Morgan. It’s more about Wales being coldly, clinical themselves. Expect Eddie’s England to arrive in Cardiff brimming with whoop and holler. Each milestone in the game will be celebrated to the hilt. Every high pitched rejoice or northern grunt, designed to nudge up the level on their “arousal-ometer”.

By Paul Jones Shane Williams has backed George North to chase down his international try-scoring record after rediscovering his love of rugby and earning his 100th Wales cap. North, 28, will bring up his century of appearances when Wales face England in Cardiff on Saturday, having missed the win over Scotland last time out due […]

Welsh international Angharad James is heading to America and the National Women’s Soccer League after signing for North Carolina Courage. The 26-year-old, who has previously stated her desire to play her club football in the States, will join up with the 2018 and 2019 champions in time for the new season in May. Her deal will initially run for one year, with an option of a second year tagged on and she will contine to be free to play for Wales.

Wales Golf has postponed the 2021 Ladies Open Strokeplay at Newport until later in the summer when it is hoped the event will be able to go ahead without restrictions. Newport Golf Club has continued to support this Championship and it will now be played Friday 24th – Sunday 26th September at the same venue.

Welsh coal mining once used to produce prop forwards for Wales, but these days few jobs sit beside being a professional rugby player. Except, it seems, if you’re a farmer from west Wales as Wyn Jones is proving is this Six Nations and as he tells Graham Thomas. Wyn Jones has revealed a return to shearing sheep during lockdown got him in the mood to strong-arm opponents in this season’s Six Nations. The Wales prop has been one of the big success stories of the tournament so far – collecting the man-of-the-match award in taking the clippers to Ireland and then giving the Scots a haircut with another forceful display in the win at Murrayfield.

Wales flanker Justin Tipuric insists his Triple Crown chasers are level-headed ahead of their showdown against England on Saturday. “We know we haven’t been playing at the top of our game and we know we have got a lot to improve on.” says the Ospreys captain. “We are not a perfect team, but we are still winning games which shows we’re doing something right.

A “throwback” defender who looks good for the future. Gareth Bale, Daniel James, Kieffer Moore – it’s a been a good week or so for players potentially crucial to Wales’ chances at this summer’s Euro finals. But last night at the Liberty Stadium, one of the less talked about candidates for a place in the re-arranged tournament continued to prosper.

Mick McCarthy is relishing the pressure now being on Cardiff City as a sixth win on the trot in a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth saw they leapfrog their rivals into a play-offs spot. Skipper Sean Morrison and Kieffer Moore, with a penalty, gave City a two goal lead at half-time.

Steve Cooper praised Swansea City’s powers of recovery after they muscled their way to a vital win thanks to the broad shoulders of Ben Cabango. The young Wales central defender used his strength, determination and imposing physique to get above Coventry’s defenders to head home and earn a 1-0 win over Coventry City at the Liberty Stadium. It was enough for the Swans to claim a victory that keeps them in fourth place in the Championship, but just a point behind both Brentford and Watford – who also both won – with two games in hand.

Lauren Price has been named GB Boxing’s Best Female Boxer for the third year in a row. The 26-year-old picked up the top gong in a belated ceremony at GB Boxing’s gym at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield under strict social distancing protocols.

Siwan Lillicrap has been confirmed as captain for Wales Women’s rescheduled Six Nations campaign in April by head coach Warren Abrahams. The forward took over the armband in November 2019 from hooker Carys Phillips.

Stevie Williams will begin his campaign with a weekend Classics double in Belgium this weekend. The Aberystwyth-born rider has been named in the Team Bahrain Victorious squad for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday and Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne the following day.

Matt Edwards will return to the British Rally Championship in 2021 in a bid to secure his third title in a row – but is switching to a Volkswagen Polo R5 for his potential history-making campaign. The 36-year-old from Llandudno’s move marks his first full BRC season outside of the M-Sport Ford marque since joining the series in 2016.