The FAW have announced that the JD Cymru Premier season will resume on Tuesday 2nd March after it was given the green light to return yesterday. Newtown will host Penybont at Latham Pak in the first JD Cymru Premier fixture since the league was suspended on 22 December. The 12 JD Cymru Premier clubs then […]

By David Williams Steve Cooper has told his Swansea City players their promotion campaign is about the survival of the fittest from here on in. The Swans host Coventry City tonight at the Liberty Stadium, aiming to bounce back from their biggest defeat of the season – an unexpected 4-1 hammering at Huddersfield last weekend. […]

Wayne Pivac has been given a New Zealand seal of approval from fellow Kiwi John Mitchell just days before the pair clash in the Six Nations. England defence coach Mitchell has backed the direction in which Pivac is taking his Wales team, who are just one win away from an unexpected Triple Crown. The two countrymen will meet at the Principality Stadium on Saturday with Pivac having received an unsolicited pat on the back from the former All Blacks and USA head coach.

There’s no substitute for experience – that’s Mick McCarthy’s verdict after moving Cardiff City from relegation candidates to within a win of reaching the play-off places. A sixth win in a row at Bournemouth tonight could move them ahead of last season’s Premier League outfit and up into sixth place. Unbeaten in seven games since the 62-year-old McCarthy arrived, the Bluebirds are a team transformed.

Many Welsh football fans may be angered at the likely departure of Jonathan Ford from the FAW, but Twm Owen believes the no confidence vote by the blazer brigade may have been justified, given recent events. Footballers will often say they are pleased at making the back pages rather the front page, but when stories […]

Jonathan Humphreys has reminded Wales that a “world class” England team will be coming to Cardiff on Saturday – despite their recent problems. The Wales forwards coach is aware of the quality that will be in the opposition ranks and has stressed his own team will need to be at their very best if they are to claim an unexpected Triple Crown. England are one from two so far in the Six Nations after a shock home defeat to Scotland in the opening round and a comfortable but still scratchy win over winless Italy the following week. 

Welsh football will head towards the Euros and the start of another World Cup campaign in turmoil with doubts over the futures of both FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford and Wales manager Ryan Giggs. Ford – who joined the Football Association of Wales 12 years ago – is set to lose his position at the helm after a no-confidence motion was passed in him by the FAW council. He is still technically in his job, but has been placed on gardening leave after he lost the support of the powers that be above him.

Jonny Bairstow believes he and Kieron Pollard can ignite Cardiff this summer when they team up in an exciting Welsh Fire side for The Hundred. Bairstow is set to be a key man for England for the rest of their winter, but will play for Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens later this year alongside fellow England internationals Ollie Pope, Tom Banton and Liam Plunkett. West Indian big hitter Pollard and Australian seamer Jhye Richardson have been confirmed as the overseas players following the conclusion of the draft selection process. 

Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy says that from day one his players have worked hard – and that’s why they are now just three points off the Championship play-offs. The Bluebirds turnaround under McCarthy has been phenomenal, going from being nine points off relegation and 13 points off the turn-six to having realistic promotion ambitions once again.

Domestic football in Wales took another step towards returning today, with the announcement that ‘Elite Status’ has again been granted to the JD Cymru Premier League and Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League. “The Football Association of Wales has been informed by the National Sport Group (NSG) that the JD Cymru Premier and the Orchard Welsh […]

Wales have the ability to make life tough for England on Saturday, according to former red rose prop Phil Vickery, who says if he bet then his money would be on Wales. The former World Cup winner fears more setbacks for his old side in this weekend’s Six Nations clash in Cardiff unless they can make better use of their “embarrassing” array of talent. Wales, argues Vickery, have finally got past the “hangover” from the Warren Gatland era and are making progress under Wayne Pivac.

Daniel James is back, with goals in Europe and in the Premier League. That’s good news for Wales, says Fraser Watson, where the expectations have always been more realistic and the patience in greater supply than at Old Trafford. For Welsh football fans, it was a heartening weekend. A player potentially pivotal to his nation this summer backing up a goalscoring display in Europe – and in doing so, showing the kind of sharpness and threat we had become accustomed too.

Joe Brier and Piers Copleland will be bidding for Euro glory in Poland after being named in Britain’s team for the Indoor Championships from March 4-7. The Welsh Athletics duo’s selection for Torun was confirmed following their victories in the 400m and 1500m respectively at the trails over the weekend.

Jordan Brown has confessed he never believed he would be good enough to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan after he claimed the Welsh Open title. Brown sealed one of snooker’s greatest upsets as he beat six-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in a final-frame decider at the Celtic Manor. The world number 81, who started the tournament as a 750-1 outsider, held his nerve to clinch a 9-8 win over O’Sullivan – conqueror of Wales’ Mark Williams in the semi-final – and become the lowest ranked winner of a ranking title in over a quarter of a century.

Jonny May has tipped his Gloucester team-mate – but Wales rival – Louis Rees-Zammit to become a “world-class player” after his free-scoring start to this year’s Six Nations. Wales wing Rees-Zammit is the tournament’s leading try-scorer with three tries in two games, having grabbed the decisive scores in Wales’ wins over Ireland and Scotland. May’s battle with Rees-Zammit on the left wing could be one of the highlights of Wales’ clash with England in Cardiff on Saturday as Wayne Pivac’s side go in search of what would be a stunning Triple Crown.

Mick McCarthy is happy to do “whatever it takes” to win promotion with Cardiff City, according to midfielder Will Vaulks. The Bluebirds can break into the top six if they extend their winning streak to six matches at Bournemouth on Wednesday night – a scenario that looked implausible when the manager took charge barely a month ago. At that stage, Cardiff were 15th in table, but Wales midfielder Vaulks says a combination of pragmatism, sound man-management and celebrating the virtues other teams find “horrible” has transformed the club’s season.

Joe Brier and Piers Copleland put themselves in pole position for selection at next month’s European Indoor Championships with superb wins at Sunday’s Great Britain trial event in Manchester. Swansea Harrier Brier produced a magnificent new personal best and qualification standard of 46.81 to win the 400m A final.

Newport County boss Mike Flynn branded the Rodney Parade pitch the worst of his career but insisted it was not at fault for a 2-0 defeat by Forest Green Rovers. The Exiles chief saw his side’s poor LeagueTwo form continue but refused to make an excuse out of the sorry surface after losing to a promotion rival.

It may be Wales-England week, but West Walian Steven Shingler wants to take Ealing Trailfinders to the Gallagher Premiership – and prepare for his next life as a professional coach. The man from Hendy has previously plied his trade at London Irish, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues and Stade Montois but believes Ealing have the potential to be as big as any of them. Ealing are a hugely ambitious club owned by multi-millionaire Mike Gooley and have their sights set on the big time.

Ken Owens has warned England to expect no less intensity at an empty Principality Stadium than if there were 70,000 Welsh fans screaming at them. The Wales hooker intends to add to the problems of Eddie Jones, who says his side are suffering from the drop in aggression that is evident across rugby and football due to the coronavirus-enforced absence of spectators at grounds. England suffered their first Twickenham defeat to Scotland since 1983 before beating Italy 41-18 in another underwhelming home display.