Chris Gunter is relishing taking the captain’s armband for Wales on Thursday as he targets a centenary of caps. The right-back will win his 98th cap for his country in the friendly against the United States in Swansea with Gareth Bale set to be rested.

Acting Manager Rob Page says it’s an extremely proud moment as he takes charge of Wales for the first time in the absence of Ryan Giggs. Page has stepped up for Thursday’s friendly with the United States in Swansea and the two Nations Cup games with Giggs not involved this month.

Elinor Barker helped Britain clock the fastest time in team pursuit qualifying as she launched her bid for more European Track Championship gold in Bulgaria. The Cardiff-born rider was part of a quartet that clocked 4:13.923 in Plovdiv with Neah Evans, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald.

Andre Ayew has been hailed as Swansea City’s ‘main man’ by manager Steve Cooper who predicts there is even more to come from the Ghana international. The 30-year-old has bagged 23 goals since the start of last season after a campaign spent on loan with Turkish club Fenerbahce.

By David Williams Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has made a solitary change to the team beaten by Scotland for Friday’s Autumn Nations Cup opener against Ireland. Flanker Justin Tipuric, who missed the Six Nations loss to Scotland 11 days ago because of tonsillitis, replaces James Davies. Pivac has otherwise kept faith with that starting […]

Wales take on the USA on Thursday night, before UEFA Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. Kieffer Moore is likely to be a key figure, a striker who Jack Hammett believes has become as important to Wales as Olivier Giroud has been to France. Variety has become a significant thread running through Wales football squads at present and the current group is certainly that. On the one hand, there are players from the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A, whilst at the other end of the scale an opportunity has been given to players from League Two.

Sarah Abrams can put away her Sainsbury’s shopping bags and train with a proper set of weights over the next month – thanks to support from Welsh Athletics. During the last lockdown, the final year Imperial College, London, medical student filled two reinforced shopping bags with her heaviest books and attached them to a lifting bar to fashion a set of weights as she trained in her bedroom.

Hollie Arnold reckons she is going to become “hangry” on “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here” but insists it will be worth the meagre rations if she inspires others. Wales’ Para world champion and Paralympic champion has admitted going without will rest her patience while she is on the ITV show. Arnold – who defended her javelin world Para title in Dubai last year and has been preparing for the delayed Tokyo Paralympics – has accepted an invite to take part in this year’s show which is being staged at Gwrych Castle in north Wales, rather than the usual Australian jungle location.

No sooner had Bryon Hayward packed his bags and left the Wales coaching set-up, than the double P-word was being thrown around. Player Power had sunk him, according to the armchair experts. But Harri Morgan believes players should all have the power to express themselves, otherwise how can anyone expect them to do it out on the pitch? In the words of fiction’s finest figure skater – Chazz Michael Michaels – “No-one knows what it means, but it’s provocative.” Fear not, this isn’t going to be a homage to Will Ferrell, or an elucidation of Black Eyed Peas song lyrics.

Former Wales manager Chris Coleman says he is eagerly awaiting his next challenge in football – wherever in the world that may be. Having been out of work since parting ways with Hebei China Fortune in May 2019, the former Fulham, Real Sociedad and Sunderland boss has endured a strange year, like everyone else. Cookie, as he is affectionately known by Wales supporters, reached the momentous milestone of 50 years of age in June and says the past year has given him ample time to reflect on his managerial ambitions.

Alun Wyn Jones has been described as an ‘absolute pest’ by British & Irish Lions room-mate Iain Henderson. The roomies are set to face each other on Friday when Wales begin their Autumn Nations Cup campaign against Ireland in Dublin on Friday.

Korey Smith says Swansea City will be raring to go after the international break and determined to maintain their impressive start to the campaign. The Swans are sixth in the Championship but just three points off table-toppers Reading 11 games into the season.

Former defender David Hughes is determined to increase the numbers of local players who graduate to Cardiff City’s first team after being appointed Academy Head of Coaching. The 42-year-old will oversee the Bluebirds entire Academy coaching department across all age groups from Under9s to U23.

The Scarlets are set to bolster their front-row resources with the signing of 20-stones Southern Kings tight-head prop Pieter Scholtz. Glenn Delaney’s side will be without first choice number three Samson Lee for large parts of the season due to Wales commitments. In his absence, the west Walians suffered serious problems in the set piece as they were taken to the cleaners at scrum time by Edinburgh in their recent home defeat.

Former Wales goalkeeper Dai Davies has revealed how physios have got him walking again after 10 weeks in hospital. Davies – who made his name with Everton and Wrexham – has terminal pancreatic cancer and had been a patient at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for almost two months during the summer. During that period he was unable to see family and loved-ones due to Covid-19 restrictions, but in August he was transferred to Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham.

Wales coach Wayne Pivac has admitted that talks with players formed part of the backdrop to his decision to get rid of Byron Hayward. Defence coach Hayward left by mutual agreement on Sunday after just a year in the job and just weeks after Sam Warburton’s decision not to continue as part of the national coaching set-up. Addressing questions over the decision for the first time since the announcement, Pivac – who worked closely with Hayward for six years at the Scarlets and pushed hard for his appointment by the Welsh Rugby Union – admitted that the views of players had been taken, but insisted that was just part of the normal review process.

Wrexham fans today began voting on a future that could see the club back in the Football League as a global force and starring in a Netflix documentary of their rise.

Stevie Williams has been given a huge vote of confidence by Team Bahrain Mclaren after being handed a new contract. The 24-year-old had been sidelined for around 16-months by a knee problem that needed surgery last November.

After a year of departures, Welsh rugby is still processing an unexpected arrival in the form of new Welsh Rugby Union chairman Rob Butcher.The domino effect that began with Rob Howley ahead of last year’s World Cup has seen Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards exit stage right as arranged. They have been followed by a chief executive, Martyn Phillips, chairman, Gareth Davies, high performance director, Ryan Jones, and more recently Sam Warburton and Byron Hayward after only brief spells as part of Wayne Pivac’s coaching team.

Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton were crowned champions after a 3-0 whitewash of England in the World Cup of Darts. The duo lived-up to their pre-tournament tag of favourites to lift the trophy for the first time in Austria.