Cory ‘The Hobbit’ McKenna became the first Welsh woman to earn a contract in the lucrative and brutal world of UFC. The mixed martial arts fighter has always been known as The Hobbit, but has now re-branded herself as “Poppins”. Oh, yes. McKenna explains the name change to Chris Saunders as she looks to propel […]

During lockdown, Melissa Courtney-Bryant could be seen in videos produced by Sport Wales, showing the nation how to do a proper warm-up routine before home-based exercise. Now, she’s back warming the tracks across Europe with some super-charged performances as she tells Owen Morgan. Melissa Courtney-Bryant is certainly making up for the racing time lost due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The Welsh middle distance runner is zig-zagging Europe to make the most of every opportunity to get onto the track following the worldwide sporting shutdown.

New Swansea City chief executive Julian Winter has pledged to bring success to Swansea City after the change in structure brought on by the departure of chairman Trevor Birch. The Swans have opted to create a chief executive officer role in the wake of Birch’s departure, suggesting a tighter element of direct control by the club’s American owners. With Birch opting to leave to join Tottenham Hotspur – where he becomes director of football operations – Swansea have appointed Winter in the new position of CEO and the 54-year-old will take up his post later this month.

Frano Botica will always be remembered as one of New Zealand’s best dual code internationals but his time at Llanelli RFC in the late 1990’s remains a controversial talking point. The former All Black was earning Premier League football wages in Welsh rugby 24 years ago with the deal costing Llanelli £14,000 a game. Welsh […]

Ryan Giggs insists he will have no concerns if he gives rookie defenders Neco Williams and Ben Cabango their Wales debuts this week. The pair are being lined-up for first starts for their country in Wales’ Nations League opener against Finland in Helsinki on Thursday. Williams, 19, has made the breakthrough at Liverpool this year, while Cabango was a mainstay for Swansea City during their surge into the Championship play-offs this summer.

By Matthew Burgess The Welsh clubs left in the early stages of European competition may not have bagged the main prize but there is still much to look forward to in the next round of the Europa League. Yesterday’s draw groupings made sure that a Welsh club weren’t going to be able to get a […]

John Mulvihill is demanding his Cardiff Blues team start the new rugby season in the same way they ended the current one.The Blues coach saw his region end a fractured, disrupted campaign by overcoming the Ospreys 29-20 at borrowed Rodney Parade in their final match of the Guinness Pro 14 on Sunday. The victory left the Blues with a record of seven wins and eight defeats from their 15 games, spread over the course of 11 months – not great, but nowhere near as poor as the Ospreys, for whom Sunday’s defeat was their 11th, with just a couple of victories and two draws.

UEFA have whittled down the number of potential opponents Welsh clubs could face in today’s Europa League second qualifying round draw. Connah’s Quay, The New Saints and Bala Town will all feature in the draw which will be held at midday today and streamed live online via UEFA.com.

Chaz Davies may have missed out on an eighth career victory at Motorland Aragon but Wales’ World Superbike ace was happy after claiming a second runners-up spot on the Spanish track. The Knighton-born rider saw his hopes of victory still alive on the final lap before taking the chequered flag just behind Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea.

Welsh middle distance runner Angharad Davies claimed an 800m and 1500m double at the Galician Championships in Spain. Davies, who lives and works in Spain, also smashed her personal best times for both distances on Saturday.

Luke Rowe labelled rival team Astana “pretty stupid” for aggressive tactics when the peloton were looking to slow things down after several crashes in the rain had hampered the opening stage of the Tour de France in Nice. The Welsh rider – the only Briton on the team of Ineos Grenadiers after the decision to leave out Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome – was unimpressed with some of the riding he witnessed on day one on Saturday. Alexander Kristoff won a sprint finish as the UAE Team Emirates rider powered through ahead of Mads Pedersen on the Promenade Des Anglais to claim the first yellow jersey of the delayed 2020 event.

Melissa Courtney-Bryant handed herself an early birthday present as she stormed to victory in the 1500m at the Gothenburg GP to continue her excellent start to the season. Wales’ Commonwealth Games bronze medallist – 27 today (August 30) – triumphed in 4:05.07 from Jessica Hull (4:05.47) with Katie Snowdon setting a season’s best of 4:09.63 in third in Sweden.

Ryan Giggs admits he will put the noses of some big name managers out of joint this season – all so Wales can sniff out more success at the Euro finals next summer. Giggs has recognised that club and international managers are bound to upset each other during a congested fixture list like no other. The new Premier League campaign – which starts on September 12 – will be five weeks shorter than a standard season after the late end to 2019-20 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest Welsh Athletics pilot event witnessed the smashing of a 41-year-old Welsh record along with a number of other excellent individual performances. Gracie Griffiths, of Pembrokeshire Harriers, broke the Welsh Under-15 3,000m walk record of 16:08.4, set by Karen Nipper, of Roath WC, in the Netherlands way back in 1979.

Glenn Delaney is hoping his Celtic cousins can do him a favour by opening the door for the Scarlets to the Guinness Pro 14 play-offs. The Scarlets coach watched his team subdue and then dismantle the Dragons at Rodney Parade to earn a six-try, 42-20 victory on Saturday. The result gives them an outsider’s chance of making the semi-final play-offs, but for that to happen, Connacht – the Irish province where Delaney’s forefathers are from – need a shock victory at Munster on Sunday afternoon.

Chaz Davies staged a superb fightback to finish second in the Aragon round of the World Superbikes Championship. The Knighton-born rider started ninth after Superpole qualifying but came close to overtaking race winner and team-mate Scott Redding on the final lap.

Brock James was one of Europe’s most influential players during a monumental decade with Clermont Auvergne in France. Now, his former teammate Lee Byrne reckons James could prove just as influential at the Ospreys, as he tells Graham Thomas. Brock James has been pinpointed as the coach who can give the Ospreys back their wings. The seal of approval for the region’s new attack coach has come from their former Wales star Lee Byrne, who was a clubmate of James’s at Clermont Auvergne.

Ken Owens will have cause for a double celebration today when he leads out the Scarlets at Rodney Parade in their final game of the regular season in this extraordinary Guinness PRO14 campaign. Firstly, it will be the first time he has led his side since confirmation he would soon go into a record seventh season as captain. Secondly, it will be his 250th appearance for the Scarlets, earning him Life Membership of the region.

Chaz Davies blasted to the fastest time in opening practice for the Aragon round of the World Superbikes Championship. The Powys flier loved the Spanish track having claimed seven of his 30 career wins there – and will be hoping to add more this weekend.

Ffion Tynan saw her run at the Women’s Amateur Championship ended after a battling display at the West Lancashire course near Liverpool. The Pontyclun prospect narrowly lost 2&1 to Curtis Cup golfer Annabell Fuller to just miss out on a spot in the quarter-finals.