John Disney and his Connah’s Quay Nomads teammates will run their hearts out tonight in a bid for European glory – but the defender will sit very still if he is substituted. The experienced Disney will be a key figure for the Nomads as they carry the nation’s flag into the Champions League against FK Sarajevo in the first qualifying round at Cardiff City Stadium. It will be the Nomads’ first appearance in European football’s premier tournament and the fact that the tie consists of only one leg gives them a far greater chance of upsetting the odds.

Geraint Thomas will not be bidding to win the Tour de France this year after he and Chris Froome were both shock omissions from their Team Ineos squad. Both former Tour winners were left out of the team that will contest the tour in what will feel like a hammer blow to Wales’ 2018 winner. Neither Thomas nor Froome have shown much good form recently after cycling’s return and they have paid the price by being left out for the biggest event in the sport.

Jamie Roberts’ positive test for coronavirus has thrown both of this weekend’s Welsh derbies into doubt. The Dragons confirmed on Tuesday evening that their marquee signing and former Wales and Lions centre had tested positive for the virus. That puts paid to any debut for the 33-year-old centre for his new region, who are due to face the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.

Years of endurance training have set up Eli Kirk for her next challenge, combining a new career as a junior doctor with qualification for her third Commonwealth Games. The Welsh international distance runner has left the New Balance Manchester professional running team to make use of her medical degree. Despite the notoriously long hours put in by junior doctors, Kirk still hopes to clock up the miles as an international athlete and book her place at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Sam Moore was once singled out as an England international of the future. Having made his name for England Under 20s and Sale Sharks, he was invited to train with the senior Red Rose squad by Eddie Jones. But times have changed with the Cardiff-born No. 8 now determined to force his way into Wayne […]

Women volunteers around Wales help golf clubs become more inclusive, it has been shown as part of Women and Girls Week. Wales Golf has launched Women and Girls Week, with the chance to focus on volunteers today (Tuesday) and the contribution they make to golf clubs round Wales.

Gareth Davies has come under fire from one of the clubs he is hoping will back his bid to remain chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union. Both Davies and current chief executive Martyn Phillips have been sharply criticised by Aberavon Harlequins, even though the Division Two West Central club have agreed to pull the plug on plans for an extraordinary general meeting. The Quins – one of the 34 clubs to propose an EGM over their unhappiness with the WRU’s governance – have now rescinded that request. Instead, they plan to air their grievances at this year’s AGM in October.

It’s a long way from Cwmbran to Sacramento, California, but Cory McKenna has made it in more ways than one. The mixed martial arts fighter has become the first Welsh woman to earn a contract in the lucrative world of UFC, but tells Chris Saunders this is just the beginning of her journey.  Strap yourself in, because MMA starlet Cory ‘The Hobbit’ McKenna has just announced herself on the big stage. After starting her MMA career at the tender age of 15, the Cwmbran product built up an undefeated amateur record.

Welsh, British and worldwide Paralympians have shared tributes to Jacob Thomas, Wales’ Paralympic boccia player who has died at the age of 25. The Pembrokeshire athlete competed at the London 2012 Games in the BC3 category, and reached the top of his sport during the 2015-2016 season when he became number one in the world. Thomas won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships in 2014 and also achieved podium finishes at the European Championships.

Owain Lloyd-Hughes won the clash of Wales’ fastest teenagers in a blistering race at Swansea on Sunday. The Neath Harrier just edged out Jeremiah Azu in one of the highlights at Welsh Athletics’ second post-COVID-19 lockdown pilot event of the weekend. Lloyd-Hughes produced a fast finish to claim the win against Azu, who was last season ranked as Europe’s fastest teenager having clocked a lightning fast 10.27 at the Loughborough International.

Golf is increasingly becoming a career opportunity for women, with Welsh golf leading the way as Women and Girls Week tees off today. Women and Girls Week is a chance to celebrate the inclusivity of golf as a sport, along with the contribution of member clubs, as the numbers of women and girls joining clubs in Wales is rising above targets.

Holly Jones should have been part of the Wales gymnastics squad defending their title on home turf in October when the Northern European Championships was due to be staged in Cardiff. The coronavirus pandemic put paid to that, but a re-scheduled event next year, plus the 2022 Commonwealth Games means her return to training provides plenty to aim for, as she tells Carl Field. Swansea’s Holly Jones has already enjoyed plenty of medal success in her career to date – but being on the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in two years’ time would top the lot. That is certainly the aim for the 19-year-old women’s artistic gymnast, who only narrowly missed out on what would have been a stunning bronze medal on vault at the last Games on the Gold Coast in Australia in 2018, finishing fourth.

Welsh athletes returned to competition within Wales for the first time this weekend, but it was far from business as usual. Owen Morgan braved the rain in order the enter athletics’ brave new world. It’s not every day you see a World Championship class athlete retrieving his own discus after hurling it more than 50 metres in a competition. However, this was no ordinary competition. This was Welsh Athletics’ first pilot event on the road back to sporting normality following the Covid-19 lockdown – and it was a hugely welcome success.

Welsh rugby finally returns next weekend when the four regions resume action in the Guinness Pro 14. The Scarlets face the Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys host the Dragons, with some familiar faces on show. But for Scarlets’ new scrum coach Ben Franks, this will be a new experience with fresh objectives, as the former All Blacks star tells Steffan Thomas. Former All Blacks World Cup winning prop Ben Franks plans to resurrect the career of Wales’ “once in a generation prop” Samson Lee. Scarlets prop Lee took over the Wales No.3 shirt from the legendary Adam Jones and quickly made a name for himself on the international stage.

The Guinness Pro14 returns next weekend – a league tournament that has many things going for it compared to others. It has more tries per game than rivals in England and France, higher ball in play times, and more opportunities for young players. The ability to see big name stars? Err, not so good on that one as Peter Jackson outlines. The Pro14 can boast a dual headline act beyond compare, a pair of players born 35 years ago on opposite sides of the Irish Sea. Alun-Wyn Jones and Johnny Sexton belong to the elite, specialists in the art of winning Grand Slams and not losing a Lions’ Test series in New Zealand.

New Swansea City signing Korey Smith has been described as “a Scottie Pippin” who can play the perfect support role at the club. Smith became the first Swans’ signing of the transfer window when he moved from Bristol City after his contract came to an end. The midfielder spent six seasons at Ashton gate and the 29-year-old – who made 196 appearances for the Robins – has been likened to former basketball star Pippin, whose crucial back-up role to Michael Jordan was highlighted in the Netflix hit, The Last Dance.

By Terry Phillips Ben Bowns is heading to Austria – and Cardiff Devils look certain to sign an import goaltender for the 2020-21 Elite League season. Yorkshireman Bowns has made more than 400 appearances in six seasons for Devils, but he has now committed to Austrian club Graz 99ers. That surely means Devils are searching […]

Wales international Kieffer Moore has joined Cardiff City from Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee. The 6ft 5in striker found the back of the net 10 times this season and scored crucial goals for Wales against Slovakia and Azerbaijan in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. It is understood several other clubs were interested in Moore, […]

Once Wales’ most capped rugby player, most prolific tryscorer and most decorated captain, Ieuan Evans was the wide man who always held centre stage. Now, he’s seeking to be at the hub of events in a different role – as a member of the Welsh Rugby Union’s council. Graham Thomas hears why. When Ieuan Evans lifted the 1994 Five Nations trophy as Wales captain, he wore the look of a man who knew the truth. His team had won the title, but they had just been beaten by England at Twickenham – a Grand Slam opportunity had been lost – and the skipper’s instinct was to reflect the mixed emotions he felt inside rather than dance to the tune of TV producers who wanted joyous celebration. 

By Alex Bywater Former Ospreys wing Lesley Klim’s remarkable rugby journey saw him battle a childhood of family tragedy and the temptations of drugs and alcohol to make it as a professional. The Namibian international wing represented his country at last year’s World Cup and went head-to-head with eventual winners South Africa and New Zealand […]