It was the kick the propelled Gavin Henson into a stardom as bright as his silver boots. But as Mike Ruddock tells Graham Thomas, the shot at goal that turned the tables against England – and ushered in a Grand Slam in 2005 – was the consequence of planning, teamwork and the boldness of youth. Mike Ruddock has revealed that the swaggering confidence of a young Gavin Henson was a crucial factor in setting Wales on the road to the 2005 Grand Slam. Fifteen years ago, Ruddock – then Wales coach – was sat high in the stands at the Millennium Stadium when his side were awarded a long rage penalty near the end of the game against England.

After the famine, it’s tee-time across many golf clubs across Wales as the first sport to emerge from the forced hibernation of the pandemic, appears – blinking a little – into the light. Graham Thomas looks at what you can and can’t do and speaks to two clubs who have reached differing decisions on the best way ahead. Golf is back . . . Kind of. At courses throughout Wales, golfers have returned to the fairways this week and been teeing up the ball to enjoy one of the most pleasurable sounds sport has to offer. Thwack!

The Football Association of Wales has accused the BBC of accessing an “unpublished page” on their website in the ongoing row over the ending of the domestic football season. In an extraordinary email sent out to clubs in the Cymru Premier, FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford has claimed staff at BBC Wales took information from web pages that “were not available to the public.” The accusation – in a letter obtained by Dai Sport – is delivered along with an apology to the clubs for the fact that BBC Wales reported the decision before the clubs themselves had been informed.

Former Wales striker Nathan Blake has backed the stance of Troy Deeney and other black players reluctant to start training again and admitted there is “no way” he would return at present. Watford captain Deeney, England and Manchester City star Raheem Sterling, Tottenham defender Danny Rose and other leading black Premier League players have all expressed their anxieties over going back to train during the current stage of the coronavirus pandemic. Their fears come after Office of National Statistics data showed black people and those from other ethnic minorities suffer disproportionately from Covid-19 compared to white people.

Tyler Morgan has insisted he will flourish at the Scarlets because of their playing style. The Welsh international centre has been confirmed as a new recruit for the region, just days after the Dragons announced he was leaving Rodney Parade. Morgan will be seen as a likely replacement for Hadleigh Parkes, who is leaving to play in Japan at the end of the currently suspended season.

Nicky Grist says rallying must be patient as the sport continue to be left on the starting line by the coronavirus pandemic. Three major Welsh rally championships have fallen victim to lockdown so far, but the hope is that motor racing will start to take place behind closed doors in the UK later in the summer. NASCAR ran a race in the USA last weekend, but rallying sees both a driver and a navigator compete together.

The Welsh Rugby Union is asking fans to vote for the ‘Greatest Ever Welsh Try’ in a new social media competition. Supporters selected 16 tries from the 1,607 scored by Wales in their 739 full internationals since 1881 and now the WRU are searching for the public’s favourite. Some of the greatest players to wear […]

Tesni Evans has gone from dodge walking to dog-walking in the time of the lockdown after learning the benefits of the great outdoors. Wales’ top squash player – the current world number nine – has confessed she was not the most enthusiastic seeker of long walks before the sporting shutdown arrived in March. But after discovering the benefits to mood and well-being from a springtime stroll, last year’s Manchester Open runner-up is now up and walking.

Connah’s Quay are champions of Wales, but it has not been a day to savour for the rest of Welsh football after a shambolic announcement from the Football Association of Wales that led to clubs learning their fate through social media, as Matthew Burgess reports. Even for those who are accustomed to big decisions in Welsh football being determined in meeting rooms away from the pitch, the decision to award Connah’s Quay the 2019/20 Cymru Premier title had all the drama of a Netflix season finale. The Nomads, crowned league champions for the first time in their history after the FAW Executive Board signed off the decision to finish the season on a points-per-game basis, won’t care as they celebrate remotely into the night.

Connah’s Quay Nomads are the new champions of Welsh domestic football after the FAW confirmed it had ended the league season. The Nomads become champion of the Cymru Premier League for the first time under an unweighted points-per-game method. They will take Wales’ spot in Champions League qualifying, whenever that takes place, in a series of decisions confusingly handled by the governing body.

This should have been the month when Welsh cricket clubs were taking centre stage, warmed by spring sunshine and the afterglow of last year’s unforgettable World Cup. Instead, apart from those exercising alone or as families, the outfields are empty and the squares remain unused. In fact, rather than hearing the sound of leather on willow for the first time as the recently appointed chief executive of Cricket Wales, Leisha Hawkins is listening to the noise of her own footsteps pounding the tarmac.

With no games to travel to, Harri Morgan is continuing his journey into Welsh rugby’s past. This time his train has stopped at Neath in 1989, where the home town club – a feared force throughout the land in those years – are facing the touring New Zealand All Blacks, the world champions. The tourists took to the field to warm applause, on a windy Wednesday afternoon in October. There was also a nod to the audience’s appreciation of the visit from the inaugural Rugby World Cup winners.

Former All Black Ben Franks believes he is starting from the right place after he was confirmed as part of the Scarlets’ new coaching set-up. The New Zealander has been appointed scrum coach at the region and will work alongside head coach Glenn Delaney’s backroom team, with Richard Kelly promoted to forwards coach from the academy. Franks, 36 – a double World Cup winner – is in his final season at Northampton and had already chosen to retire at the end of this campaign before the sport went into lockdown.

The world of rallying may have ground to a halt, but Wales’ top driver Elfyn Evans is not allowing his own wheels to stop spinning. This season’s Rally Sweden winner is running and cycling to improve his overall fitness as he told Paul Evans. Elfyn Evans has found the stunning countryside around his hometown of Dolgellau is providing the perfect training ground as he awaits the restart of FIA World Rally Championship. The coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on Evans’ best ever start to a season, just as he had established himself as a serious title contender.

Dan Biggar has been branded “world class” by his club coach Chris Boyd. The Northampton Saints director of rugby, who guided Beauden Barrett’s Hurricanes to the Super Rugby title in 2016, reckons the Wales No. 10 is “as good as anyone I’ve ever coached.” Boyd has highlighted the exemplary attitude of the 30-year-old Biggar, who will be looking to add to his 83 Welsh caps when rugby returns from lockdown.

Football clubs in EFL League Two – including Newport County – have taken the decision to end their season after the current shutdown and now Welsh clubs in the Cymru leagues are considering whether to follow suit. Matthew Burgess looks at their options. The coming week could prove to be a turbulent one even by Welsh football standards. The domestic scene, which is continually littered with administrative disputes and threats of legal challenges between the clubs and its association, must find a workable solution this week amidst the chaos and uncertainty brought by Covid-19 to determine the outcome of the 2019/20 season.

Wrexham could soon be back playing against Football League clubs every week if radical plans to merge League Two with the National League go ahead. Many chairman of League Two clubs are reported to be keen for a new regional structure to emerge from the current sporting shutdown. Wrexham have not been part of the Football League since they were relegated from League Two 12 years ago, but discussions are said to have taken place about a merger of the lower leagues and new regional divisions to replace them.

New Ospreys co-owner James Davies-Yandle insists he plumped for buying the Welsh region after examining all the top teams in Europe. Y11 Sports and Media chief executive Davies-Yandle, along with his business partner, financier Donald Tang, have both joined the board of Ospreys Rugby as directors after purchasing a 75.1% stake last week. Davies-Yandle has a family background in the Swansea areas but insists his multi-million pound investment is about making more money – by growing the region within a sport that still has potential – rather than sentiment.

I know there may not be many alternatives at the moment, but there’s only one place I’m going to be this Saturday afternoon at 1.15pm. The family have been told the television is booked and the beer is chilling in readiness for an afternoon’s entertainment I am going to thoroughly enjoy. The latest in BBC Wales’ classic sporting re-runs is Wales’ Home International Championship match against Scotland in 1979 – one of my all time favourite sporting encounters.

Joey Haddad has given Cardiff Devils a major boost by returning for a seventh season. The free-scoring forward – known as ‘The Chef’ for his love of cooking – proved his worth after earning four major awards in the devils end of season awards. The 31-year-old claimed a career best 35 goals and 33 assists for 68 points in 59 games in all Elite League competitive games. He finished 2nd overall in the League scoring race whilst leading the Devils in goals, points and powerplay goals.