All football coaching courses in Wales have been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak as the national team set-up waits for the expected confirmation that this summer’s European Championships have been postponed. The Football Association of Wales (FAW) have confirmed that all their courses – which are highly regarded and have been attended by some of the world’s highest profile players – have been put on hold. Former Everton and Australia star Tim Cahill is among the current intake of coaches.

Rosie Eccles admitted she was “heartbroken” after losing her opening bout in the Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic qualifying event at the Copper Box Arena on Sunday. Eccles lost a split points decision to Russian fourth seed Saadat Dalgatova and the Welsh welterweight told Boxing News: “I don’t know what to say to be honest with you, I’m absolutely heartbroken. “I knew what to do to combat her style, but one way or another, according to the judges, I didn’t do that.

Celtic Dragons’ Vitality Netball Superleague match against Strathclyde Sirens, due to be played in Cardiff on Monday, March 16, has been called off. The decision was taken by league officials this afternoon and a statement said: “The Vitality Netball Superleague board will meet on Tuesday, March 17 to consider the position of the 2020 VNSL […]

Cardiff City teenager Warren Burwood has charged to the rescue for BetVictor Southern League Merthyr Town. The 19-year-old, originally from Gorleston in Norfolk, signed for the Martyrs on loan after the club’s only senior goalkeeper, Alex Harris, was sent off and is facing suspension. Burwood committed to Southern Premier club Merthyr on a  28-day emergency […]

Whitchurch High School is known for producing all-conquering Welsh sporting talent. Champions League winner Gareth Bale, Lions and Wales’ Grand Slam-winning captain Sam Warburton and Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas were all pupils. But before any of them was Bale’s uncle – Chris Pike – and as Josh Thomas discovered, the former Cardiff City striker achieved his own notable first at the school. Before Bale, before Warburton, before “G”, there was Pike. Chris Pike, a Whitchurch High School pupil, who, together with his teammates, managed something no others had done before or since. “We had a lot of good players, who used to play in the Combination League,” says Pike, now 58, who attended the famous Cardiff school between 1973 and 1978.

The Sunshine returns for Celtic Dragons when they host Strathclyde Sirens in a Vitality Netball Superleague match in Cardiff on Monday. Jamaican international Latanya Wilson is back in the Dragons team and they will relish having the tenacity and quality of the Sunshine Girlz defender on court again. Wilson missed their 69-38 defeat at London […]

Elfyn Evans finished fourth on Rally Mexico, as round three of the FIA World Rally Championship wrapped up a day early, as fears about closing borders and the ability to get home safely grew. Out on the stages, it was another excellent performance by the Dolgellau driver, especially as all of Friday had been spent running first on the road – a very real disadvantage on a loose gravel event. A few little issues on Saturday saw Evans slip away from the battle for a podium position – and the result means that he’s lost the lead of the WRC to his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sébastien Ogier, who scored a record-equalling sixth Rally Mexico triumph, and his first in a Yaris WRC.

Jason Euell’s Charlton Athletic team edged out Cardiff City 2-1 in a Professional Under-23 Development League match at Sparrow One in London. Former Jamaican international Euell, who played club football for Charlton and Middlesbrough, watched his players take all three points and jump above Cardiff City into fourth place. Brendan Wiredu (44 mins) and Hady […]

The curtain has fallen on rugby in Wales, with the decision by the WRU to suspend all matches due to the coronavirus pandemic. But our man, Owen Morgan just sneaked in before the final call as he – and a handful of disorientated Scotsmen – watched Ystalyfera v Cross Keys. Ystalyfera RFC’s Ynysydarren Ground may only be 50 miles from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, but in rugby terms they are light years apart. But the modest village ground was at the centre of the rugby world on Saturday because ‘Fera’s home Specsavers National Championship match against Cross Keys wasn’t just the only show in town, it was the only one in all of rugby-mad Wales.

No further rugby will be played in Wales until at least March 30 and teams have been told not to train by the Welsh Rugby Union. After a meeting of the Community Board on Saturday, and in the wake of the decision to call-off the Guinness Six Nations match against Scotland at Principality Stadium a mere 24 hours before kick-off on Friday, it was decided to put the game itself into self-isolation. “The WRU, having considered expert medical advice has taken the precautionary measure of suspending all forms of rugby, including training and rugby-related courses, from 6pm on Saturday 14 March up to and including Monday 30 March 2020,” said an official statement.

It’s a shame Elfyn Evans isn’t in a commanding Rally Mexico lead, as we’d have gone with the ‘cactus if you can’ headline – but, as expected, running first on the road on day one proved to be a big disadvantage. Yet the FIA World Rally Championship leader did exceptionally well to lose as little time as possible dealing with the worst of the loose gravel road conditions to keep himself very much in contention with two days of competition remaining. Having been in second position after a pair of opening short street stages in Guanajuato on Thursday night, Evans dropped to seventh after the first loop of stages yesterday morning. But when road conditions were better for him in the afternoon, the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team driver was able to climb back up to third by the end of the day. Co-driven by Scott Martin, Evans ended the first full day of action 33.2 seconds behind team-mate Sébastien Ogier, 20 seconds behind second place Teemu Suninen (Ford) and 0.2 seconds ahead of fourth placed Ott Tänak (Hyundai). Game on!

All British American Football activity has been suspended – just 48 hours before one Welsh university side was due to compete in a semi-final. The Cardiff University Cobras team had reached the Division One South Final of the BUCS university league and were due to face long time rivals from Southampton University the Stags in a 5pm kick-off on the south coast this Sunday for the right to play in a national championship game. But the British American Football Association (BAFA) announced it had suspended all activity from midnight with the ban impacting on the play-offs in the university championships as well as training for the more than 70 clubs that compete in the British league.

The Football Association of Wales has suspended all domestic football in the country. The decision means football matches at all levels – from elite to local leagues – in Wales will not take place at least until April 4 due to coronavirus. A statement from the Welsh FA said: “The FAW is fully aware of the impact this will have on the domestic game but the health and safety of all fans, players, volunteers and stakeholders are of paramount importance.

WillGriff John talks a good game – and in a blend of accents that reflect the spicey variety of locations that have taken him to his first cap for Wales. The 27-year-old speaks in tones that sound both familiar and yet strange at the same time, with elements of his upbringing in the Rhondda, his time spent in New Zealand, and his most recent and current days living in Manchester from where he has forged an impressive reputation as a tough scrummaging loose-head prop with Sale Sharks. Asked to describe his accent, he says: “Maybe Kiwi predominantly, but there’s a bit of Welsh in there, too, and a bit of Mancunian sometimes. It’s a strong mix.”

Welsh Athletics have postponed a number of events planned for the weekend due to the coronavirus outbreak. The governing body has also issued advice to clubs, coaches and athletes regarding training and competing as well as travelling abroad. In a post on its website, Welsh Athletics says it has made the “difficult decision” to call off the following events this weekend:

This is the first time that Elfyn Evans will start a round of the FIA World Rally Championship leading the drivers’ standings, and with it comes the handicap of having to run first on the road, at least to start with. It will certainly be a disadvantage at this weekend’s Rally Mexico, as he’ll sweep the loose gravel clear and leave the road cleaner for his rivals running behind – although the Dolgellau ace vows to just ‘focus on the job in hand’ as he aims to continue his great start to the season. Evans has a pretty good record in Mexico, with a couple of fourth place finishes and a career best third last year. And this year has started well too, with fastest time on today’s Shakedown stage. However, the event can throw a curve ball too, as he found out in 2018 when he suffered a nasty sixth gear roll.

Merthyr Town head for Somerset on Saturday aiming to complete a BetVictor Southern Premier League double. The Martyrs take on Taunton Town at their Cygnet Health Care Stadium having beaten their hosts 4-2 earlier this season. Former Bristol Rovers and Exeter City player Eliot Richards scored a hat-trick and Ian Traylor netted one at the […]

Wayne Pivac has revealed Wales were left frustrated by the Joe Marler incident at Twickenham because they felt a deserved red card could have cost England their victory. England prop Marler was due to appear at a disciplinary hearing on Thursday evening after being cited for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones by the genitals in their first half of last week’s 33-30 defeat for Pivac’s side. But after naming his team to face Scotland on Saturday – where Jones will equal the world record of 148 Test caps – Pivac revealed the sense of injustice he and his squad feel over the much-debated incident.

Kieffer Moore is a man who certainly cannot be accused of resting on his laurels. The Wigan Athletic frontman made a huge impact for Wales during the second half of their successful UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, netting twice in four games and providing an attacking focal point for Ryan Giggs’ side. Most punters would agree that the 27 year-old’s exploits in a red shirt over the last six months have already secured his place on the plane for this year’s finals, which are scheduled to be held across Europe.

Wales’ campaign in the Women’s Six Nations championship was disrupted when their final match against Scotland was postponed due the coronavirus outbreak. It means frustration for Wales and for their busy prop Cerys Hale who has juggled work and four international matches throughout the tournament as she tells Graham Thomas. Cerys Hale is in the middle of a Six Nations campaign and reveals that for a teacher dealing with challenging schoolkids the involvement can have certain benefits. “They respect me a bit more when the games are on,” says the Wales tight-head prop with a smile. “They think I’m hard!