Ryan Giggs wants Azerbaijan fans to adopt Wales as their back-up team and support them through the Euro 2020 finals. Wales will make a decision in the coming weeks over whether to base themselves in Baku for their tournament build-up, with the manager keen for locals to claim his side as their second country. Wales were placed in Group A in Saturday night’s draw in Bucharest, and they will play their first two matches in Azerbaijan – against Switzerland on June 13 and Turkey on June 17.

Cardiff Devils 7, Glasgow Clan 3 Captain Joey Martin and his Devils team completed a magnificent Elite League ice hockey weekend, having beaten Sheffield Steelers away and Glasgow Clan at home, both 7-3. Their success against former EIHL leaders Clan was clinical and convincing, leaving the Scots down and out after one period. Devils led […]

Osian Pryce is back into the top 10 of the East African Classic Safari, after a strong performance on the rugged roads of Tanzania moved the Machynlleth rally driver back up the leaderboard. After yesterday’s leg was cancelled because of flash floods, Pryce and co-driver Dale Furniss were back on the move again today in their Minti Motorsport-tuned Ford Escort RS1600 – and keen to regain some of the time they’d lost with steering failure two days ago. Today’s faster sections may have better suited some of their more powerful rivals, but a strong performance saw the adventurous Mark 1 duo move from 11th up to ninth, as they head into tomorrow’s scheduled rest day.

Jason Pritchard made an impressive debut on the Killarney Historic Rally, finishing sixth in the modified classics category in a Scott Williams Motorsport-built Ford Escort Mk2. This was the second time that the triple British Historic and double National Asphalt rally champion had driven the instantly recognisable ‘SWM12’ machine in competition. Previous to this outing, Pritchard finished a magnificent third overall and first two-wheel drive car home (by almost a minute) on September’s Get Connected Rali Bae Ceredigion, which was Wales’ first closed road stage rally. Together with co-driver Phil Clarke, the Builth Wells speedster didn’t have time to test the Scott Williams Motorsport car before the Irish event started, but was nevertheless on top form against strong opposition.

No more Warrenball . . . fans got a glimpse of what’s to come under new Wales boss Wayne Pivac as he earned his first victory in his opening game in charge. The Pivac era started with a fantastic game of rugby, with plenty of entertainment throughout in Wales’ 43-33 win over the Barbarians. Wales started the match with flair and passion, playing with ball in hand and plenty of attacking rugby. They were first on the scoresheet as World Cup hero and new Cardiff Blues wing Josh Adams scored the opening try of the game, before going on to score another in the second-half.

Neil Harris tried to sign Nathaniel Mendez-Laing when he was manager of Millwall – and was delighted to see the forward demonstrate exactly why as he fired Cardiff City to their first away win of the season Mendez-Laing provided a precise, powerful finish from the edge of the box in the 14th minute to net the only goal against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground as the Welsh side continued their remarkable record against the Reds, who have taken only a single point from their last 10 meetings. But while their misery was maintained, Harris enjoyed his return to one of his former clubs thanks to Mendez-Laing’s second goal of the season.

Wales Women were defeated 29-15 in their final autumn Test against the Barbarians, despite showing signs of a successful comeback. The Barbarians produced a dominant first-half performance and were first on the score sheet with Charmaine McMenamin diving over the line for the try just after kick-off. Wales women barely left their own half in the opening 40 minutes, allowing the visitors to score a further four tries.

Sheffield Steelers 3, Cardiff Devils 7 Cardiff’s Brit-pack led Devils to a stunning Elite League victory against Sheffield Steelers in South Yorkshire on Saturday night. Sam Duggan (2), Matthew Myers and Josh Batch all scored on a night when Devils were without star imports Sean Bentivoglio and Masi Marjamaki through suspension. Both will return for […]

Johnny McNicholl has turned to his Scarlets team-mates for help to ensure he is word perfect on his Wales debut against the Barbarians today (Saturday). The 29-year-old New Zealand-born wing wants to feel as Welsh as possible at the Principality Stadium when he steps onto the international stage for the first time and that has involved some lengthy coaching sessions around learning the national anthem. “I’ve been going hard with the anthem. It is not a language that I know so the pronunciation is very hard for me,” admitted McNicholl.

Wayne Pivac takes charge of Wales for the first time today. He may be cut from the same New Zealand cloth as Warren Gatland, but he tells Graham Thomas there will be a definite change in styling. A new era in Welsh rugby begins on November 30 and if anyone feels inclined to call it “Wayneball” then the man himself is fine with that. Wayne Pivac has replaced Warren Gatland as Wales head coach and no-one needs to remind the incomer he has big shoes to fill – starting with his first game at home to the Barbarians.

Day three of the East African Classic Safari proved to be a difficult one for Osian Pryce, as the unforgivingly rough rock-strewn terrain broke the steering on his Ford Escort RS1600, leaving him stranded in the wilderness. Having hand-built his own rally cars in the past, Pryce is a dab hand with the spanners and his mechanical expertise allowed him and co-driver Dale Furniss to repair the Minti Motorsport-run Mark 1’s steering on the roadside. However, the unfortunate delay sees the Machynlleth man drop from fifth to 11th in the overall standings.

Steve Cooper admitted his Swansea City side paid a heavy price for not taking their chances as they lost for the fourth time in their last five matches at the Liberty Stadium. Two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic in the first-half, meant a reply from George Byers just after the hour mark was not enough to […]

Two intriguing all-Welsh battles are in prospect this weekend as the second round of the Betway UK Championship gets underway. Six Welshmen made it through the first round in York this week – and the draw has ensured that at least two of them will take their place in the last 32 of snooker’s second-most lucrative ranking tournament. Former UK champion Matthew Stevens and two-time ranking event winner Ryan Day meet tomorrow evening (Saturday), and on Sunday, two generations clash when former world champion Mark Williams takes on 29-year-old Michael White.

Newport County beware! Manager Michael Flynn and his Exiles play Isthmian League North Maldon and Tiptree in Essex this evening and there is clear and imminent danger in the fixture. Maldon is a town close to the Blackwater Estuary in Essex and their team have massively over-achieved so far this season. They are unbeaten in […]

Welsh Wizards powered to victory against London club Coolhurst in their latest Premier Squash League match. World number 10 Marwan ElShorbagy won at first string against Adrian Waller, while Anna Kimberley and Joshna Chinappa won the women’s matches to clinch a 3-2 Wizards win. Bristol-based Chinappa, the World number 12 from Chennai in India, won […]

Wales women take on the Barbarians on Saturday at the Principality Stadium, on the back of an impressive run of three straight victories. It’s another chance for Gwen Crabb to prove she made the right call when she swapped her goalkeeping gloves for a rugby head guard, as she tells Graham Thomas. Gwen Crabb always wanted to catch balls for a living, but just never imagined it might one day be as a rugby player. The Wales women’s rugby star – whose team are set to appear in front of their biggest crowd on November 30 – once dreamed of being the next Wayne Hennesssey.

Steve Cooper has warned his Swansea City players they face Premier League level opponents tonight when they host in-form Fulham. The visitors – who have climbed to third in the Championship table on the back of three straight victories – will be optimistic of adding to the Swans’ troubling sequence of just one home victory in their last six matches at the Liberty Stadium. Fulham were relegated last season but Swans manager Cooper said: “They play good football and they’re a Premier League squad. They could compete week in week out in the Premier League.

Newport County striker Padraig Amond is ready to underline his status as an FA Cup goalscoring great this evening. Amond has already eclipsed a host of legendary strikers with his scoring sequence in the competitions and has just one more epic No.9 left in his sights. County’s Irish goal machine has overtaken Jackie Milburn and Nat Lofthouse, drawn level with Jeff Astle and Peter Osgood, and now only the great Stan Mortensen is ahead of him.

Wayne Pivac’s first game in charge of Wales this weekend has been more than a year in the making. The former Scarlets coach was announced as Warren Gatland’s successor on 9 July, 2018, and ever since then he has been juggling names in his head to see who he might pick – a high level form of ‘Fantasy Welsh Rugby’, if you like. Now, the fantasy has turned into a reality and he will get the chance to dip his toe back into the international rugby pond once again when the Barbarians face his first Wales XV. There are bound to be a few nerves, but Pivac has every reason to feel relaxed.

Dean Keates is demanding his Wrexham players face up to the Vanarama National League challenges ahead. The Dragons’ manager is frustrated and reacted after their 1-0 home defeat against AFC Fylde at the Racecourse, saying: “When players go to block, one or two turn their back which is something that needs addressing.” Danny Philliskirk, the […]