Former Premier League striker Leroy Lita dealt Merthyr Town a bodyblow at the MetCoaches Stadium. Zaire-born Lita struck with an injury time equaliser to earn Salisbury FC a 1-1 draw and deny the Martyrs a BetVictor Southern Premier victory. Eliot Richards had fired Merthyr ahead in the third minute, while Lita’s late replay came in […]

The story so far . . . Geraint Powell says the four best teams have reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, with Wales and England both capable of upsetting the odds and with the belief to do so. We entered this tournament with many believing this was the most wide open World Cup of all – with up to seven or eight teams viewed as genuine contenders to lift the Webb Ellis Cup on 2nd November. That’s not to say that all those teams were viewed as capable of beating New Zealand, but that the dominoes could fall in such a way that numerous teams could be the last team left standing and holding the trophy.

Warren Gatland had admitted Wales have suffered a “big loss” from their World Cup campaign after they were forced to rule out Liam Williams. Full-back Williams’ absence has been confirmed from Sunday’s semi-final against South Africa, and then either the final or third and fourth place play-off next week. The Welsh Rugby Union said he suffered an ankle injury sustained in an accidental collision during training.

It’s not just politics that could be in meltdown as the Brexit fires rage on. Sport – which in Wales has already been re-shaped by devolution – may also look very different in the future, as Graham Thomas reports. It’s 20 years since Cerys Matthews told the planet she thanked the Lord she was Welsh at the Rugby World Cup – and the same since devolution. Those two events of 1999 may not have been directly related – Catatonia’s anthem, International Velvet, pre-dated the first Welsh Assembly elections by a year – but it was certainly a time when sport, politics and culture in Wales began to overlap as never before.

Back from his extended quarantine in a Japanese fan zone, Harri Morgan reflects on Wales v South Africa this Sunday and suggests there will be pain and nastiness – but no nasty, painful surprises. “On their day” was the caveat that accompanied any form of confidence among Welsh fans in the run-up to last Sunday’s quarter final clash with France. It is one of the clichés that tracks French rugby. It reflects their unpredictability, a characteristic that must – with the exception of a few glorious days – be a major point of frustration for followers of Les Bleus.

Having skipped three rounds of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship through injury, and narrowly missed out a couple of victories thanks to a puncture in Corsica and Wales Rally GB, Elfyn Evans goes into this weekend’s Rally Spain with some unfinished business to attend to – and as he’s ultra quick on both gravel and Tarmac, the only mixed-surface round of the series should suit him well. Evans’ M-Sport team has prepared hard for this event, completing a comprehensive three-day test on roads around Tarragona. With just Rally Spain and Rally Australia remaining, it does not want to end the year as the only manufacturer not to have won a round of the 2019 series, as it looks to its number one driver to fulfil the Ford Fiesta WRC’s event winning potential. And Evans certainly has a strong chance of doing just that this weekend, as this will be his seventh attempt at Rally Spain – with a career-best third place finish coming last year.

Neil Warnock has to make major selection decisions before Sunday’s South Wales derby against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium. Danny Ward or Robert Glatzal? For me Ward is the man, having produced a decent performance during the 2-2 draw at Millwall and scoring the first goal. Lee Tomlin or Callum Paterson? That one’s easy […]

Professional Under-23 Development League Colchester United (u-23) 0, Cardiff City (u-23) 2 Will Vaulks has sent a timely reminder to Neil Warnock that he’s ready for SkyBet Championship action. The £2m signing from Rotherham United has struggled to break into the starting line-up with the consistency of Marlon Pack, fast-improving Leandro Bacuna and energetic Joe […]

It’s a mountainous task that faces Wales on Sunday as they try to scale the twin peaks of South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager. Probably one hilltop too far, says Robin Davey, who thinks the weekend will produce another all-southern hemisphere final. Wales must overcome the reborn Springbok juggernaut if they are to bring the curtain down on Warren Gatland’s 12-year reign as coach by making it all the way to the World Cup final. For it’s plain to see the South Africans are back  . . . big time, in every sense, as their mighty forwards consistently power their way to victories again.

Alun Wyn Jones is closing in on the honour of being the world’s most capped rugby player with a glowing tribute from another Welsh record holder. Neil Jenkins – his country’s greatest points scorer – believes the Wales captain is already comparable to any player in the nation’s history. But Jones could be out on his own as the leading international cap holder of all time by the end of this season.

Steve Cooper has admitted Sunday’s high noon showdown with Cardiff City cannot come soon enough after his Swansea City team continued their dismal run at home with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Brentford. The sinking Swans have now won only one of their last eight matches and after being top of the Championship when they last won at the Liberty Stadium in August, they have now dropped out of the play-off places. The timing could not have been worse in one sense for Cooper, as they face Cardiff in the first derby for five years, at home on Sunday.

Welsh gymnast Brinn Bevan is made of strong stuff. Having fought back from an awful double leg break to make the Rio Olympics in 2016, he’s not going to let a bit of illness and injury stop him from going to next year’s Games in Tokyo, as he tells Callum Ellis. Welsh gymnast Brinn Bevan is bidding for a seat on the plane to Tokyo next year after Great Britain guaranteed themselves a place in the men’s team event at the 2020 Olympic Games. The GB men secured their spot at this month’s World Championships in Germany, where they finished fifth.

Andre Ayew has more to contribute to Swansea City’s campaign as he gets up to speed in the Championship, according to manager Steve Cooper. Ayew is set to be part of a Swansea line-up aiming to turn around downturn in home form on Tuesday night when the Swans host Brentford at the Liberty Stadium. The Ghana striker – who scored in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Barnsley – is becoming stronger as his fitness improves, says Cooper, following Ayew’s delayed start to the season.

Shaun Edwards has pinpointed South African speedster Cheslin Kolbe as a threat to Wales’ World Cup Final hopes – and compared him to 2003 winner Jason Robinson. Kolbe may stand only 5ft 7in, but Edwards believes the Springboks wing presents a huge challenge to Wales in Sunday’s semi-final clash. The Toulouse flier has scored seven tries in 13 Tests and added an extra attacking dimension to South Africa’s established physical approach.

Bob Fowden won the Fairfield Merlin Stages Rally on Sunday, but it was far from a stroll in the park as the Llanelli ace had to overcome a number of issues and a stern challenge to secure victory on the Carmarthen Motor Club organised event. Fowden very nearly didn’t make the start, as a problem with the shift system on his Comline Auto Parts/NGK-backed Subaru Impreza WRC S11 left the car with no gears. But that was fixed and Fowden, co-driven by his grandson Matius, set equal fastest time on the first special stage before being fastest on all of the remaining four tests to win the event by 26 seconds.

Striker Mike Fondop has added a little spice to Tuesday’s Emirates FA Cup replay between Wrexham and Chesterfield at three Racecourse in North Wales. Former Dragons striker Fondop scored Chesterfield’s goal and was booed by some Wrexham supporters when the teams drew 1-1 at the Proact Stadium in Derbyshire. He described their reaction as ‘a […]

Merthyr Town manager Gavin Williams pits himself against one of the most experienced men in football at the MetCoaches Stadium on Tuesday evening. Former Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Leicester striker Steve Claridge brings his Salisbury FC team to South Wales for a BetVictor Southern League Premier South match (7.30pm). Claridge, now aged 53, […]

Welsh senior track and field athlete of the year Osian Jones is hoping to build on this year’s record-breaking performances and qualify for next year’s Tokyo Olympics. The hammer-thrower was recognised for his outstanding season at this year’s Welsh Athletics Annual Awards held at the Vale Resort near Cardiff. The Liverpool Harrier produced a spectacular end to this year’s outdoor season which saw him register a string of Welsh record-breaking performances to stretch his personal best from 71.62m last year to 73.89m by the end of the summer.

Captain Joey Martin is Cardiff Devils all-time leading scorer in the Elite League era, passing Max Birbraer to take top spot. Canadian playmaker Martin took his personal points tally to 434 in 345 matches, edging ahead of Birbraer’s 432 in 391 games. Kazakhstan-born Birbraer, now aged 38 and playing for Swindon Wildcats, was quick to […]

Wales will be without injured striker Natasha Harding for their vital Women’s Euro 2021 qualifier away to Northern Ireland – but do have captain Sophie Ingle back fit. Reading striker Harding was left out of the squad after being injured on club duty. However, centre-back Ingle has recovered from a hip injury that forced her to miss last month’s 1-0 victory in Belarus.