Wales are playing Australia on Saturday, on the eve of Remembrance Sunday, with added significance this year of the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War. Rob Cole reveals the link between Welsh rugby and the origins of the commemorations. When you stand for the two minute silence to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ending of ‘the war to end all wars’, World War 1, at 11.00am on Armistice Day on Sunday, bear in mind that there is a strong Welsh rugby link to the tribute to the fallen heroes of so many global conflicts. The idea for the silent vigil was suggested to King George V by universally acclaimed South African writer, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick.

Josh Ralph can’t wait for Wales’ first match on home turf since his original international call-up. The Dragons take on Ireland at the Racecourse Stadium in Wrexham on Sunday (3pm kick-off) and the winner will secure qualification for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.  After making his debut against the Irish in the final group […]

Craig Bellamy’s young Bluebirds produced a thoroughly professional performance and won 17-0 in their Welsh Youth Cup second round clash with Tiger Bay FC. Cardiff City led 6-0 by half-time and stepped up the pressure to underline they mean business in this trophy. Bellamy’s boys play in the Professional Development League under-18 division, but compete […]

Cardiff City could not stop Ipswich Town extending their unbeaten under-23 run to 11 matches, but the young Bluebirds earned a 2-2 draw in Suffolk. City, jointly managed by Andy Legg and Jarred Harvey, now play Watford in their next Professional Development League fixture on Monday, October 18 (7pm). Town remain unbeaten since a defeat […]

Geraint Thomas admits he is a bit fatter and wife, Sara, is getting fed-up of him being around as he savoured his Tour de France victory that confirmed his place in Welsh sporting history. Now he is relishing getting back on his bike in anger and beginning the long training rides as he prepares to defend the Yellow Jersey next July.

Warren Gatland will get the chance to run the rule over two of next year’s World Cup opponents this week with Uruguay playing against Cardiff Blues tonight and the Wallabies coming to the Principality Stadium on Saturday night. The Uruguayans conceded 10 tries on their first visit to the Welsh capital when they crashed to a 66-22 defeat to Wales A at the Millennium Stadium on 24 November, 2001.

Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle has certainly heaped the pressure on Wallaby coach Michael Cheika by suggesting his side’s ‘pass mark’ for this month will be a clean-sweep of their three games in Europe. Having been beaten for the ninth time in their past 12 games by the mighty All Blacks in Yokohama two weekends ago the Aussies landed in London on Saturday night shortly after Wales had polished off Scotland at the Principality Stadium.

Cardiff Devils will play Glasgow Clan in the Elite League Challenge Cup quarter-finals. Second seeds Devils had to wait until number one club Belfast Giants had selected their opponents – Dundee Stars – and then head coach Andrew Lord went with Clan. The lunchtime draw for Challenge Cup quarter-finals was led by Giants, followed by […]

Charity fundraisers smashed the £3million barrier at the 2018 Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon. Wales’ largest mass-participation event welcomed almost 20,000 runners and 60,000 spectators to the capital city on Sunday 7 October.

Ospreys full-back Lauren Smyth will make her debut when Wales Women get their three-Test autumn series campaign underway against South Africa on Saturday in Cardiff. (Cardiff Arms Park, 11.30am). Head coach Rowland Phillips’ side will also face Hong Kong next Friday (16 November) and Canada on Saturday 24 November in the biggest autumn series for the women ever.

Penarth Hockey Club 1st XI admit that they have homework to do after succumbing to a fourth Verde Recreo Premiership defeat at Cardiff University, but there were better results for the club’s other sides on a packed weekend. Cardiff University  5-3  PENARTH Frustrated by their loss to Cheltenham the previous weekend, the 1st XI travelled across the capital to face Cardiff University on match day five of the 2018-19 Verde Recreo Premiership campaign.

Tom Llewellin ended his first Swift Sport Championship season in fine style at the weekend, by taking victory in the final round of the series at Silverstone in his flying Peter Gwynne Motorsport Suzuki. Victory saw the talented 17-year old driver from Haverfordwest, who won the MSA Junior Rallycross Championship title last year, finish runner-up in the highly competitive one-make series. Race day at Silverstone started with an excellent third place finish in the opening heat – a truly great result as Llewellin had to battle through from the back row of the grid. He followed that up with second place in heat two, but things didn’t go as planned in heat three, when a clash with another competitor saw his Suzuki sustain steering damage – but luckily he’d already done enough to qualify for the semi-final.

It’s claimed in some quarters than rugby is going soft. No-one seems to have told Owen Farrell, though. Harri Morgan looks at the England man Wales will run into again in the Six Nations and whether Eddie Jones can continue to risk the mentality he brings to the red rose. It’s about time I admitted it. I can’t consume two games of rugby simultaneously – yet. I will persist.  The opening Saturday of the autumn internationals was enjoyed with Wales v Scotland on the big box. The year’s fourth instalment of England v South Africa, consigned to the tablet. 

West Wales motorsport team Spencer Sport has finished second in the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship at its first attempt. Against strong opposition from several well-established and vastly experienced rallycross teams, the squad – which is based in the village of Penrhiwllan, just outside Llandysul – has vowed to return next year, with its sights firmly set on winning the title. Its star driver, five-time champion Julian Godfrey, was one of three drivers still in contention for the title as he entered the final round of the series at Silverstone on Sunday.

Wales’ table tennis prodigy Anna Hursey again showed her outstanding potential by winning the women’s singles at the Preston Grand Prix – aged 12. The Cardiff schoolgirl beat No 1 seed Haoyu Liu 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7) in the semi-final.

An Anglesey sailor will be presented with one of the Royal Yachting Association’s most prestigious awards by HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA in recognition of his commitment to Red Wharf Bay sailing club and RYA Cymru Wales. Dafydd Griffiths has been nominated for an RYA Regional Award by Red Wharf Bay Sailing and Watersports Club as well as RYA Cymru Wales and has been selected as a winner by the RYA Honours and Awards Panel.  

Ryan Giggs has sprung a selection surprise by naming Anderlecht defender James Lawrence in the Wales squad for the games against Denmark and Albania. The Henley-on-Thames born player was on the books as a youngster at Arsenal, QPR and Ajax before joining the Belgium outfit in August 2018.

Evan Hoyt has broken into the world’s top 300 in doubles after a staggering rise of over 100 places. The Llanelli right-hander’s reward for winning his first Challenger title in Australia is a move to 268 on the ATP doubles rankings.

Gareth Anscombe has been warned by Warren Gatland to expect stiff competition for the Wales No.10 shirt against Australia. Anscombe was given a rare starting opportunity at outside-half for the first of the autumn Tests against Scotland last weekend and responded with a confident performance. But with Dan Biggar now back in contention for the first game that falls within the official Test window, Wales coach Gatland has hinted that change could be in the air.

After 18 years as a professional rugby player, 16 of them playing for Wales, Gethin Jenkins, has pulled off the strapping for the final time. Graham Thomas considers the Cardiff Blues’ prop’s long career . . . and his new one. He went out like he came in – narrow-eyed and unsmiling. There was a brief grin when he slapped a boot at a conversion kick that sailed well wide, and again when he navigated along a guard of honour, but otherwise it was the same old Gethin Jenkins, all fixed stare and as inscrutable as a poker player with a half-decent hand.