Dragons chairman David Buttress has defiantly insisted things are improving at Rodney Parade, despite the evidence of 13 successive Guinness Pro14 games without a win. The Dragons have not recorded a victory since September, their latest failure coming on Friday night and a 29-17 home defeat to the Cheetahs. Despite being taken over the Welsh Rugby Union, a new head coach in Bernard Jackman, a new chairman in Buttress, new recruits and a new playing surface, the one thing that has not altered in Newport is repeated failure on the field.

It’s £5 a ticket for spectators at the Newport County v Crewe Alexandra League Two match this afternoon. Manager Michael Flynn and his team are hoping a bumper crowd will roar County on at Rodney Parade in a match why ch is crucial to play-off hopes. “With it being a fiver a ticket, hopefully everyone […]

A year ago, the Wales under-15 girls team celebrated winning their annual home nations tournament for the first time. Now the class of 2018 are aiming to bring the prestigious Bob Doherty Cup back over the Irish Sea with them on Monday. A year of preparation has featured tough tests against England, Scotland and Brittany […]

Ryan Giggs has told Gareth Bale he should stay with Real Madrid and ignore any approach to join Manchester United. The Wales manager believes his country’s new record goalscorer should rebuff Jose Mourinho and remain in Spain with the European champions. “It’s Real Madrid – there are only a handful of clubs who have got that aura,” Giggs said.

Wales suffered a heavy blow in Zenica. Their 1-0 defeat against hosts Bosnia & Herzegovina leaves the Welsh team five points behind the top two teams in their Uefa under-21 Championship group. Manager Rob Page fielded a strong side at the BH Training Centre, Zenica, including top scorer George Thomas and senior international David Brooks. […]

After Wales turned red to celebrate Team Wales heading Down Under to Australia to battle for medals on the Gold Coast, Dai Sport thought it would be a good time to reflect on the brave men and women who blazed the trail at the early editions of the British Empire Games. Long before Friday’s #WeAreRed campaign, there were a number of Welsh sportsmen who won medals at the inaugural event in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930, but not wearing the red of their native country. There was no Welsh athletics team, but Reg Thomas was included in the ‘British’ team selected by the AAA, the then governing body of the sport in Wales.

The New Saints have officially retained the JD Welsh Premier League title for a seventh consecutive season without kicking a ball. Connah’s Quay’s victory over Bala Town on Friday night means The New Saints’ 64 point tally is beyond reach and confirms the Saints of their 12th league title. Saints’ championship was secured thanks to […]

Osian Pryce tested the Escort Mk2 he’ll drive on tomorrow’s North Wales Rally Services-sponsored Rally North Wales at the Sweet Lamb Rally Complex near Llangurig today – 11 years since he last drove one on his 14th birthday! The Machynlleth-born driver has always wanted to compete in one of the iconic historic Escorts, but the Sport Wales-supported driver’s career took him up a more modern route – climbing the ranks in cars like a Renault Clio, Fiesta R2, Citroën DS3 R3 and most recently a Ford Fiesta R5 in the British and World Rally Championships. The 25-year old did the opening round of the Pirelli MSA Welsh Rally Championship, the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally, as part of his test and development duties with Spencer Sport, scoring maximum points in a Mitsubishi Mirage R5. And despite starting as number one seed on Rally North Wales, his re-appearance in the series is purely for fun – and to fulfil a dream of rallying an Escort Mk2 that he’s had parked for all of his adult life!

Cardiff City have 10 players away on international duty this week. Here Terry Phillips looks at those who are away with their national teams. Neil Etheridge, Cardiff City’s in-form goalkeeper who has kept 16 Championship clean sheets this season, is intent on making his mark for club and country. London-born Etheridge has been a first […]

Maidstone United, the Kent-based team who play promotion-chasing Wrexham at the Racecourse on Saturday, were the first club I reported on as a young sports journalist. At the age of 18 I worked for the Kent Messenger, Maidstone were playing Southern League Division One football, Bobby Houghton was player/manager and Roy Hodgson his assistant. Houghton […]

Wales are in Zenica today focussed on firing up their Uefa Under-21 Championships campaign with a win against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2pm). Team manager Robert Page is leading the group and his squad includes Sheffield United’s David Brooks, who has returned to under-21 football after recovering from glandular fever, The return of Brooks from the […]

Dan Salmon already has golden memories of the Gold Coast after winning the World Youth Championships at Broadreach Bowls Club last year. Now, the 23-year-old painter and decorator from Cardiff wants to add to his title success down under by adding a Commonwealth Games gong to his mounting collection when he competes in the Singles and pairs next month. Groomed for stardom from the age of 15, when he became the youngest player to represent Wales indoors, he also picked up a silver medal at the open Pairs competition at the World Indoor Bowls Championship with Damian Doubler last year.

Wales are out in China, having handed out a few lessons to the country considered to be the birthplace of an ancient form of football. This summer VAR technology will be used at the World Cup – a technological progress for the grand old game that Spencer Buchan believes will only continue. Brits have long been celebrated as the inventors of modern day football, although some would argue that its origins can be traced as far back as ancient China. Regardless, it’s fair to say that football has travelled bounds ever since the early days of a ball and a group of players on a field. All these changes will be showcased in full force at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. At this year’s World Cup, we will be able to record games from all angles with high-powered cameras, use goal-line technology to make key decisions, notice the peak of footballer’s athletic development and focus and introduce VAR for the first time ever on an international stage.

Glamorgan’s Andrew Salter says that spending the winter in New Zealand, as part of the ECB’s overseas placement programme, has allowed him to better understand his bowling ahead of the start of the new domestic season. Based in Wellington, the Pembrokeshire-born off-spinner was one of two domestic spinners, along with Hampshire’s Brad Taylor, who were selected to hone their skills under the watchful eye of former New Zealand and current Warwickshire off-spinner, Jeetan Patel. Salter says he was “delighted” after being approached by the ECB’s lead spin-bowling coach, Peter Such, offering him the chance to be based at the Wellington Firebirds over the winter, playing club cricket for Johnsonville alongside “legendary” club cricketer and Kiwi international Luke Woodcock.

The last time Laura Daniels competed Down Under she was crowned world champion, so the Skewen bowler is hoping it will be very much a happy return trip for next month’s Commonwealth Games. The 32-year-old accountant is making a habit of winning major titles and she wants to crown her Team Wales debut by bringing home the first Welsh women’s bowls gold medal since the fours triumphed in Edinburgh in 1986. Given her pedigree she certainly won’t be looking to make up the numbers on the Gold Coast having won the prestigious women’s World Singles Champion of Champions title in Sydney in November. She also won the 2016 World Pairs gold medal with Jess Sims in New Zealand and was also crowned the 2015 World Indoor Bowls singles champion.

Gareth Bale has always been adored by Wales fans but his global appeal was once again in evidence as the Real Madrid superstar became his country’s record goalscorer in a 6-0 thrashing of China.  Bale’s first international hat-trick saw him move past Ian Rush and on to 29 goals as he got Ryan Giggs’ tenure as Chris Coleman’s successor off to the perfect start in Nanning. It meant there was only one man on the lips of the 36,533-strong Guangxi Sports Centre crowd.  At the full-time whistle, Bale cradled the match ball and walked along the touchline with Wales’ hardy travelling support and thousands of fervent Chinese supporters standing in appreciation to applaud the 28-year-old’s spectacular individual display. 

Vincent Tan has stepped into a row surrounding Derby County’s decision to postpone their Championship clash with Cardiff City at Pride Park last weekend. Bluebirds owner Tan has pledged to reimburse ‘all officially organised supporter coach travel that made it’s way to the postponed game.’ Chief executive Ken Choo says Cardiff City want to put […]

Kevin Nicholson has called on his Bangor City side to hit top form as they head into the final stretch of the season. A single point separates Bangor, fourth, from second-placed Bala Town with five games of the JD Welsh Premier League season remaining. Nicholson has set his sides on leading Bangor into Europe in […]

Gareth Bale paid tribute to his Wales teammates after breaking Ian Rush’s record with a hat-trick to become his country’s leading goalscorer. The landmark was reached by Bale with three goals as Ryan Giggs made a dream start his spell as manager with a 6-0 victory at the China Cup in Nanning. Bale began the game on 26 international goals – two behind Rush’s record of 28 – but three goals edged him past the former Liverpool legend to set a new mark in Welsh football history of 29 international goals.

London Welsh are on the way back. The club that set the gold standard in the Seventies may have a long, long way to go, but Owen Morgan finds cause for celebration in a modest step upwards. There hasn’t been much cause for celebration at London Welsh in recent seasons, but Old Deer Park was once again echoing to the noise of champagne corks popping last weekend. The Exiles, who were forced into liquidation last season and relegated to the ninth tier of English rugby, made their first step back up the league ladder as they clinched promotion from London SE Division Herts and Middlesex Division One.