Paul Clement has made the best Premier League start of any Swansea City manager and takes his revitalised side to Hull City on Saturday, looking to build on a remarkable run that has lifted the club five points clear of the relegation zone. Even the most optimistic Swans fan would have struggled to imagine Clement’s effectiveness when he joined in January as their third manager of the season and with the club rock bottom of the table.

Robin McBryde insists there will be no excuses for Wales if they lose to Ireland on Friday night. The forwards coach says nothing can be held up as justification for defeat other than performance as his team look at avoid a third straight Six Nations reverse. Presumably, that means there will be no talk of a referee not doing his job properly, or fatigue from a crowded fixture list, too small a playing pool, or a superior domestic rugby structure elsewhere.

Dan Biggar knows he must be up for the Friday night fight against Johnny Sexton, otherwise Wales will finish up on the canvass. A week after Tony Bellew beat David Haye, another underdog will try to have its day when Wales – with three successive Six Nations defeats looming – aim to bring down title-chasing Ireland at the Principality Stadium.

Relegation battling Rhyl will head into the final stretch of the Dafabet Welsh Premier League season without influential centre-forward Steve Lewis it has emerged. Lewis limped off late on in Rhyl’s recent 2-2 draw with Aberystwyth and will be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, with some fearing he could even miss the […]

Geraint Thomas claimed victory for a shell-shocked Team Sky on the second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. The Welsh rider found himself in a lowly 109th place after Wednesday’s opening team time-trial, when Gianni Moscon suffered a nasty crash, but he bounced back in style on the 228km stage from Camaiore to Pomarance.

Gavin Henson last played for Wales seven years ago, but he’s still pulling the strings for Bristol. Peter Jackson reckons his absence is now a seven year itch that has never been truly soothed. As Wales prepare to salvage what’s left of the Six Nations, their best midfield player is otherwise engaged in a similar operation. Gavin Henson is still the player most likely to keep Bristol up and his absence from the Test stage has never been more depressingly apparent than in recent weeks. Still a match-winner at 35, as Bath discovered to their cost recently, Henson is a symbol of what Welsh rugby has lost, a solitary beacon still able to shed a little ghostly light above the wilderness.

Paul Clement has paid tribute to the influence, not to mention the goals, of Fernando Llorente as Swansea City have put daylight between themselves and the relegation zone. The Swans head coach believes Llorente is proving his heading ability is as good as any player in Europe – and compared his aerial power to that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Former Cardiff City striker Stuart Fleetwood returns to South Wales on Saturday intent on continuing his scoring spree. Fleetwood has fired 14 goals for Weymouth FC since joining them on loan from Bath City and will pose a threat to Merthyr Town at Penydarren Park on Saturday (3pm). The Martyrs are fifth in the Southern […]

Patrick Bordeleau enjoyed a career high when Cardiff Devils won the Challenge Cup and he says: “I’m hungry for more success.” The 6ft 6ins Canadian, a former NHL forward with Colorado Avalanche, has added a tough, physical presence for Devils in their quest to win four trophies. “It’s amazing, I hadn’t won anything since I […]

Cardiff City are hoping to attract their biggest attendance of the season for Saturday’s Championship clash with Birmingham City. The club’s £5-per-ticket offer is expected to boost sales to around the 25,000 mark. That would beat the previous best attendances in 2016-17 of 22,776 against Bristol City in October and the 21,391 crowd for Aston […]

Manager Graham Westley has left Newport County. The former Preston and Peterborough team boss was in charge for five months, having replaced Warren Feeney last October.. Assistant manager Dino Maamria has also left the club and coach Mike Flynn is in charge for the rest of this season. Newport are 11 points away from safety […]

Mike Ruddock believes Wales coach Rob Howley should have made three key changes to his team to face Ireland on Friday night. The former Grand Slam winner says he would have gone for size and power to counter the Irish threat in a one-off test of brute force for a game Wales cannot afford to lose.

Close pals Layne Ulmer and Sean Bentivoglio are aiming to make 2016-17 their best ice hockey season together. The Canadian forwards were team-mates for five years at Italian club Asiago, winning two League championships and two Italian Super Cups, and they have already helped Cardiff Devils win the British Challenge Cup. Ulmer fired the winning […]

Rob Howley has backed the same players who lost to England and Scotland to come good against Ireland on Friday. Robin Davey predicted as much, but it’s still enough to drain the colour from his cheeks. A grey Wednesday and two decidedly grey announcements by two markedly grey individuals. I give you Wales interim rugby coach Rob Howley and Chancellor Philip Hammond. Two announcements – an unremarkable Wales team to face Ireland on Friday night at the Principality Stadium and an equally predictable Budget. Maybe the pair were in a race to discover who could be the most boring.

Cardiff Devils have four players in the Great Britain ice hockey squad for their World Championship warm-up matches against Poland. Goalie Ben Bowns, Josh Batch, Mark Richardson and Matthew Myers will all play against Poland along with Welshman Jonathan Phillips, the former Devils forward who is now captain of Sheffield Steelers. GB coach Peter Russell […]

Wales Women head coach Rowland Phillips has made seven changes to his team for this Saturday’s Women’s Six Nations match against Ireland at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park (11:30). Loosehead Caryl Thomas, number eight Shona Powell-Hughes, scrum-half Keira Bevan, fly-half Robyn Wilkins and wing Adi Taviner all come into the starting line-up. Two of the changes are positional, as Sioned Harries moves to the blindside, and Elen Evans goes from left wing to the right.

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt expects Wales to kick the ball rather than keep it hand when the two teams meet on Friday night. Schmidt has made only one change to his squad of 23 after victory over France, with Tommy Bowe replacing Andrew Trimble on the bench.

Cardigan golf club’s Julia Den Hartog has been recognised with the Golf Union of Wales Volunteer of the Year Award after growing the junior section to nearly 50 members. Den Hartog has used the New2Golf pathway for adults and children, as well as the Golf Foundation Junior Golf Passport, to organise regular coaching and competition nights.

Rob Howley has claimed Wales “have not become a bad team overnight” after naming an unchanged side to face Ireland on Friday night. The Wales coach has resisted any alterations to the 23-man squad that lost 29-13 against Scotland – a defeat which means Wales have won seven of their last 19 matches.

Newport’s Joe Vickery has been recognised with the Golf Union of Wales PGA Professional of the Year Award after delivering golf to more than 6,500 people last year. The club professional at Parc between Cardiff and Newport, Vickery is a former Wales international and British amateur Championship semi-finalist with a passion to provide fun, inclusive opportunities for everyone.