Warren Gatland has described Joe Marler’s “gypsy boy” remark as banter and believes the England prop should face no punishment. Marler is facing a minimum six-week ban if two allegations hanging over him from last week’s match against Wales at Twickenham are upheld.

Alun Wyn Jones has been ruled out for six weeks – dealing a huge blow to the Ospreys’ chances of making the Guinness Pro12 play-offs. Wales coach Warren Gatland had left Jones out of his team to play Italy this Saturday with a statement issued that the second row had a foot injury.

Tomas Francis is out of the Wales to squad to face Italy after being banned for eight weeks. The Exeter prop has been found guilty of making contact with the eye or eye area of England’s Dan Cole during Saturday’s Six Nations match at Twickenham.

Warren Gatland has shaken up his Wales team for the final match of the Six Nations against Italy. The coach has made four changes to the side that was beaten 25-21 by England at Twickenham – a performance he called unacceptable – although three of them involve injuries.

Andre Ayew is set to miss Swansea’s crunch Premier League clash with Aston Villa – and brother Jordan – on Saturday night. The eight-goal Ghana ace has flown to France for treatment on an ankle problem which sidelined him from last Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth.

Swansea City have sent young striker James Demetriou out on loan to non-League Wealdstone for the rest of the season. Demetriou, 20, joined the Swans 18 months ago from Nottingham Forest on a two-year deal.

Runners-up spot for Wales in the Six Nations will represent failure, according to second row Luke Charteris. Victory over Italy on Saturday in the final round of matches will leave Wales in second place, behind champions England who will claim a Grand Slam if they beat France in Paris.

Wales have backed World Rugby to sort out Joe Marler as the England prop faces double trouble after the clash at Twickenham. Backs coach Rob Howley says he is confident the game’s governing body will take the right action over the verbal issue directed towards Wales’ Samson Lee.

Geraint Thomas became the first Welshman to win the prestigious Paris-Nice race as he pulled off the biggest road win of his career. The Cardiff-born ace was made to fight right to the line on the Promenade des Anglais as rival Alberto Contador attacked.

Chaz Davies got the miracle he was looking for as he grabbed his second podium of the World Superbikes season in Thailand. The Knighton-born rider admitted he would need a massive turnaround after finishing fourth 18 seconds off the pace in Saturday’s first race.

Wales Women failed to record a first away win over England as the world champions gained revenge for last season’s Six Nations defeat. Despite a brave challenge, Wales were edged out 20-13 at the Twickenham Stoop – thanks to two tries from Ceri Large – and are now chasing runners-up spot in the championship.

Harrison Keddie says the prospect of a Grand Slam will not worry the Wales U20 team over the next few days. The Dragons and Ebbw Vale No.8 believes his teammates will cope with any pressure as the prize awaits them if they can beat Italy.

Warren Gatland will spend the next few days holding an inquest, instead of preparing Wales for a Six Nations title party. The fall-out from his team’s 25-21 defeat to England at Twickenham could be both swift and severe for those players the coach believes failed to deliver.

Geraint Thomas is on the cusp of the biggest win of his career after seizing the lead in the Paris-Nice race. The Cardiff flier finished second on the penultimate queen stage after a fierce summit battle but picked up valuable bonus seconds over his main rivals.

Cardiff boss Russell Slade was pleased his side were able to grind out a 1-0 win over play-off rivals Ipswich Town. Bruno Manga’s first half header was enough to see the Bluebirds over the line and keep them within one point of sixth placed Sheffield Wednesday.

Chaz Davies fended off a fierce attack from team-mate Davide Giugliano to finish fourth in the World Superbikes race in Thailand on Saturday. The Ducati duo battled with some incredibly close racing before the Italian slid off as he tried to chase down the Powys-born rider on the Chang International track.

Geraint Thomas survived another nervy moment in Paris-Nice ahead of Saturday’s decisive penultimate stage. Twenty-four hours after a crash, the Cardiff-born racer was fractions away from smashing into a kerb near the finish of stage five.

Chaz Davies admitted he was not at his best in opening practice for the World Superbikes races in Thailand. The Powys-born flier finished seventh fastest on his Ducati at the Chang International Circuit and knows he will have to find more speed for Saturday’s opening race.

Alun Wyn Jones has warned England coach Eddie Jones that Wales may be a small country, but it is special. Australian Jones gave a masterclass of back-handed compliments and hidden insults when he dissected his opponents as a team and as a nation.

Russell Slade reckons Cardiff City’s bid to make the Championship play-offs will go right to the wire. The Bluebirds boss reckons City will need around 75 points to reach the top six – they are currently on 55 points with 10 games left.