Ken Owens has revealed he was determined to recover from a back injury in order to resume a normal life rather than play rugby again for Wales. The Scarlets hooker is set to play his first international match for 15 months when Wales face New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. The 35-year-old is four matches into his comeback but could well be asked to start against the All Blacks as coach Wayne Pivac seeks the platform of a solid set-piece.

Finding themselves under stress back in the kitchen, Cardiff’s resilience and determination in serving up a win over the Scarlets last weekend pleased Dai Young – but the club’s director of rugby knows there are still plenty of issues front of house. A second victory of the season moved Cardiff up to 10th in the URC table and lifted some of the clouds that had gathered over the Arms Park after a stormy few days. But the allegations of poor behaviour levelled at some players might not have raised so many hackles among supporters had they come after relative success on the field.

Bradley Roberts has targeted a place in Wales’ autumn squad and is adamant the Dragons can go from strength to strength this season. The 26-year-old hooker – who came off the bench as the Dragons lost 20-19 at home to the Sharks on Saturday – has enjoyed a rise that has been nothing short of remarkable. Just two years ago, Roberts was playing semi-professional rugby for a club called Rainey Old Boys, who are based in the Londonderry town of Magherfafelt in Northern Ireland, before earning a professional contract with Ulster.

Josh Adams wants Cardiff to set a minimum target of the United Rugby Championship play-offs after helping them get away to a flier. Adams was part of the side that beat Munster 20-13 at the weekend in their league opener to give coach Dai Young plenty of encouragement for the campaign ahead. “The play-offs certainly should be a target, and with the quality of the squad we’ve got there’s no reason why we can’t achieve that but when you start a new season you always look to better your last,” said Adams.

Jonathan Davies insists his priority now is to help the Scarlets achieve a super-charged start to the season and that any Wales ambitions must flow from that. The 34-year-old was left out of Wayne Pivac’s squad that toured South Africa this summer, but that does not mean he has accepted his international days are over. But what has changed for a player who has been as integral as anyone to the national cause for over a decade is the pecking order of his personal focus.

Following two years of negotiations, the Welsh Rugby Union have performed a dramatic U-turn and tabled a six-year multimillion pound deal for the professional game which relies upon further debt and benefactor support having previously choreographed their removal. Wales’ four professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – have been struggling on and off the field for the best part of a decade with the WRU refusing to invest in its professional game the same way as their United Rugby Championship union counterparts.  After months of discussions surrounding a way forward for the professional game in Wales, including the resignation of Professional Rugby Board chair Amanda Blanc, the WRU’s long-term funding deal is set to meet stiff opposition.

By Steffan Thomas Wayne Pivac has told his players to disregard claims that South Africa have disrespected Wales with their radical selection policy ahead of this weekend’s second Test. The Springboks caused surprise and some measure of outrage by making 14 changes to their line-up for Saturday’s clash in Pretoria. Pivac is looking the other […]

Wales coach Wayne Pivac admits his men are on a mission to restore lost pride when they face the daunting challenge of South Africa this week. The tourists will meet the world champions with faces still red after Wales’ 22-21 defeat to Italy in their last match of the Six Nations. “I hope we are going to be a lot better than our last game,” pledged Pivac.

By Steffan Thomas Sam Wainwright has spent 12 years fighting against the odds and has no plan to stop his hard work anytime soon as he is scheduled to meet with the Wales squad at their Vale of Glamorgan training base in two weeks’ time. His inclusion, a replacement for the injured Leon Brown, was […]

The Joint Supporters Group representing fans of the four regions have revealed they have been waiting for a meeting with the Welsh Rugby Union for seven months. Responding to the revelation that the WRU are considering a proposal to cut the number of regions from four to three, the JSG have claimed the culling of one of their teams may be behind the long delay. Writing on Twitter in reply to a story in The Times that reveals the reduction proposal, the JSG state: “As we’re still waiting for the date of our next meeting with the Welsh Rugby Union, the news item below may explain why we are still waiting, 7 months after the original timeframe.

By Steffan Thomas Keelan Giles’ career has been far from straightforward since bursting onto the scene as a promising 18-year-old in 2016. Back then the Gorseinon man was scoring tries left, right, and centre for Wales under 20s, before getting called into the senior squad for their tour of New Zealand that summer.

Wales Women outside-half Elinor Snowsill is expecting a backlash from Ireland in this Saturday’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations opener but is confident Wales are up to the task. Ioan Cunningham’s side travel to Dublin to face an Ireland side hurting at missing out on World Cup qualification. Snowsill expects a tough challenge but is excited on the eve oof the tournament, which is expected to generate more interest than any previously held.