Gareth Davies

Archie Hughes admits it’s “surreal” to be competing with his childhood hero, but he’s also determined to win that contest, as Simon Thomas reports.

Gareth Davies has been backed to continue delivering the goods for the Scarlets – despite his surprise retirement from international rugby. The Wales scrum-half decided to end his Test career on Thursday, just four days before Warren Gatland is due to name his squad for the autumn series.

Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod has paid tribute to his team of “warriors” and to the support from the travelling fans after a nerve-jangling 25-19 victory over Cardiff at a sold-out Arms Park. Flanker Macleod had to watch on from the sin bin as the visitors were left with just 13 men for eight minutes in the closing stages of the United Rugby Championship derby after both he and wing Tom Rogers were yellow carded in quick succession.

Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies will be aiming to celebrate a major career landmark in winning style when the Scarlets host Cardiff in the first Welsh derby of the season on Saturday. Davies will become just the third player – after front row duo Ken Owens and Phil John – to make 250 appearances for the Scarlets since the start of the regional era.

Welsh rugby is back. It may not be a big fanfare opening as the regions and also the clubs involved in the new Super Rygbi Cymru are still in their summer slumber, but the third tier of the sport awakens this weekend.

Warren Gatland has admitted it was a terrible idea to make Cory Hill a Wales captain. The Wales coach said he regretted the decision to give the honour to Hill for the final game of the tour to Australia, what proved to be a one-point victory over Queensland Reds.

Ellis Bevan has become the latest Welsh scrum-half to have been produced by Cardiff Met, following in the footsteps of some of the very best No 9s in the business. Where Clive Rowlands, Gareth Edwards, Clive Shell, Brynmor Williams and Gareth Cooper went before him, three of them going on to become British & Irish Lions, Cardiff scrum-half Bevan took his first tentative steps on the international stage in Wales’ defeat to South Africa at Twickenham.

Senior men’s head coach Warren Gatland has named the Wales XV to face South Africa away at Twickenham Stadium in the Qatar Airways Cup on Saturday 22 June (KO 2pm live on Sky Sports and S4C).

Warren Gatland has promised to nurse his latest group of youngsters through their four-match summer series and to give some of his more experienced players a “kick up the arse”. Wales head to Twickenham on 22 June to face the world champion Springboks before travelling to Australia for a two-Test series against the Wallabies and a final fixture with Queensland Reds.

The “phenomenal” Gareth Davies has been likened to a top striker in football having just reached a major career landmark. Wales scrum-half Davies took his tally of league tries up to 50 with a double in the Scarlets’ victory over Zebre Parma in the last round of BKT URC matches.

Those were the words of Deri coach David Iles after watching his side add the Worthington’s Mid District Division Five Cup to make it a league and cup double and cap a tremendous season. Tom Elliott was the star of the show with a 30-point personal haul to steer his side to a comfortable 40-12 victory over Hirwaun in their final showdown at Sardis Road.

When two greats of the Welsh game like Shane Williams and Justin Tipuric describe a player as “superb” and “amazing”, that’s praise indeed. Those were their plaudits for the Ospreys No 8 Morgan Morris after he produced yet another Man of the Match performance in his team’s 26-13 victory over the Dragons in Swansea.