Ieuan Evans and Nigel Davies are both fighting to join the Welsh Rugby Union council again – despite losing out earlier this summer. The former Wales internationals have both chosen to stand for election, with nominations due to close today. Neither man’s interest in helping shape the game’s future in Wales has been undermined by their defeat to John Manders for a vacant national council seat in July.

The Welsh Rugby Union have been told they need to settle their pay cut dispute with their players before they can get their hands on a £20 million loan. The WRU is in talks with a financial institution for a cash flow injection in order to help pay the bills during the current rugby shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Chairman Gareth Davies has said the Union hoped to secure the loan before the end of July, in order to offset potential losses of £50m.

The highest profile woman in Welsh rugby could soon be leaving after only seven months in her role. Amanda Blanc – the independent chair of Welsh rugby’s Professional Rugby Board – is likely to step down after only being appointed in December. Blanc has been made chief executive of insurance giants Aviva – parachuted into the top position in the company after former chief executive Maurice Tulloch left “for family health reasons”. He also retired from his position on the Aviva plc Board and his successor took over the reins immediately.

Steve ‘Wally’ Blackmore, the Cardiff prop who helped Wales beat Australia to clinch their best finish at a World Cup in 1987, has died after a long battle against a brain tumour cancer. He was 58. WRU chairman, Gareth Davies, who played with Blackmore at Cardiff, led the tributes to the four-times capped prop. “Steve was a larger than life character who always had a smile on his face. We played together at Cardiff and I remember him being a very skilful, all-round player who made the most of his talent,” said Davies.

As World Rugby continues to press ahead with electing a new chairman, vice-chair and executive members, the Welsh Rugby Union has so far kept elections to its own governing body on hold. Tom Jenkins says it’s time they moved the campaigning online so that future leadership of the game in Wales can become clearer. If World Rugby can stage an election for its executive committee it does beg the question why the Welsh Rugby Union has held off on hosting the battle for a place on its own council. With the current COVID-19 pandemic making it impossible for meetings to go ahead as scheduled, World Rugby has confirmed that the schedule of May Council and committee meetings will be held remotely, allowing the elections to take place.

Former Wales and New Zealand coach Graham Henry has backed Agustin Pichot’s attempt to shake up World Rugby. Henry has voiced his support for Pichot after the Argentine’s bid to challenge WR chairman Bill Beaumont was confirmed by the global governing body. The Kiwi coach – who led Wales into the 1999 World Cup and paved the way for the Grand Slam successes of Mike Ruddock and Warren Gatland – believes the European nations should throw their support behind Pichot’s attempt to revamp the sport in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

WRU chairman Gareth Davies has praised Martyn Phillips for agreeing to do a U-turn on his departure as chief executive this summer to help steer the union through the coronavirus crisis. Phillips has agreed to extend his stay in his role beyond five years and will remain at the helm “for the foreseeable future”. “In these testing times it’s a hugely positive development for us to have mutually agreed for him to stay on for the foreseeable future,” said Davies.

By Tom Jenkins Gareth Davies is set to stand down as Welsh Rugby Union chairman later this year – unless he can alter rules he helped introduce. The WRU are already head hunting a new chief executive to replace Martyn Phillips this summer, but they will also be looking for a new chairman in the […]

Gareth Davies has installed France scrum-half Antoine Dupont as the dangerman Wales must keep quiet this weekend in round three of the Guinness Six Nations. The Scarlets man went head-to-head with the 23-year-old rising Toulouse star in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup in Japan earlier in the season when Wales came out on top 20-19 in Oita. But Dupont has been in brilliant form in France’s opening two games in the 2020 Six Nations and has been branded by Davies as one of the most in-form players in the world. He has already racked up 138 running metres and made six offloads as Les Bleus have remained unbeaten.

Wales’ rival scrum-halves Gareth Davies and Rhys Webb could get a European showdown after the Six Nations – providing Toulon play ball. The pair have been drawn together in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup after the Scarlets and Toulon both made it through to the last eight. Webb’s Toulon topped their pool but will face runners-up Scarlets – and Davies – in the first weekend of April, after the Welsh region sneaked through as the final qualifier.

Warren Gatland had admitted Wales have suffered a “big loss” from their World Cup campaign after they were forced to rule out Liam Williams. Full-back Williams’ absence has been confirmed from Sunday’s semi-final against South Africa, and then either the final or third and fourth place play-off next week. The Welsh Rugby Union said he suffered an ankle injury sustained in an accidental collision during training.

If Gareth Davies had accepted all the offers to buy him a pint since Twickenham and the World Cup of 2015, then he certainly wouldn’t be going to this year’s tournament. Instead of going to back to face England today, he would probably be drying out in a clinic somewhere – although he would still have a good story to tell of the night he scored the try that pulled the rug from under the hosts. Four years on and the Scarlets No.9 will be part of a Wales team aiming to get their warm-up plans off to a positive start by proving by they are worthy of their new status as the No.1 ranked team in the world.