Ken Owens insists Wales will be happy to arrive at the World Cup in Japan with a sonic boom of expectation, rather than flying in under the radar. In previous tournaments – including that of 2011 when Warren Gatland’s squad reached the semi-final and Owens was the young pup – hope has always been well above any sense of presumption. But the Wales and Scarlets hooker says he will have to be part of the best team in the world to lift the trophy in October, and that the ambitions set within the camp have not been altered by their current run of 14 consecutive victories which has taken them to No 2 in the world rankings.

George North has revealed the Wales squad were told “a few porkies” about their World Cup build-up this summer. The Ospreys wing – who is preparing for his third tournament at the age of 27 – was expecting a gentle introduction into the training schedule meant to bring the players to a peak for Japan in September. Instead, North has revealed the squad have had a heavy workload at their Vale of Glamorgan base and the fitness efforts will soon be ramped up again when they head for a training camp in Switzerland.

Liam Williams ended the season on fire for Saracens, accomplishing the kind of record in one campaign that most players don’t manage in an entire career. He makes Robin Davey’s Wales team for the World Cup opener but a big name casualty misses out. Wales’ World Cup opener against Georgia may be over three months away, but already there is a big debate about the line-up of the ‘back three.’ Basically, four into three won’t go – with Liam Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Josh Adams all bidding for a place in the side. One of them will be unlucky.

Justin Tipuric believes the Ospreys’ successful battle to make European rugby’s elite underlines the character in their squad. The Wales flanker was part of the O’s side that beat rivals the Scarlets on Saturday night to clinch their place in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. The 21-10 Guinness Pro 14 play-off victory at the Liberty Stadium proved that after a period where their dominance had been usurped by the Scarlets – and briefly threatened by the Cardiff Blues – the Swansea region are once again top of the pile in Wales.

The Ospreys proved they have reasserted themselves as the best team in Wales as they deservedly beat the Scarlets 21-10 to take their place in the Heineken Champions Cup next season. George North, Olly Cracknell and Hanno Dirksen scored their tries as the Scarlets were comfortably overcome in the Guinness Pro 14 play-off decider at […]

George North believes the Ospreys’ resilience will be enough to see them overcome Cardiff Blues today and tip the Judgement Day verdict in their favour. The Wales wing will return from injury for his first match since breaking a bone in his hand on the day the Six Nations Grand Slam was secured against Ireland six weeks ago. North’s left hand is now fully recovered and operational – much like the region itself, believes the Lions star who considers the death-defying powers they have shown since the rejection of a merger with the Scarlets underlines why their mental strength will carry them through against the Blues.

Allen Clarke has backed his Ospreys team to continue to recover from the death wish placed on them and suggested no-one outside the region will know the extent of their turmoil. Just two weeks after being crumpled like a piece of waste paper and hurled towards the bin, the Ospreys showed their resolve with a 29-20 bonus point victory over the Dragons. The win – underpinned by four tries from full-back Dan Evans – came in their first game since merger plans with the Scarlets, backed by the Welsh Rugby Union, were abandoned following the outrage that ensued.

Josh Adams has only been in the Wales team for a year, but it’s a measure of his impact that there were more media swirling around him with cameras and microphones this week than there were around George North. That may have a little to do with the fact that Adams was also the designated Welsh speaker handed to broadcasters – North, presumably, having been given a day off from Cymraeg duties – but it also illustrates how the Worcester wing has moved from relative unknown to box office Six Nations star. A brilliant jinking run sparked Wales’ revival against France in Paris on opening night, since when Adams has scored a try in every game. Against Italy, he showed a finisher’s instinct, there was the spectacular athleticism and skill against England, followed by a mesmerising feint with his head and turbo-charged body swerve last week against Scotland at Murrayfield.

George North believes Wales have yet to hit top gear in this year’s Six Nations despite being one win away from a Grand Slam. The Wales wing may have been part of a team that extended their winning run to 13 matches with an 18-11 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield, but North thinks there is far more to come. Wales will host defending champions Ireland on Saturday in Cardiff where another victory will seal the Grand Slam and crown Warren Gatland’s side Six Nations winners for the first time since 2013.

Leigh Halfpenny is back – on the training field, at least. Come the weekend and he might also have played his first match for three months for the Scarlets. So, should he come straight back for Wales against England? Robin Davey weighs up the call – and would leave out George North. Leigh Halfpenny needs to return for the ferocious challenge from England in what could well be a Grand Slam showdown at the Principality Stadium a week on Saturday. Halfpenny is just one of a whole host of selection issues facing coach Warren Gatland.

Robin McBryde has warned the Welsh players “not to slip into holiday mode” as they prepare for Saturday’s Round 2 Guinness Six Nations clash with Italy in Rome. The Welsh squad headed to the south of France in the wake of their 24-19 victory over the French on Friday night and are spending the week in Nice as they prepare to tackle the Azzurri at Stadio Olimpico.There are 31 players to the Riviera training camp, but after two days recovery they have been into hard work ever since as they look to keep to winning ways head of their first home assignment against England on 23 February.

Josh Adams is taking inspiration from George North as he prepares to keep Wales on track for a crack at the Six Nations title. Adams was the instigator of Wales’ remarkable comeback victory in Paris last Friday as his scintillating second-half break paved the way for a Tomos Williams try and the first step in overcoming a 16-0 deficit. But as the 23-year-old Worcester wing gets ready to face Italy in Rome this weekend, he says it is the long-term example of North – and his impact on the national team for over eight seasons – that he is looking to emulate.