Rhys Webb is set to make his first Test start for three years as part of another big shake-up by Wales coach Warren Gatland. The Ospreys scrum-half – who has not been selected to begin a Test since 2020 – is poised to come in to face Italy in the Six Nations at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. Gatland is expected to make changes to the starting lineup, with as many as seven potential alterations from the team that faced England.

Tom Shanklin has got the Six Nations set with Wales – two Grand Slam titles, two Triple Crowns and the one that few people mention, a single Wooden Spoon. That last unwanted award was earned 20 years ago, the last time Wales were whitewashed in the 23-year history of the expanded tournament and, in fact, the only time. The 2003 campaign included a loss for Shanklin and Wales against Italy in Rome, where two decades on, Warren Gatland’s team will try and avoid a similar fate on Saturday.

Welsh rugby officials have acknowledged that top players will need to find opportunities abroad if the national game is to survive amidst a climate of financial turmoil. Although Warren Gatland’s Wales team have lost all three of their Six Nations matches, off-field issues have been even more concerning. Out-of-contract Welsh players are currently unable to sign new deals, and even if they could, the proposals on the table are unimpressive considering the severe budget cuts that the country’s four regions are set to face next season.

Wales international Willis Halaholo is one of a dozen Cardiff players facing massive wage cuts of almost 80 per cent if they decide to stay around next season. Some players have reportedly been offered just £30,000 to re-sign, highlighting the financial pressure facing rugby players in Wales, despite the recent strike being avoided before last Saturday’s game against England. Although Cardiff have not yet made formal offers to players whose contracts are up, those players have been informed of the potential salaries on offer, forcing them to make crucial decisions about their careers.

The upcoming Six Nations game between Wales and England could be in doubt as Welsh rugby players threaten to go on strike over contractual concerns. Talks between the Welsh Rugby Union and the country’s four regions over a new budgetary deal have been ongoing, but nothing has been agreed upon yet, leaving players uncertain about their futures. According to the Daily Mail, professional players in Wales plan to meet soon, with striking an option that will be put on the table.

Liam Williams is facing a battle to be fit in time for next year’s Six Nations after being ruled out for a period of 16 to 20 weeks. The Wales full-back has undergone surgery on the broken collarbone he suffered playing for Cardiff against Munster last weekend. His club have now issued a medial update which states that the 31-year-old will be sidelined until next January while he recovers.

By Paul Jones New Wales flanker Jac Morgan admits playing at Twickenham next week would be special given the historic rugby rivalry between England and Wales. Morgan won his first cap on Saturday as the reigning Six Nations champions bounced back from a Dublin drubbing against Ireland to beat Scotland 20-17 in Cardiff. The Welsh-speaking […]

By Paul Jones Liam Williams needed medical attention on Sunday after his showdown defeat to Chris Eubank Jr left the Welsh fighter contemplating his next move. Williams went for checks to his damaged left eye following a painful beating that went the distance, but which ultimately left him a long way behind on the judges’ […]

By Gareth James Liam Williams’ eagerly-awaited middleweight showdown against Chris Eubank Jr. has been rearranged for February 5 at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena. A shoulder injury to Williams scuppered an initial December 11 bout while the British Boxing Board of Control’s decision to suspend all events within its jurisdiction this month meant a rescheduled January 29 […]

By Paul Jones   Dwayne Peel has admitted there has to be some soul-searching among his Scarlets players after their latest European hammering. The region were thrashed 45-10 by Bordeaux-Begles at the Stade Chaban-Delmas in the third round of the Heineken Champions Cup. It rounded off a bleak weekend for the four Welsh teams in […]

By Paul Jones Liam Williams says he is excited by what is to come in the next chapter of his career after agreeing a switch to Cardiff for the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship season. The Wales and British & Irish Lions international full-back, who can also operate on the wing, has been signed from Welsh […]

Liam Williams doesn’t know if the infamous pitch invader cost Wales victory over South Africa – but he reckons he knows who would have come off worse had they collided. The Wales full-back had to check his stride and wheel around a man wrestled to the ground by two stewards late on during last week’s clash in Cardiff. “It’s just not on, especially in the middle of a game,” says Williams, reflecting on the embarrassing security lapse at the Principality Stadium.