Wales international hooker Scott Baldwin has announced his retirement from playing and will take up a coaching role at Gallagher Premiership club Newcastle. Baldwin, 34, made more than 180 appearances for the Ospreys, in addition to spells in the Premiership with Harlequins and Worcester. He also won 37 Test caps, and featured three times as a replacement during Wales’ Guinness Six Nations campaign last season.

Former Ospreys flanker Sam Underhill has made England’s initial 28-player Rugby World Cup training squad – despite not having played for his country for almost a year. The Bath forward has been included in the group named by head coach Steve Borthwick alongside former Cardiff Met No.8 Alex Dombrandt.

Gareth Thomas is backing Tommy Reffell to fill the void left by the ‘outstanding’ Justin Tipuric and play a key role in Wales’ World Cup charge. The emergence of flanker Reffell was one of the bright spots of Wayne Pivac’s reign as Wales boss but the Leicester Tigers man started just one match during the 2023 Six Nations following Warren Gatland’s return.

What do you get when you add Bradley Davies to James Hook, Paul James and Andrew Bishop? A ‘Dream Team’ of coaches to help bring through the next generation of Ospreys stars. After 66 Welsh caps and more than 210 professional games for Cardiff Blues, Wasps and Ospreys, the 36-year-old Davies is all set to become the latest international ex-pro to be attached to the backroom staff at his old region after hanging up his boots.

Former Scarlets trio Harri Williams, Griff Evans and Iestyn Rees have all joined English Championship outfit Ampthill. Scrum-half Williams is set to play for Wales U20 at next month’s World Junior Championships in South Africa, while lock Evans and back row man Rees will join him in adding further Welsh flavour to Paul Turner’s Ampthill mob next season.

Alun Wyn Jones has confirmed he will not be an Ospreys player next season. The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain announced his retirement from international rugby last month after making a world-record 170 Test match appearances.

It was a chance to relax, to briefly escape the political and economic ills besetting, along with much else in British life, rugby union in Wales. A bright, warm evening completely unlike the last full international at St Helen’s, an atrociously cold and sodden encounter with Tonga in 1997.

There was standing room only around much of the grand old setting of St. Helen’s as Alun Wyn Jones sipped what most consider are the last drops of his summer wine. The 37-year-old is certainly in the deep winter of a career that has spanned 20 years, but there was only the joy of a bright sunny evening in Swansea as the Whites brought down the curtain on their 150th anniversary celebrations.

Rhys Webb has admitted stability and security for his family meant more to him than playing for Wales at a World Cup. Webb became the latest Wales player to announce his retirement from Test rugby before the tournament.

Alun Wyn Jones is going to play for both teams when the Barbarians return to St Helen’s on Wednesday night (kick-off 6.30pm) to help round off his former club Swansea’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Former Ospreys coach Steve Tandy has signed up with Scotland for a further three years. Assistant coach Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have all followed the lead of head coach Gregor Townsend in extending their contracts until April 2026.

Alun Wyn Jones will captain the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday in the game against a World XV. It will be the 37-year-old Ospreys lock’s 15th international outing at the home of English rugby in a game that will see him make his debut for the Baa-Baas.