It really will be Judgement Day at the Principality Stadium next Saturday as Cardiff and the Ospreys go head to head, with the Welsh Shield and Heineken Champions Cup qualification on the line. All four of the Welsh regions lost in the penultimate round of the United Rugby Championship over the weekend, leaving three of the bottom four places occupied by Welsh sides and four of the bottom six.

Dai Young has admitted the Welsh regions need to develop greater depth if they are to compete across the board for honours. Young takes his Cardiff side to Connacht on Saturday night, seeking a victory that would keep alive their hopes of a top eight finish and entry into the URC play-offs.

Llandovery did everything they needed to do to hold onto the top spot in the Indigo Premiership as they beat Swansea 52-24 and with two games to go they at least now know they’ve done enough to secure a top four place. The next target has to be to keep on winning and to claim a top two finish to ensure they have a home tie in the semi-finals. They face a trip to fifth placed Aberavon on Saturday and still have to go to another top four contender, Newport.

Joe Hawkins has explained why he chose to end his Wales career so soon after it had begun. The 20-year-old Ospreys centre – one of the discoveries of a disappointing 12 months for Wales – has agreed to join Exeter this summer. It means he will no longer be eligible for Wales unless the Welsh Rugby Union tear up their policy of only selecting players outside of Wales who have won at least 25 caps.

The stage is set for 10 days of non-stop action as clubs and players from all over Wales descend on the home of Welsh rugby for the ‘Road to Principality 2023’ rugby jamboree. Last year saw record breaking numbers in almost every category as the fans flocked to watch the rising stars of the game, as well as established senior players representing clubs from across all divisions chase titles and lifelong memories of playing at the Principality Stadium.

Toby Booth believes his Ospreys side will face the best team in England “by some distance” when they tackle Heineken Champions Cup round-of-16 opponents Saracens on Sunday. While the Ospreys contest their first top-flight European knockout game for 12 years, Saracens are on familiar territory.

Taine Basham is the first to admit his outlook on life has changed completely since becoming a dad. His partner, Giovanna, gave birth to a baby boy in December, with little Tomas now four months old. It’s put everything in a new perspective for the Dragons back row forward, including the ups and downs of the past couple of years on the rugby front.

Throughout his career, Dan Lydiate has demonstrated a driven determination to fight his way back from injury. After all, this is someone who broke his neck while playing rugby as a teenager and is still going strong some 16 years later. Yet his motivation for returning from his latest lay-off – due to a broken arm suffered on Wales duty – was greater than ever. He was intent on doing it for his father.

Wales star George North has spoken of his pride after moving into the all-time top 10 of international rugby union try scorers. North’s early touchdown against Guinness Six Nations opponents France was his 46th for Wales and the British and Irish Lions. It put him level with New Zealand trio Christian Cullen, Joe Rokocoko and Julian Savea, and just one behind Irish great Brian O’Driscoll.

Rhys Webb ends a six-year Guinness Six Nations absence in the Wales number nine shirt on Saturday admitting he did not even want to watch the team play during his international exile. The 34-year-old Ospreys scrum-half last begun a Test three years ago and has not made a Six Nations start since 2017. But the 38-cap Webb returns to Warren Gatland’s starting line-up as Wales head to Italy in the hope of avoiding a Championship wooden spoon.

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.

Wales Women’s senior team have appointed Shaun Connor as their new full-time attack and kicking coach ahead of the forthcoming TikTok Six Nations campaign. The former Dragons and Russia coach has moved from his role with the Dragons Rugby Academy and Wales U20s to join Ioan Cunningham’s coaching team. A former Dragons and Ospreys fly-half, Connor brings a wealth of experience as a professional player and coach to his new role and will continue with the Wales U20s until the end of their current Six Nations campaign.