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.

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.

Gareth Thomas insists Wales will go at England with “all guns blazing” on Saturday despite shooting themselves in the foot in an extraordinary build-up to their Six nations clash. The Ospreys prop admits he has never been involved in preparation as badly focused as the lead in to what is always the biggest game in the Welsh calendar. There was only one topic of conversation in the team room, at meal times and with roommates in the hotel and it was not how England’s pack was set-up for a defensive line-out near their own 22.

Alun Wyn Jones has laid the blame for the Wales players’ strike threat firmly at the door of the Welsh Rugby Union. he world’s most capped rugby player and former Wales captain says the possibility of player strike action is “hard to deny” as elsh rugby finds itself gripped by a professional contracts freeze. Ultimately, if you treat people badly for long enough, you get to where we find ourselves,” said the 37-year-old Ospreys forward.

Toby Booth, the English coach caught up in a very bloody Welsh rugby civil war, says he “would completely understand” if his Ospreys players went on strike. The top region in Wales last year, and conquerors of the French and English champions in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, the Ospreys have 14 players in the current Welsh Six Nations squad. A proposed meeting of the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA) prior to the third-round clash between Wales and England is due to determine whether or not strike action is on the table.

Llien Morgan had a tough call to make between rugby and athletics – until the Ospreys and Welsh sprinting sensation Jeremiah Azu helped make up his mind. Morgan – the quicksilver Wales U20s wing – will bid to add to his two tries against Ireland last week when he faces Scotland U20s at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Friday night, in a match that is live on S4C. But had he taken a different path as recently as last summer, then Morgan might have pursued an athletics career on the track rather than one with a ball under his arm for Wales.

Wales coach Warren Gatland is considering major changes to his side ahead of their Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday. Gatland is looking to reinvigorate the Welsh pack with youngsters Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza after a disappointing 34-10 loss to Ireland in the first round of the tournament. The head coach is contemplating giving Exeter Chiefs captain Jenkins his first Test start, while Jenkins’ teammate Tshiunza could also earn a place in the starting lineup, depending on his fitness.

Rhys Webb has taken inspiration from football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after ending more than two years in the international rugby wilderness. Ospreys scrum-half Webb is on course to make his first Wales appearance since November 2020 in next Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations opener against Ireland. Webb, who toured New Zealand with the 2017 British and Irish Lions, featured on just five occasions during Wayne Pivac’s 34-Test reign as Wales head coach.

The Ospreys will have to hit the road again after being drawn away to Saracens in their Heineken Champions Cup last-16 tie. A late try from flanker Ben Earl secured Saracens a losing bonus point at the DAM Health Stadium as they were beaten 20-14 by Edinburgh. That pushed them ahead of Edinburgh into fourth place in Pool A on tries scored, handing them a home game with Ospreys.