By David Williams Owen Watkin says Wales will have to front up physically against Georgia if they are to unleash their potent back-division this Saturday. Wales’ pack were impressive during last weekend’s hard-fought 20-13 victory over Argentina where they enjoyed 58 percent of territory against the abrasive Latin Americans. Georgia will pose a similar challenge […]

Justin Tipuric has admitted he was surprised to be asked to take over the Wales captaincy for the autumn internationals. The Ospreys flanker will skipper Wales in the Autumn Nations Series starting against New Zealand next week. The 33-year-old, who has won 86 caps, takes over from the injured Dan Biggar.

Toby Booth has told the Ospreys it’s time to wise up after what’s shaping up to be a disappointing weekend for the four Welsh regions. Only the Dragons – who host Munster on Sunday afternoon – can prvent a clean sweep of defeats for the Welsh sides in the United Rugby Championship. With Cardiff having conceded eight tries in a 52-24 thrashing in Glasgow, the Scarlets also shipped over a half century of points at home to Ulster, and leaked seven tries, in going down 55-39.

Duty calls for Wales star Alex Cuthbert these days – but not in the way it once did. The Ospreys wing, whose team face the Emirates Lions on Saturday night, admits he once spent too long playing Call of Duty on his PlayStation. Now, at 32, he is one of the elder statesmen of the Ospreys squad and the duties are those of a father of two children and father-figure to the young thrusters among the region’s exciting back line.

It may be that other events have overshadowed its build-up, or that last season’s Welsh contribution was extremely modest, but the United Rugby Championship is back this weekend. The summer break has sometimes appeared long and disjointed, but Daniel Parker has tied it all together in one very helpful preview. Thanks, Dan. After what feels like a long and disjointed summer break, the United Rugby Championship returns this weekend. The pick of the opening round matches is the Loughor Bridge derby between the Ospreys and the Scarlets – a tie which should set the early tone of the new campaign for Wales’ two best-performing regions last term

Jonathan Davies insists his priority now is to help the Scarlets achieve a super-charged start to the season and that any Wales ambitions must flow from that. The 34-year-old was left out of Wayne Pivac’s squad that toured South Africa this summer, but that does not mean he has accepted his international days are over. But what has changed for a player who has been as integral as anyone to the national cause for over a decade is the pecking order of his personal focus.

Following two years of negotiations, the Welsh Rugby Union have performed a dramatic U-turn and tabled a six-year multimillion pound deal for the professional game which relies upon further debt and benefactor support having previously choreographed their removal. Wales’ four professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – have been struggling on and off the field for the best part of a decade with the WRU refusing to invest in its professional game the same way as their United Rugby Championship union counterparts.  After months of discussions surrounding a way forward for the professional game in Wales, including the resignation of Professional Rugby Board chair Amanda Blanc, the WRU’s long-term funding deal is set to meet stiff opposition.

By Harry Corish Harrison Walsh is off to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – an example to everyone that when one door closes, another one opens. The 26-year-old from Mumbles was at the start of a promising rugby career, playing for the Ospreys and Swansea RFC when he suffered a freak injury on the field […]

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth insists he is looking forward to his team testing themselves against the best after their daunting draw for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. The region’s reward for winning the Welsh Shield in the URC is a Heineken Champions Cup draw against French champions Montpellier and English champions Leicester Tigers. The draws for both the Champions Cup and the European Challenge Cup were made in Dublin, venue for both finals on 19 and 20 May next year, and included for the first time five teams from South Africa.

By Rob Carbon Tomas Francis is back in full training and in line to play for Wales against the world champion Springboks in Pretoria on Saturday (2 July). The Ospreys tight head prop had been struggling with a back problem, forcing Scarlets rookie Harri O’Connor to be added to the 33-man tour party as extra […]

By Stuart Taylor As the latest dust covering settles on another pathetic domestic season, many feel it will take more than a symbolic spring clean to solve the structural issues that continue to trouble Welsh rugby. After years of failing to maintain the upkeep of Welsh rugby, independent consultants Oakwell Sports Advisory were commissioned to […]

Wales international centre Ashley Beck has extended his stay at Sixways by signing a new contract with Warriors. Beck joined Warriors from Ospreys in the summer of 2018 and after his first season was cut short by a broken ankle, he has become a rock in the midfield over the past three seasons. The 32-year-old made his 50th appearance against Northampton Saints at Sixways in January and has now played 59 games and scored eight tries.