Max Nagy admits he takes plenty of stick from fellow Ospreys George North and Stephen Myler, but at least they no longer look down on him. At 6ft 4in, the rangy full back is the same height as North and five inches taller than Myler, his teammates at the region. But prior to re-uniting this season, Nagy was just a small kid seeking autographs at Flanklin’s Gardens when the three of them were last together.

Keiran Williams has often been compared to one of the great Lions centres, but it’s another more recent legend who he admits he tries to model his game on. The Ospreys centre has been likened to Scott Gibbs for his direct and dynamic power, shifting balance and quick feet in close quarters. But it is former Ireland captain Brian O’’Driscoll who Williams has studied, a more recent version of a player who eventually learned how to combine forcefulness with flair.

By Gareth James Dewi Lake and James Ratti are living proof that community club rugby in Wales can still take a youngster from village fields to the Principality Stadium. And sometimes the transformation from childhood ambitions to living the dream can happen almost overnight. Before the current Six Nations started, few would have bet on […]

By Graham Thomas Harri Deaves wears a lurid yellow scrum-cap, but that’s not the only reason the Ospreys flanker is catching the eye. The 20-year-old looks like a Belisha beacon on the field in order that his grandmother, May, can spot him more easily. But even if he toned down his headgear, the chances are […]

By Rob Carbon Ospreys prop Ma’afu Fia has called on Welsh rugby to help support his homeland of Tonga in the wake of the volcanic eruption in the South Seas. Fia wants governing bodies to help arrange benefit games aimed at raising cash for his island nation which has been covered in ash and where […]

Former Wales hooker Richard Hibbard has announced his retirement from rugby. Hibbard played 38 Wales internationals and three Tests for the Lions on the 2013 successful tour of Australia. The 38-year-old made his Wales debut against Argentina in 2006 and the last of his Tests came nine years later at home to Ireland. “I’m sad to say my body has finally said enough is enough,” said Hibbard. “What a ride it’s been. I’ve been lucky enough to do everything I’ve wanted, and more, in this great game.”

By Steffan Thomas James Ratti is relishing the prospect of linking up with the Wales squad next week after taking the hard route to the top. The Cardiff Rugby No 8’s journey to international rugby has been a bumpy one, with many ups and downs along the way. Just three years ago the 24-year-old was […]

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 […]

The fans are back in Welsh sport – sort of. A host of smaller football and rugby clubs were able to welcome up to 500 supporters through their gates this weekend and it’s doors fully open everywhere next weekend. It meant some strange comparisons on Saturday, as Owen Morgan discovered when he went to watch Bonymaen RFC. Strange sporting anomalies have become the norm across the globe over the past two years due to Covid regulations. Grand Slam tennis champions deported, fanless FA Cup finals, and an Olympic Games stadium where the only noise was the pounding of the sprinters’ running shoes.

By Graham Thomas Every time Elvis Taione enters the building at the Ospreys training ground, the greeting is always the same. “The boys here, they never say ‘Good Morning’ to me,” reveals the Tongan international hooker. “They just go, ‘Uh-huh-huh!’ and I have to go ‘Uh-huh-huh’ back! “It’s kind of become the routine. But I […]

Dwayne Peel praised his Scarlets players’ resolve after they came from behind to snatch derby day victory over the Ospreys. A late Johnny McNicholl try secured the Scarlets a bonus point 22-19 victory over their arch-rivals in an entertaining encounter in Llanelli. A brace from McNicholl along with tries from Gareth Davies, and Steff Evans got the hosts over the line at Parc y Scarlets. Dan Jones also kicked two points. 

Tom Price admits he is desperate to get on a rugby field again after being unable to cross the whitewash for an agonising 12 weeks. The Scarlets second row is hoping to take out 83 days of frustration when he hits his first ruck in the derby against the Ospreys on New Year’s Day – a clash that is live on S4C. Price admits he is praying for the turn of the year to bring about a change in his fortunes after his region suffered five successive postponements because of Covid outbreaks, including their ill-fated trip to South Africa.