The top end of the Swansea Valley has been a hotbed breeding ground for sporting talent for years. Bleddyn Bowen, Robert Jones, Greg Thomas, Justin Tipuric and Ben Davies are just some of the stars the local schools have honed in various sports. The current crop isn’t bad, either – Wales and Cardiff City footballer Rubin Colwill and Ospreys centre Joe Hawkins, who plays against Munster on Saturday night, and who spoke to Graham Thomas. Joe Hawkins is keen to follow his old football rival Rubin Colwill onto the full international stage, but is happy to bide his time. Ospreys centre Hawkins and fellow 19-year-old Colwill – already a senior Wales football international after a breakthrough year at Cardiff City – used to play football against each other as 15-year-olds, until Hawkins gave his sole attention to rugby.

By Tom Prosser Ospreys forward Adam Beard tested himself against South Africa whilst on British & Irish Lions duty this summer, but he is now looking forward to taking on The Sharks for his region this evening (Friday). The Ospreys are unbeaten so far this season after claiming wins against The Dragons and Cardiff Rugby, but The Sharks are still searching for their first victory in United Rugby Championship. “The South Africans come with a good set piece, but they also have some dangerous backs who like to have a go and play from anywhere,” explained Beard.

Gareth Anscombe admitted he still has some way to go before he is back to his best as the countdown begins to Wales’ autumn internationals. Anscombe kicked all of the Ospreys’ points – as they beat Cardiff 18-14 – in only his second competitive game back from a two-year injury lay-off. It made two wins from two in this season’s United Rugby Championship for the Ospreys and more encouraging progress from their Wales No.10.

By Rob Carbon Scott Williams is hopeful of putting three years of injury hell behind him by firing the Scarlets to success this season.  The 30-year-old has been capped 58 times by Wales and prior to injury, he was considered one of the best centres in European rugby.  His move to the Ospreys in 2018 was plagued by injuries, but now he’s back at the Scarlets and keen to prove he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level. 

Scott Williams has been tipped to recapture the form which originally made him a star on the international stage now he has rejoined the Scarlets. The 58-times capped Wales centre left the Scarlets three years ago to join the Ospreys, but his time at the Liberty Stadium was plagued by injuries. But he’s now returned home to Llanelli, and new Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is confident he can get the best out of the 30-year-old.

Gareth Anscombe has come through the mental and well as the physical tests and is ready for his competitive comeback, according to Ospreys coach Toby Booth. The Wales fly-half will line up at No.10 for the Ospreys in their opening United Rugby Championship clash when they make a derby trip to Rodney Parade to face the Dragons on Sunday. Anscombe, Tomas Francis and promising young flanker Jac Morgan will all make their competitive Ospreys debuts.

By Rob Carbon Tomas Francis was the biggest arrival in Welsh rugby this summer in every sense of the word. He is now looking forward to getting his Ospreys career underway and is impressed with how his new team have performed under coach Toby Booth. The Ospreys almost went out of existence in 2019 when a merger with bitter rivals Scarlets was proposed.

Gareth Anscombe has paid heartfelt thanks to those who have helped his recovery after coming through his first rugby match for just over two years. The Wales international played 37 minutes for the Ospreys in their pre-season friendly at Northampton on Friday night before he was withdrawn as the region said they had always planned. Afterwards, the 30-year-old outside-half – who many feared would not resume a top level career – paid tribute to those who have assisted his recovery from a serious knee injury, that has involved overcoming several setbacks.

By Alex Bywater  Gareth Anscombe is set to end 761 days of injury troubles when he makes his Ospreys debut against Northampton Saints on Friday. Wales fly-half Anscombe hasn’t played since August 2019 when he suffered a serious knee injury facing England in a Rugby World Cup warm-up clash at Twickenham. Anscombe, 30, missed that year’s tournament as a result and has spent more than two years on the sidelines while recovering.

As the song says, the road is long with many a winding turn that leads us to who knows where. Two former Ospreys teammates are at the peak of their respective sports this summer, but no-one could have predicted the road that took them there, as Owen Morgan reports. In May 2014 two promising rugby players from Swansea were amongst seven young hopefuls handed development contracts with the Ospreys. The two 18-year-olds were making their first steps towards their dreams of becoming professional sportsmen and representing their country at the highest international level in their sport. However, just a year later Adam Beard and Harrison Walsh – who had also played together for Swansea schoolboys – were to take very different paths towards their sporting dreams.

Adam Beard believes getting dropped from the national squad last autumn was a blessing in disguise and insists he can fill the boots of injured Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones. The Ospreys lock – who was called into the British and Irish Lions squad on Saturday night for their tour to South Africa following Jones’ shoulder dislocation – was a regular starter for Wales during the latter part of the Warren Gatland era. But he was then dropped by Wayne Pivac and sent back to the Ospreys after a dip in form.

Former Wales Under 20s Grand Slam winner Joe Thomas is hoping his American adventure can earn him a second crack of the whip in Welsh rugby. The 25-year-old has become the first Welshman to play in the MLR where he plies his trade for Houston SaberCats in Texas. And the Morriston RFC product has found a new lease of life in the States, where he believes rugby will develop into a major sport.