The Guinness Pro14 returns next weekend – a league tournament that has many things going for it compared to others. It has more tries per game than rivals in England and France, higher ball in play times, and more opportunities for young players. The ability to see big name stars? Err, not so good on that one as Peter Jackson outlines. The Pro14 can boast a dual headline act beyond compare, a pair of players born 35 years ago on opposite sides of the Irish Sea. Alun-Wyn Jones and Johnny Sexton belong to the elite, specialists in the art of winning Grand Slams and not losing a Lions’ Test series in New Zealand.

By Alex Bywater Former Ospreys wing Lesley Klim’s remarkable rugby journey saw him battle a childhood of family tragedy and the temptations of drugs and alcohol to make it as a professional. The Namibian international wing represented his country at last year’s World Cup and went head-to-head with eventual winners South Africa and New Zealand […]

Alun Wyn Jones may be poised to become the most capped rugby player in history – but his first plan is to impress his new boss. The Wales captain is scheduled to pass Richie McCaw’s mark of 148 international caps this autumn, but his more immediate aim is to show new Ospreys coach Toby Booth the true meaning of staying power. Jones has been involved in his 18th senior pre-season routine with the Ospreys in recent days, but his first since Booth became head coach and the former London Irish chief says: “He’s at the start of his career for me.

New Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has been backed to take them to the top of Welsh rugby again and competing for the Pro 14 title. The commendation has come from the region’s former Wales prop Paul James, who believes Booth is the man to bring the good times back to the Liberty Stadium. The Ospreys currently lay bottom of Conference A of the Guinness Pro 14 and their two remaining matches, when the re-start happens later this month, will not lead to them being involved in the shake-up for the play-offs.

Mike Ruddock has signed a permanent contract with the Ospreys, which will see him remain at the region for at least the next three years. Ruddock, who also won a Grand Slam when he was in charge of Wales, came on board with the Ospreys as performance director on a short-term deal last December, at a time when the region were struggling badly. Now, he has switched to a longer term position as development director at the Ospreys, who have appointed Toby Booth as head coach and Brock James as their new attack coach.

Aled Brew’s time at Bath may have run out, but the former Wales wing insists he’s not ready to hang up his boots just yet. Brew may be 34 next month, but he tells Peter Jackson he wants two more years – wherever that might take him. It was never meant to be Aled Brew’s last match for Bath, a cruelly brief appearance fully four months before the season’s scheduled close. Leicester at home in late January brought the Welshman’s road at the Rec to a sudden dead-end. When injury put him out of action within the opening quarter, nobody watching his early exit imagined they wouldn’t be seeing him again.

Welsh rugby’s regional players will return from furlough next week as they prepare to re-start their Guinness Pro 14 season. Players from Cardiff Blues, Ospreys, Scarlets and the Dragons will return to organised training for the first time, although in small groups, with strict social distancing and following a Covid-19 testing regime. The routines will be basic, with no close contact, with the hope the sessions can be normalised as the squads head towards the planned resumption of matches on August 22.

Wales’ leading rugby players are facing more massive pay cuts with plans for funding from the Welsh Rugby Union to the regions to be slashed by £23m. Stars of the Ospreys, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues and Dragons have already seen their wages reduced by 25 per cent for the past three months. Now, they are facing more cuts – some will see reductions of £100,000-a-year – as well as redundancies following a devastating update from the WRU on how the current sporting shutdown is going to affect its income in the year ahead.

Aled Davies can take his rugby to new heights according to his new boss at Saracens, Mark McCall. The Wales scrum-half has left the Ospreys to join the London club, even though they have just been relegated from the Gallagher Premiership. The move will mean a halt to Davies’s Wales career as he was won 20 caps – 40 less than the 60 required to be eligible for national selection if a player is based outside of the four Welsh regions.

Dan Biggar has been branded “world class” by his club coach Chris Boyd. The Northampton Saints director of rugby, who guided Beauden Barrett’s Hurricanes to the Super Rugby title in 2016, reckons the Wales No. 10 is “as good as anyone I’ve ever coached.” Boyd has highlighted the exemplary attitude of the 30-year-old Biggar, who will be looking to add to his 83 Welsh caps when rugby returns from lockdown.

New Ospreys co-owner James Davies-Yandle insists he plumped for buying the Welsh region after examining all the top teams in Europe. Y11 Sports and Media chief executive Davies-Yandle, along with his business partner, financier Donald Tang, have both joined the board of Ospreys Rugby as directors after purchasing a 75.1% stake last week. Davies-Yandle has a family background in the Swansea areas but insists his multi-million pound investment is about making more money – by growing the region within a sport that still has potential – rather than sentiment.

A year ago many thought Welsh regional rugby side the Ospreys were dead and buried as talks of a merger with the Scarlets dominated the headlines. Now, the most successful of the four Welsh professional teams over the past 17 years can contemplate a more positive future following what they describe as a “multi-year, multi-million-pound […]