The four Welsh regions should all be given equal slices of the cake, argues Robin Davey – regardless of history, success on the field, or anything else that has gone before. The only exception to this, he says, is when it comes to keeping the Wales captain, Alun Wyn Jones, in Wales. Money is at the root of all the murky goings on as the countdown to the new rugby season gets under way. It’s about cold, hard, coin  . . . whether it involves funding the salary of Alun Wyn Jones to try to keep him in Wales or the thorny issue of regional payments.

The Ospreys will have to plunge straight into a pool of death next season as they re-enter the Heineken Champions Cup. The Swansea region – who are back in the top tier tournament – have been drawn in pool that appears about as tough as it can get as they must play holders Saracens, last season’s semi-finals Munster, and top French club Racing 92. Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke said: “Everyone knows we are up against some serious contenders there.

What price the Ospreys or Dragons reaching the play-offs of the Guinness Pro 14 next season after a shake up in the formatting of the two conferences? The Ospreys may have been the best of a bad bunch of Welsh regional performers in the Pro 14 last season, but their reward has been to find themselves in the same conference as the two finalists from 2019, Leinster and Glasgow, and semi-finalists Ulster. The ranking is based on the two conferences being put together and ranked in terms of points. It means that Leinster, despite the fact that they are Pro 14 champions, are ranked as the second Irish team behind Munster who edged them out by a point last year.

The Guinness Pro 14 has been re-shuffled with the two conferences re-drawn – theoretically to keep them evenly-balanced. Robin Davey believes it makes life tough for the Ospreys and Dragons next season, but that all the Welsh regions will need to hope their youngsters come of age. The World Cup will obviously dominate the start of the next rugby season, but all the top leagues will carry on regardless – meaning for the Welsh regions it will be very much a test of their strength in depth. And that is where they have often come up short as they compete against the Irish provinces with bigger budgets and the Scots who have just two regions to fund compared with Wales’ four.

Dewi Lake has insisted the Wales U20 victory over New Zealand will count for nothing if they don’t go on to beat England. Skipper Lake joined a small and elite band of Welsh captains who have led a national side to victory over New Zealand as his youngsters won a dramatic contest, 8-7 at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Argentina. The victory in Rosario takes Wales into a fifth-placed play-off where they will meet England on Saturday.

Sam Davies has revealed he might have become Welsh rugby’s forgotten man had he turned his back on regional rugby. The fly-half has moved from the Liberty Stadium and the Ospreys to join the Dragons, with the intention of jogging the memory of those who have forgotten he is already a full international. Davies, now 25, won the last of his eight caps two summers ago and admits his move to Rodney Parade is all down to rekindling interest in his talent by the new Wales coaching team.

New Dragons chief Dean Ryan insists Sam Davies will bring the X-Factor to the region next season. The Wales international fly-half has signed a two-year contract to join the Dragons from the Ospreys in a statement signing for the Gwent region. Davies – who has won eight caps for his country and is a former world junior player of the year – had been mulling over a switch to Rodney Parade for some time.

Dan Biggar aims to thrive again under the big match spotlight on Saturday – the type of opportunity he admits were starting to pass him by at the Ospreys. The Wales fly-half may have played a significant part in securing the Six Nations Grand Slam this season, but his club’s achievements at Northampton are something of a throwback. Not just for the Saints – who have not on any serious silverware for five years – but also for Biggar himself, who left Welsh regional rugby long after the heady days of Ospreys’ finals and big occasions had passed.

Justin Tipuric believes the Ospreys’ successful battle to make European rugby’s elite underlines the character in their squad. The Wales flanker was part of the O’s side that beat rivals the Scarlets on Saturday night to clinch their place in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. The 21-10 Guinness Pro 14 play-off victory at the Liberty Stadium proved that after a period where their dominance had been usurped by the Scarlets – and briefly threatened by the Cardiff Blues – the Swansea region are once again top of the pile in Wales.

The Ospreys proved they have reasserted themselves as the best team in Wales as they deservedly beat the Scarlets 21-10 to take their place in the Heineken Champions Cup next season. George North, Olly Cracknell and Hanno Dirksen scored their tries as the Scarlets were comfortably overcome in the Guinness Pro 14 play-off decider at […]

Leigh Halfpenny has urged his Scarlets to finally deliver a complete performance tonight when they battle with the Ospreys for a place in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. The Wales full-back has had a frustrating season on an individual level with injuries and concussion problems, but he also admits his team have failed to match their previous high standards. They can make some kind of amends this evening at the Liberty Stadium, though, by beating their biggest rivals in the play-off battle for the last Guinness Pro 14 spot in Europe’s top tier next season.

Harrison Walsh saw his hopes of representing Wales at the sport he loved most wrecked by a freak injury playing the game that had given him so much joy. But, rather than being bitter, Mumbles-born Harrison switched his focus and is now targeting pulling on the famous red vest at the Commonwealth Games and a British one […]