There was something missing when Warren Gatland this week named his Wales squad for the upcoming Six Nations. Not the missing players, such as Gareth Anscombe, Rio Dyer, Cam Winnett and Max Llewellyn who many, clearly, expected to be included. Or even those absent through injury, such as Dewi Lake, Adam Beard, Ryan Elias, Sam Costelow and Mason Grady.

Gareth Anscombe has been left out of Wales’ Six Nations squad because Warren Gatland has doubts over his kicking. The Wales coach recalled Anscombe for the autumn series after the Gloucester outside-half battled back to fitness. After suggesting the 33-year-old had been overlooked for the current squad die to his age, and uncertainty over whether he would still be around for the next World Cup, Gatland then went further in explaining Anscombe’s absence.

Ospreys outside-half Dan Edwards and Scarlets wing Ellis Mee are the two uncapped players to have been named in coach Warren Gatland’s Wales squad for the Six Nations. Gatland has also included hooker Sam Parry – who walked out of a national camp last year after feeling disrespected by the Wales coach – along with a number of players who have recovered from recent injuries.

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones paid tribute to his team as they continued their revival under his guidance. The Swansea region impressed as two tries from Jack Walsh helped them become the third team in Pool 2 to clinch a ticket into the EPCR Challenge Cup knockout stages for the second season in a row, as they beat Newcastle Falcons 35-15 at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Teddy Williams is hoping to round off a great week by picking up his first win on French soil when he leads Cardiff into their third-round clash in the EPCR Challenge Cup against Perpignan. The 24-year-old Welsh international second row confirmed on Thursday that he had signed an extension to his contract with the Arms Park club and was immediately made captain for the trip to France.

The Welsh Academies U23 XV promised to give the Wales U20 side a run for their money in the first of two clashes ahead of the U20 Six Nations and they did exactly that at the Arms Park. In front of a very healthy crowd, Richard Whiffin’s U20 team were forced to tough it out against their older and heavier counterparts in what should prove to be a very useful warm-up to the opening championship game against France in Vannes on Saturday 1 February.

Taulupe Faletau will reclaim his Wales No.8 spot for the Six Nations, claims Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt who insists: “If you’re good enough, you’re young enough.” After a frustrating 15 months sidelined by injuries, Faletau is slowly re-establishing himself as a familiar force on the field.

Dwayne Peel has warned his Scarlets youngsters they are in for a Shed-load of abuse on Friday night – and he couldn’t be happier. The Scarlets coach sends his team across the border to face Gloucester, knowing that a victory over the in-form English club will put them in sight of a place in the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup and the last 16.

Dwayne Peel has refused to confirm the departure from the Scarlets of Wales fly-half Ioan Lloyd, who is poised to join Cardiff for the 2025-26 season. Lloyd, who has slipped down the national team reckoning for the No.10 shirt, will leave the Scarlets after two seasons in Llanelli.

Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia has insisted “no stone was left unturned” to try and prolong the career of Leon Brown. The Wales tight-head prop has announced his retirement from rugby at the age of 28, citing a persistent neck injury that has plagued him in recent seasons.

Richard Whiffin’s Wales U20 side will continue their build up to the U20 Six Nations Championship with two games against a Regional Academies XV over the next two weeks. Having used more than 50 players in two developmental fixtures against Scotland – they won the first at home 31-7 and went down 45-43 in Edinburgh – the Welsh youngsters will face two physical tests against an Under 23 team selected from the senior academies at the four regions.

Regan Grace has revealed he was inspired by Cardiff’s dual code legends of the past when he opted to move from Bath to the Arms Park. The former rugby league wing – who has switched on loan for the rest of the season from Bath – is aiming to kickstart his career after a frustrating period out injured.

For once, Jazz Joyce-Butchers had to stand aside and take second billing when Ilona Maher made her Bristol Bears debut at the weekend. Wales star Joyce-Butchers is used to seizing the limelight for club and country but she was forced to stand in the shadows when U.S. Olympic bronze medallist Maher made her debut in the Premiership Women’s Rugby clash at home to Gloucester-Hartpury on Sunday.

Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams was labelled a “cheeky chappy” as well as a matchwinner after his brilliant display for Gloucester. Less than two weeks before Wales coach Warren Gatland names his squad for the Six Nations, Williams gave a masterclass for his English club, spearheading Gloucester’s 36-20 triumph over Sale Sharks in the Gallagher Premiership.

Newport head back to the ground where they were beaten in last season’s Indigo Premiership final, hoping not to suffer a similar fate in the Super Rygbi Cymru. Llandovery ended up as Cup and Premiership winners last season and have added a shiny new all-weather playing surface to their Church Bank home since the Black & Ambers last visited.

If Warren Gatland needs any pointers on how to clear out the old and bring in the new – and maybe even win a few games – then he could do worse than have a chat with Jason Strange. The Ebbw Vale head coach started last season with 18 new players and developed a strategy aimed at taking The Steelmen to the top of the semi-pro game.

Wales wing Blair Murray gave Warren Gatland a pre-Six Nations nudge as he scored twice for the Scarlets in a 32-15 Welsh derby win over the Dragons at Parc Y Scarlets. With two more tries from skipper Josh Macleod and fellow wing Ellis Mee it meant the Scarlets welcomed in the new year with a bonus-point to move up to sixth place in the BKT United Rugby Championship.

Mark Jones paid tribute to the Ospreys’ fighting spirit as they put Cardiff’s recent revival into sharper perspective with a deserved 13-13 draw at the Arms Park. The new Ospreys coach watched his team come from behind to level the scores and eventually leave feeling they should have won, despite playing most of the match with only 14 men.

They’re dusting off the ‘sold out’ signs for the Arms Park ahead of the New Year’s Day clash between Cardiff Rugby and the Ospreys. Both teams will come into the game on the back of regional derby triumphs over Christmas and the visitors will no doubt have a whiff of revenge in mind after losing out to Cardiff at Judgement Day in the Welsh capital at the end of last season.

Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod is a man making up for lost time in a big way. The luckless flanker has been plagued by injuries over the past few years, including a ruptured Achilles, knee ligament damage, shoulder surgery and hamstring issues. That’s severely limited his regional appearances – just three last season – and restricted him to only the two Wales caps.