Dwayne Peel declared himself satisfied as his Scarlets team secured a third successive win in the United Rugby Championship by beating Zebre Parma 30-8 in Llanelli. Tries from Tom Rogers, Macs Page, Blair Murray and captain Josh Macleod helped Scarlets recover from Ben Cambriani’s early score for the Italians to earn the bonus point.

For much of the past 30-odd years in Welsh rugby, you could rely on Welsh No.10s to do one thing well – kick their goals. They may not have all been the most devastating broken-field runners, or soft-handed distributors.

Having just reached a major career milestone, Rhodri Williams is now on course to make Welsh rugby history. The Dragons scrum-half made his 150th league appearance in last Saturday’s BKT United Rugby Championship clash with Benetton at Rodney Parade.

Former Wales centre Ashley Beck and ex-Cardiff hooker Marc Breeze have been hired by the Welsh Rugby Union as pathway coaches. The pair will work with age group teams in both the men’s and women’s game, in roles part-funded by the British and Irish Lions.

Warren Gatland is preparing for another “tough, physical encounter” against the Fijians when his Wales side open their three-match Autumn Nations Series at the Principality Stadium on Sunday 10 November. Fiji will arrive in Cardiff 60 years on from their first visit and seeking their first win on Welsh soil.

Joe Schmidt has bolstered his 34-srong Grand Slam chasing Wallabies squad for their clash against Wales in the Autumn Nations Series by recalling 2023 World Cup players Samu Kerevi and Will Skelton. Skelton, who captained the Aussies against Georgia at the World Cup, and Kerevi have not featured in this year’s internationals to date, but are among five fresh faces brought into the tour party by Schmidt.

Warren Gatland has insisted he has no desire to “protect my own backside” while seeking to end Wales’s losing streak in international rugby. Wales head into next month’s Tests at home to Fiji, Australia and world champions South Africa on a run of nine straight defeats, with the team’s most recent Test victory coming against Georgia during last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

Warren Gatland has turned to a couple of new faces from outside of Wales in a bid to turn the tide in results this autumn. Gloucester second-row Freddie Thomas and Scarlets wing Blair Murray are the uncapped pair drafted in by Gatland for the November Tests. Thomas was born in the West Country whilst Murray is a New Zealander, but both qualify for Wales through their grandparents and in Murray’s case, his mother as well.

Steff Hughes branded his final home game as “bittersweet” as the Dragons missed out on another win at Rodney Parade. The 30-year-old centre paid tribute to the club as his final appearance in Gwent ended with a frustrating 21-31 loss to Benetton Rugby.

Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod insists there is more to come from his team following their dramatic victory over the Bulls. The west Wales region came from 19-7 down to consign the visitors from Pretoria to their first league defeat of the season, with wingers Blair Murray and Tom Rogers crossing for superb solo tries.

Callum Sheedy will captain Cardiff for the first time when he leads the team out at the Hive Stadium against Edinburgh on Saturday. “It’s a very proud moment for myself and my family,” said the fly-half, who came on board from Bristol over the summer.

Exeter Chiefs have been such a reliable conveyor belt for Welsh talent in recent years, it hardly seemed necessary to check it was still powered up. But this season, someone appears to have unplugged things down at Sandy Park.

Gareth Davies has been backed to continue delivering the goods for the Scarlets – despite his surprise retirement from international rugby. The Wales scrum-half decided to end his Test career on Thursday, just four days before Warren Gatland is due to name his squad for the autumn series.

There are big decisions to be made in Welsh rugby right now – such as who does Warren Gatland pick in his squad next week and should the Wales coach be able to stick his nose into other people’s business. Gatland is due to name his group of players for the autumn internationals on Monday, as he attempts to turn the tide in matches against Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

Wales coach John Kear declared himself pleased with his team’s victory over Jamaica as they warmed up with a 22-16 win ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifiers. Kear’s men mounted an impressive comeback to secure victory in their first Test match in two years, at a rain-lashed Gnoll in Neath.

Having now completed a hat-trick of leagues, Henry Thomas is ideally placed to compare the contrasting competitions. He spent 11 seasons in the English Premiership with Sale and Bath, before embarking on a three-year stint in the French Top 14 with Montpellier and Castres.

Jonathan Davies has admitted he is going to miss rugby hugely after bringing down the curtain on his 18-year senior career. The former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Scarlets centre Jonathan announced his retirement from professional rugby on Sunday.

Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod has paid tribute to his team of “warriors” and to the support from the travelling fans after a nerve-jangling 25-19 victory over Cardiff at a sold-out Arms Park. Flanker Macleod had to watch on from the sin bin as the visitors were left with just 13 men for eight minutes in the closing stages of the United Rugby Championship derby after both he and wing Tom Rogers were yellow carded in quick succession.

Dwayne Peel is a man under pressure, but he has got used to that. The Scarlets coach takes his team to Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, still seeking a first win of the season after three rounds of the United Rugby Championship.

Wales recorded a first victory in South Africa with an all-action performance against Japan in Round 3 of WXV2 at the Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town. Wing Nel Metcalfe, scrum half Keira Bevan and full back Jasmine Joyce, who was Player of the Match, all crossed for tries for Wales.