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.

Cardiff finished their United Rugby Championship of 2024 on a high while the Dragons finished theirs on a familiar case of white might have been if only chances had been taken. Cardiff collected five points from the fixture at a packed Rodney Parade to move into third place on the league table as the Dragons remain rooted firmly to the bottom.

When you have won 19 successive derby matches against your nearest neighbours, then you might be forgiven for a little complacency. But Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt is not one for resting on his laurels, even if his team will be overwhelming favourites to record a 20th successive win over the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Boxing Day.

Jac Morgan believes the turbulence caused by a change of coach has revealed a strength of character within the Ospreys squad. Morgan produced a real captain’s display as the Ospreys ended a difficult week with a dramatic late win over their arch rivals, the Scarlets.

Wales skipper Dewi Lake looks set to miss a third successive Six Nations campaign after it was confirmed he will undergo surgery for a bicep injury. The 25-year-old hooker missed the Ospreys’ 23-22 win over Scarlets at the weekend after taking a knock in training earlier in the week.

The Mark Jones era at the Ospreys got off to a flying start as an overtime try from Iestyn Hopkins earned his side a dramatic 23-22 West Wales derby win over Scarlets at the Swansea. Com Stadium. The replacement full back slid over the line as the home side made the most of the space created by the sin binning of Scarlets wing Ioan Nicholas to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

New Ospreys head coach Mark Jones insists his team have one last debt to repay to Toby Booth this weekend – a derby day victory over the Scarlets. The Ospreys began the week with Booth in charge, but will end it with Jones at the helm after the region opted to change ho

Steve Diamond is not everyone’s cup of tea, but the English rugby coach often stirs interest along with his two sugars. Diamond is a gruff northerner, who is about as removed from Twickenham – both socially and geographically – as you can get, now that he is employed by Newcastle Falcons rather than Sale Sharks.

Warren Gatland has been told he had better start winning again during the Six Nations, otherwise his time will be up as Wales coach. Gatland’s position has been under intense scrutiny after a dire autumn consisting of defeats to Fiji, Australia and South Africa extended Wales’ losing run to a record 12 matches.

Wales playmaker and centre Ben Thomas has confirmed his future is at Cardiff by signing a new contract, reaffirming his commitment to the club where he has grown into a pivotal figure. The 26-year-old, whose versatility allows him to operate at full-back and fly-half, burst onto the scene in 2019 and has since accrued 87 first-team appearances.

Teddy Williams is having a season to remember and is thoroughly enjoying himself in the process. The Cardiff second row has been one of the stand-out performers during the opening seven rounds of the BKT United Rugby Championship, as his impressive stats confirm.

Mark Jones has been handed a daunting first task as the new head coach at the Ospreys – a derby clash against fierce rivals, the Scarlets. Previous head coach Toby Booth officially stepped down from his role with immediate effect on Tuesday, with defence coach Jones taking over the reins earlier than planned.

Ebbw Vale have avenged their only defeat of the campaign so far in Super Rygbi Cymru as they came from behind to beat Cardiff 32-20 at Eugene Cross Park and replace them at the top of the table. The 29-12 reverse they suffered at the Arms Park in round two back in September provided added motivation for The Steelmen, who had reeled off six consecutive wins since that setback.

Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod scored two of his side’s five tries as they gained ample revenge for their European defeat to the Georgian side Black Lion as they won 36-18 t Parc Y Scarlets to move to six points in EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 3. Gareth Davies, Johnny Williams and replacement scrum half Archie Hughes were the other try . Sam Costelow kicked 11 points to complete the job.