Aaron Wainwright is the rugby coach who has no interest in being “a rugby coach.” That is to say, the Wales back rower and newly crowned Welsh Rugby Writers’ Player of the Year for 2024, is not coaching with a view to a fresh career when his playing days are over.

Wales can climb one place in the world rankings if they beat Italy on Friday night, but this will be a battle of two first round strugglers at the WXV2 tournament in South Africa. Ioan Cunningham’s team can move from 10th to ninth – and swap places with their opponents – if they can win in Cape Town.

How best to utilise the undoubted talents of Mason Grady is one of the big debates in Welsh rugby. At 6ft 5ins and 17st 9lbs, with bags of pace and power, the 22-year-old Cardiff star has all the raw ingredients.

Gloucester winger Christian Wade feels “exceptional” Louis Rees-Zammit needs to keep improving his American football fluency if the former Wales rugby union player wants to succeed in the NFL. Wade left rugby in 2018 to pursue an NFL career, making his debut with Buffalo Bills the following year and even scoring a touchdown in that pre-season game, but spent the rest of his tenure on the practice squad.

Coach Ioan Cunningham has admitted he can offer no excuses for his team’s humbling defeat to Australia which has put Wales on the back foot after just one game of the WXV2 tournament in South Africa. Having been thrashed 37-5 by a team they had beaten eight days earlier, Wales must bid to avoid a second defeat when they face Italy on Friday.

Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt insists he won’t be getting carried away by his team having opened their United Rugby Championship campaign with back-to-back bonus point victories. They followed up the round one maximum against Zebre by coming from behind to claim another as they won 24-15 away to the Scarlets in Saturday’s Welsh derby. It has put them level on 10 points with Leinster at the top of the table and set them up nicely for Friday’s big Arms Park clash with champions Glasgow.

Can lightning strike twice in eight days? Having beaten Australia for the first time at Rodney Parade last weekend, Keira Bevan will lead the Welsh side into battle with the Wallaroos once again in the opening round of the WXV2 in Cape Town.

Dragons coach Dai Flanagan admitted his team were brought back down to earth after their last gasp home win over the Ospreys was followed by a heavy defeat to Leinster in Dublin. Flanagan watched his side go down to a 34-6 loss against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies will be aiming to celebrate a major career landmark in winning style when the Scarlets host Cardiff in the first Welsh derby of the season on Saturday. Davies will become just the third player – after front row duo Ken Owens and Phil John – to make 250 appearances for the Scarlets since the start of the regional era.

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney has insisted there is still more to come for women’s rugby in Wales after the union issued new full-time professional contracts to 37 players. The move – which comes as Ioan Cunningham’s squad prepares to face Australia in the WXV2 tournament in South Africa this weekend – includes many extended two-year deals for the first time.

For Rio Dyer, his moment of rugby renewal this summer came from watching a Frenchman connect with his nation. Dyer – who had an extremely busy 2023-24 season for Wales and his Dragons region – could have been forgiven for switching off completely from the sport after a 12-month stretch that went from last year’s World Cup build-up to this summer’s tour to Australia.

Tom Shanklin is backing the Scarlets to edge out Cardiff in Saturday’s big Welsh derby clash. Both teams made positive starts to the BKT URC season, with Cardiff recording a bonus point win over Zebre Parma and the Scarlets coming tantalisingly close to a landmark victory away to Benetton Rugby before ultimately drawing 20-20.

After some 12 years as a professional rugby player, Dan Thomas is finally about to experience his first Welsh regional derby. It will be all the more special for the new Cardiff flanker as it will take him down west towards his family roots and back to the club where it all began for him.

Ollie Griffiths, the 29-year-old Wales and Dragons flanker, is set for another period on the sidelines after his region revealed he is undergoing medical treatment for a tumour on his spine. The Dragons have said his condition “requires intervention” and he will be “unavailable for selection for the foreseeable future as he undergoes medical treatment”.

Wales rugby league coach John Kear believes his youthful squad can spark excitement for their forthcoming autumn internationals. Kear has named a 26-man squad that includes 12 uncapped players for the matches against Jamaica and Serbia.

Flanker Alex Callender has been named as the Welsh Rugby Writers’ Association Wales Women’s Player of the Year. Callender, who has been capped 38-times by Wales, was on the shortlist with Wales captain Hannah Jones and GB Seven Olympian Jasmine Joyce.

Dragons coach Dai Flanagan said he was “super proud” of the character his players showed to secure a final play 23-21 URC victory over the Ospreys at Rodney Parade. The game seemed done and dusted when the visitors led 21-13 three minutes from time with their opponents down to 14 men following a yellow card for hooker James Benjamin.

Alex Callender picked up her award as the Welsh Rugby Writers’ Association’s player of the year ahead of Wales’ departure for WXV2 last night to give Ioan Cunningham’s squad another boost ahead of their latest tournament. Callender missed out on Friday’s historic first win over Australia at Rodney Parade as head coach Cunningham continued in his bold bid to grow the strength of his playing pool.  In Callender’s absence it was another back rower, Kate Williams, who stole the show.

Toby Booth insists it will be business as usual for him as he embarks on his fifth and final season as head coach at the Ospreys on Saturday. The Englishman will be leaving at the end of the campaign with Mark Jones stepping up from defence coach, a role which will in turn be filled by club legend Justin Tipuric.

Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt was upbeat but unsatisfied after seeing his team start their season with a win that became less convincing the nearer they got to the final whistle. The Blue and Blacks kicked-off their season with a bonus-point win over Zebre – their first at the Arms Park this year.