Leigh Halfpenny has been described as the best defensive full-back in the world by Warren Gatland after the Wales star announced his retirement from Test rugby. Gatland – who took Halfpenny to the World Cup 15 years after first capping him as a teenager – paid a glowing tribute to the 34-year-old who has said he will leave the international game after Wales’ match against the Barbarians on November 4 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Wales head coach Gatland said: “Leigh has had a fantastic career for Wales, firstly on the wing and then at 15 where he has been brilliant – probably the best defensive full-back in the world and a tremendous goal kicker.

Nigel Walker has insisted the planned global rugby calendar and new tournaments are the result of consultation between players and officials. World Rugby has approved plans to set up a new international league competition for Wales players and those of other nations as part of a radical shake-up of the global calendar.

If the four Welsh regions need reminding of the need to get their Wales World Cup players back in action as soon as possible, it was provided by Glasgow Warriors at the weekend. Glasgow coach Franco Smith spoke of his pride in the Scotland World Cup stars who helped secure a 43-25 victory over Leinster on the opening weekend of the URC season.

Keiron Assiratti will never forget April Fools’ Day in 2023 – it was the day his career suddenly took off. Up until then both he and his fellow prop Corey Domachowski had doubts hanging over their ability, their playing futures and their livelihoods.

Dwayne Peel admitted the Scarlets got what they deserved from their United Rugby Championship opener in South Africa – precisely nothing. The Scarlets coach watched his team get trampled over by the Bulls as they lost 63-21 in South Africa to complete a conspicuous weekend whitewash of four defeats for the Welsh regions.

Toby Booth has admitted his Ospreys team were “a rabbit in the headlights” at Connacht where they lost their United Rugby Championship opener. Booth conceded the visitors gave themselves far too much to do to recover, even though they ran in three second half tries to at least secure a bonus-point against last season’s URC semi-finalists in Galway before losing 34-26. The Ospreys produced a stirring second-half fightback came after they trailed 27-5 at the break, but it still wasn’t enough to stop the home side’s new head coach, Pete Wilkins, marking his competitive debut with a win.

Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt admitted his team got what they deserved after they lost at home to Benetton in their United Rugby Championship opener. The Italians won 23-22 at the Arms Park after they snatched victory following a straight red card given to Cardiff prop Ciaran Parker for a reckless high tackle. The visitors had trailed 19-3 after 32 minutes but went up a gear in the second half to snatch the spoils in the final minute of the match.

With Wales having been mauled by the Pumas at the World Cup, it’s been a week for licking wounds in Welsh rugby. This weekend, though, seven days on after losing to Argentina in the quarter-finals, there is a chance for the domestic game to shows its claws have sharpened when the United Rugby Championship season begins.

The United Rugby Championship (URC) returns this weekend with the four Welsh regions all looking to bed in new recruits and plenty of internal promotions. There will be some familiar faces, but plenty of unknowns, too. To help you on your way, here’s our guide to who’s who and where did what’shisname go?

Shane Williams believes the Scarlets will be the strongest performing Welsh team in the BKT United Rugby Championship this season. The former Wales wing also feels there will be an opportunity for a number of talented youngsters to break through across the four regions.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has named a squad of 23 to take on former captain Alun Wyn Jones and the Barbarians in Cardiff on Nov. 4, with 16 retained players from their Rugby World Cup campaign in France. Gatland, though, will be without a significant number of his leading players through injury and the inability to call on those contracted to clubs in England, France and Japan as the fixture falls outside of the international window.

Hannah Jones will captain Wales and win her 50th cap against Canada in the inaugural WXV1 clash at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on Saturday. Jones was called into the Wales senior squad at the age of 15 and made her full Test debut at 16 in the 39-3 win against Scotland back in 2015.

Warren Gatland is to remain as Wales head coach and lead them to the 2027 World Cup – his fifth in charge. Gatland placed his future in the hands of the Welsh Rugby Union following his side’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina on Saturday.

Six Wales internationals have been left without a club after Worcester Warriors Women withdrew from this season’s league and cup competitions with immediate effect. Worcester’s men’s team entered administration in September 2022 but the women’s team secured backing that allowed them to carry on playing.

The Wales squad have arrived home from France and it turns out there are different ways of reacting to losing a Rugby World Cup quarter-final. You did not need to know the results, or have watched the games, the faces of Wales, Ireland and France players gave it away.

March 27th, 2010. It was a clear, bright South Wales afternoon and the most galactic of ‘Galacticos’ Ospreys sides had arrived in Newport to take on the Dragons. The starting XV reads like a fantasy draft: a Jerry Collins-Marty Holah-Ryan Jones back-row; Jonathan Thomas and Ian Evans in the second-row boiler room; a Welsh international front-row of Paul James, Huw Bennett and Adam Jones; and behind the scrum, the likes of Mike Phillips, Tommy Bowe, James Hook and Lee Byrne.

Emotional former Newport forward Simon Raiwalui was proud that his Fiji players were still fighting to the very end of their World Cup campaign and thought they had laid the foundation for a bright future for the island nation in the 15-man game. The Fijians went down 30-24 to England in their quarter-final at the Velodrome on Sunday, coming up short in their pursuit of a try that would have given them a stunning last-gasp upset.

Dan Biggar feels that the future is bright for Wales after his Test career drew to a close despite the agonising Rugby World Cup exit. The Wales fly-half bowed out at Stade Velodrome as hopes of reaching a third World Cup semi-final in the last four tournaments were ended by Argentina.

Wales wing Josh Adams believes that World Cup co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake will be “massive figureheads” during the build-up to Australia 2027. The dust has yet to on Wales’ World Cup campaign in France, which was ended by quarter-final opponents Argentina.

Warren Gatland had opened the debate over his future as Wales coach by claiming: “If the union want to get rid of me, then they’re completely entitled to do that. That’s up to them.” Gatland is raking over the ashes of Wales’ 29-17 defeat to Argentina in their Marseille World Cup quarter-final. His deal with the Welsh Rugby Union contains a break clause to allow for a review after this tournament, but if he is given the green light to continue his contract would run on until the next tournament in 2027.