Ystrad Rhondda gave their outgoing head coach Dylan Jones the perfect send off by lifting the Worthington’s Mid District Cup in his final game in charge. Tries in each half in a man-of-the-match display from former Pontypridd wing Alex Webber on his return to Sardis Road, bookended a first half effort from blindside flanker Rhys Dauncey and one after the break from openside Jarrad Llewellyn, as they beat Brecon 3013 in the district showpiece. It was a fitting finale for former fly-half Jones, as he brings the curtain down on 21 years at Ystrad Rhondda – and the past 13 of those also spent coaching at the Gelligaled Park club.

There was standing room only around much of the grand old setting of St. Helen’s as Alun Wyn Jones sipped what most consider are the last drops of his summer wine. The 37-year-old is certainly in the deep winter of a career that has spanned 20 years, but there was only the joy of a bright sunny evening in Swansea as the Whites brought down the curtain on their 150th anniversary celebrations.

Rhys Webb has admitted stability and security for his family meant more to him than playing for Wales at a World Cup. Webb became the latest Wales player to announce his retirement from Test rugby before the tournament.

Alun Wyn Jones is going to play for both teams when the Barbarians return to St Helen’s on Wednesday night (kick-off 6.30pm) to help round off his former club Swansea’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Former Ospreys coach Steve Tandy has signed up with Scotland for a further three years. Assistant coach Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have all followed the lead of head coach Gregor Townsend in extending their contracts until April 2026.

Nick Tompkins’ Saracens teammate Owen Farrell insists there is plenty more to come from the club after they guidied them to Gallagher Premiership glory with a 35-25 success over Sale at Twickenham. Tompkins’ victory meant the Wales centre made amends for last season’s last-gasp final defeat by Leicester to deliver his club’s first silverware since they were relegated for salary-cap breaches in 2020.

Nick Tompkins can make sure he’s in good nick going into the Rugby World Cup by becoming a winner in the English Premiership final this weekend. The Wales centre lines up for Saracens who will be firm favourites to beat Sale Sharks at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon.

Alun Wyn Jones will captain the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday in the game against a World XV. It will be the 37-year-old Ospreys lock’s 15th international outing at the home of English rugby in a game that will see him make his debut for the Baa-Baas.

Former Wales coach Steve Hansen has criticised the policy of issuing more red cards to try and improve safety and claims it has backfired. Hansen – who is in London preparing to coach a World XV to take on the Barbarians on Sunday – believes the approach to head injuries adopted by World Rugby is misguided as a weapon to stamp out dangerous play in the game and has brought a “dourness” to the sport.

Worthington’s Malcolm Thomas Cup Final Penarth 34-12 Llanharan Penarth wrapped up a successful season with silverware as they defeated rivals Llanharan at Glamorgan Wanderers to lift the Worthington’s Malcolm Thomas East District Cup.

The celebrations in Llandovery spilled over from their momentous Indigo Premiership play-off final win over Cardiff on Sunday night into Monday and could well gone on deep into this week as the whole of the mid Wales rugby community comes to terms with the 24-8 triumph at the Arms Park. The party is likely to stay around town, although you wouldn’t be surprised if the players are snapped in Las Vegas!

Llandovery scrum-half Lee Rees described his team as “relentless” after their dominant 24-8 win over favourites Cardiff in the Indigo Premiership final. It is the first time in their history that the Drovers have been champions at this level, but they thoroughly derserved their 24-8 triumph against a Cardiff side who had finished ahead of them in the regular season.

Jack Maynard is desperate for Llandovery to beat Cardiff in Sunday’s Indigo Premiership Final – and reckons the party could be legendary. The Drovers will go to the Arms Park as narrow underdogs, but the top two teams in the league made it through the play-offs and although Cardiff finished the regular season six points clear of their rivals, Llandovery have edged the head-to-heads.

Warren Gatland has hailed Alun Wyn Jones as “an incredibly special player” following the decision of his former captain to retire from international rugby. Jones and Justin Tipuric both chose Friday afternoon to announce the end of their time as Wales players just four months before the Rugby World Cup campaign begins.

Alun Wyn Jones, the world’s most capped rugby union player, has announced his retirement from the international game – along with his Ospreys teammate, Justin Tipuric. The 37-year-old lock Jones played 158 times for Wales and made 12 British and Irish Lions Test appearances. Wales flanker Tipuric, who won 93 caps, had earlier announced he would be stepping down from Test rugby.

With the Scarlets dumped out at the semi-final stage by Glasgow Warriors, the only skin in the game for Welsh rugby at Friday night’s European Challenge Cup Final is with the man wearing No.10 for Toulon – Dan Biggar. The Wales outside-half will be calling the shots, kicking the goals, catching his own high balls, waving his arms, ear-bashing the referee and generally doing what Dan Biggar does at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which at least means a Welshman could have a big say in the outcome.

Katie Carr believes the explosion of interest in women’s rugby union can help propel a similar boom in rugby league this summer. The Wales international player is living proof that both sports can be enjoyed from the grass roots to elite level and that the old, bitter rivalries between the codes are a thing of the past.

Rhys Shellard enjoyed a triumphant return to Sardis Road as his Aberdare side edged out Dafydd Lockyer’s Abercwmboi on try count (3-1) after a 19-19 draw to lift the Worthington’s Mid District Bowl for only the second time. Neither Shellard or Lockyer need much of an introduction at the House of Pain, where they both enjoyed glittering trophy-laden careers with Pontypridd before taking up player coach roles with their own respective local clubs.

The title may be out of their grasp, but there is still plenty of stake for Neath in the Admiral National Championship. On Wednesday night, the Welsh All Blacks travel to Cross Keys, knowing that a bonus point victory will clinch their promotion back to the Indigo Welsh Premiership.

Pontypool completed the Admiral Championship league and cup double with their 66-21 win over Cardiff Met at the weekend and now put their unbeaten record for the season on the line at Ystrad Rhondda on Tuesday night. Powerful Pooler have bagged 24 wins in the league and a further four in the cup and are now within two games of going through the season without defeat.