You can often judge a team by how they react to a narrow defeat, so look out for a positive reaction from the Wales U20s in South Africa on Thursday. At 1.00pm UK time, the Wales youngsters take on Japan in the World Rugby U20 Championship and they have not spent the last few days celebrating losing.

The World Rugby U20 Championship continues in South Africa on Thursday and for Wales that means a meeting with Japan, following their narrow, one-point, 27-26 defeat to New Zealand in their opening game. It may not have yielded a victory, but as well as the two bonus points, there was plenty of information to harvest, according to Welsh rugby coach, analyst, and consultant, Tomas Marks.

While Wales are toiling in the sun in their training camp at the Vale of Glamorgan, Pool C rivals Georgia have also gathered to prepare for their fifth successive World Cup campaign. Head coach Levan Maisashvili, who masterminded wins over Italy and Wales in 2022, has selected a training group of 39 which will eventually be cut down to 33 to take to France.

Warren Gatland is weighing up making Dewi Lake or Jac Morgan the Wales captain at the World Cup – or even both. The radical plan has been forced on the head coach due to diminishing options among the older guard who are dropping by the wayside weeks before the action starts in France.

Wales U20s captain Ryan Woodman admitted he felt “gutted” after his team let slip a big lead to lose to New Zealand in their opening match at the World Rugby U20 Championship. But the skipper insisted his youngster would come back stronger, having run the Baby Blacks so close before losing by a single point, 27-26 in Paal, South Africa. There was no escaping the feeling of ‘what if’ at the end of classic game of two halves as New Zealand fought back to win.

Morgan Morse is ready to show why he is one of the most exciting prospects in Welsh rugby when he takes on New Zealand on Saturday. The Ospreys No.8 will be a key figure for Wales U20s when they begin their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign in South Africa.

Mark Jones has promised Wales will live by the sword when they open their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign against New Zealand on Saturday. The question is whether they will also die by the sword up against the renowned Baby Blacks.

Joe Westwood is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Keith, by facing New Zealand when Wales U20 kick-off their World Rugby U20 Championships in South Africa against the Baby Blacks this weekend. Keith Westwood played for the Combined Abertillery & Ebbw Vale side that faced Wilson Whineray’s 1963 All Blacks at Abertillery Park in a game the tourists won 13-0. A fine player for Ebbw Vale and Newbridge, he went on to become a legendary coach at Newbridge. 

Wales international hooker Scott Baldwin has announced his retirement from playing and will take up a coaching role at Gallagher Premiership club Newcastle. Baldwin, 34, made more than 180 appearances for the Ospreys, in addition to spells in the Premiership with Harlequins and Worcester. He also won 37 Test caps, and featured three times as a replacement during Wales’ Guinness Six Nations campaign last season.

Global brewing giants Heineken are to step down as title sponsors of rugby’s Champions Cup, leaving tournament organisers with a big financial gap to fill before their two tournaments kick off in December.

The Welsh Rugby Union was responsible for a “serious failure of governance” and missed opportunities to act on concerning behaviour within the organisation, a report has found. A committee of Senedd (Welsh Parliament) members noted “systemic failures in the culture” of the WRU following allegations of racism, misogyny, sexism and homophobia.

Former Cardiff Blues second row stalwart Macauley Cook has become the latest high-profile recruit at Pontypridd for next season. The 31-year-old is returning to Wales having spent the last three seasons playing for Jersey in the English Championship. He last played for Ponty in a British & Irish Cup game in 2013.

Abbie Fleming and Robyn Wilkins will line-up against their Wales teammates Beth Lewis, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Kelsey Jones, Lleucu George and Lisa Neumann in the English women’s rugby show piece final. The Allianz Premier 15s final will see Fleming and Wilkins’ Exeter Chiefs face the Gloucester-Hartpury Welsh quintet at Kingsholm on June 24.

Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel has welcomed the confirmation that his team will play the Barbarians this autumn in a fundraising memorial match in honour of Phil Bennett. A year on from his death last summer at the age of 73, the Wales and Llanelli legend has been remembered by the announcement of the September fixture.

Former Ospreys flanker Sam Underhill has made England’s initial 28-player Rugby World Cup training squad – despite not having played for his country for almost a year. The Bath forward has been included in the group named by head coach Steve Borthwick alongside former Cardiff Met No.8 Alex Dombrandt.

Gareth Thomas is backing Tommy Reffell to fill the void left by the ‘outstanding’ Justin Tipuric and play a key role in Wales’ World Cup charge. The emergence of flanker Reffell was one of the bright spots of Wayne Pivac’s reign as Wales boss but the Leicester Tigers man started just one match during the 2023 Six Nations following Warren Gatland’s return.

Cory Hill followed the path taken by Rhys Webb when he decided to put family ahead of World Cup glory with Wales. Hill increased the chaotic nature of the preparation for the tournament when he became the fourth player to withdraw from the preliminary training squad.

Wales U20s scrum-half Archie Hughes has signed a new contract with the Scarlets. Having started his rugby journey with Tenby RFC juniors, Hughes burst onto the senior stage with two tries on his debut in a pre-season game against Nottingham at Parc y Scarlets two years ago.

What do you get when you add Bradley Davies to James Hook, Paul James and Andrew Bishop? A ‘Dream Team’ of coaches to help bring through the next generation of Ospreys stars. After 66 Welsh caps and more than 210 professional games for Cardiff Blues, Wasps and Ospreys, the 36-year-old Davies is all set to become the latest international ex-pro to be attached to the backroom staff at his old region after hanging up his boots.

Former Newport RFC star Simon Raiwalui has named a strong 45-man Fiji training squad as they continue their preparations for the Rugby World Cup in France – including a key clash against Wales.