Ken Owens has revealed he was determined to recover from a back injury in order to resume a normal life rather than play rugby again for Wales. The Scarlets hooker is set to play his first international match for 15 months when Wales face New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. The 35-year-old is four matches into his comeback but could well be asked to start against the All Blacks as coach Wayne Pivac seeks the platform of a solid set-piece.

Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit will carry blistering form into the Autumn Nations Series and an opener against New Zealand that he “cannot wait” for. Rees-Zammit has never previously faced the All Blacks, while Wales last beat New Zealand in 1953. That run of 32 successive defeats underlines the huge task facing Wayne Pivac’s team when they kick off an autumn schedule on Saturday that also features Cardiff appointments with Argentina, Georgia and Australia.

By David Williams Head coach John Kear remained proud of Wales’ efforts at the Rugby League World Cup despite a third straight defeat at the hands of Papua New Guinea in Doncaster which ended the Dragons’ interest in the tournament. The impressive Kumuls had too much for Kear’s side, particularly in the first 40 where […]

The All Blacks have arrived in Wales to prepare for Saturday’s opening clash in the Autumn Nations Series against Wales at Principality Stadium and will get a reminder today (Monday) of what it means to beat them. Memories of the ‘day the pubs ran dry’ in Llanelli have been creeping out of the woodwork for some time now and will be celebrated exactly 50 years on. They have preserved the scoreboard at Parc Y Scarlets that registered one of the most famous club victories over New Zealand and 9-3 was instantly immortalised by Max Boyce’s emotive poem about the final score.

Ioan Cunningham insists Wales can consider their World Cup campaign a success, despite their painful 55-3 quarter-final exit at the hands of New Zealand. The squad travelling home from Auckland should feel they are at the start of their broader mission, rather than the end of their participation in this single tournament, according to their head coach. This was the first World Cup Wales have attended with a group of full-time professional players, a switch in structure that took place earlier this year.

Angus O’Brien has backed his Dragons teammate Rio Dyer to make a huge impact in Test rugby following the wing’s call-up to the Wales squad. O’Brien – who returned to Rodney Parade from the Scarlets this summer – first spotted the talent of Dyer when the then teenager was in the Dragons academy. Four years on and the 22-year-old underlined the potential Wayne Pivac sees in him by scorching over for two tries against the Ospreys last weekend.

  By Harry Corish  Cardiff are going into the Indigo Premiership game of the weekend without half their team, but head coach Steve Law insists that this is the price you pay for a properly organised set up. He also believes this is how it should be. The Rags, who currently sit second in the […]

Wales coach Wayne Pivac has praised Christ Tshiunza and suggested the powerful Exeter forward is about to make a big breakthrough this autumn. Pivac capped 20-year-old Tshiunza during last season’s autumn Tests, making his debut as a replacement against Fiji in Cardiff. The versatile back-five forward has continued on an upward curve, making prominent contributions during Exeter’s current Gallagher Premiership campaign.

Justin Tipuric has admitted he was surprised to be asked to take over the Wales captaincy for the autumn internationals. The Ospreys flanker will skipper Wales in the Autumn Nations Series starting against New Zealand next week. The 33-year-old, who has won 86 caps, takes over from the injured Dan Biggar.

By David Williams Wales coach John Kear remains confident his side can end their World Cup drought after making Tonga work hard for their 32-6 victory in St Helens on Monday night. Kear’s part-timers performed valiantly, taking the lead with Kyle Evans’ 18th-minute try to the delight of the 7,752 crowd, but the pace, power […]

Jonathan Davies qualifies for his bus pass today, but you’re more likely to find the still sprightly 60-year-old sporting icon on a bike than on public transport. The man who enthralled a generation of rugby union lovers in Wales, before heading ‘North’ to rugby league and capturing even more hearts and minds with his mesmerizing speed and side-stepping ability, splits his time between family life, fulfilling his role as President of Velindre Fundraising and extending his 25-year-long commentary career at the BBC. In his charity role he has been a major catalyst in helping to raise £40m for Velindre. This year alone he has led three charity bike rides, the last of which in America raised £1m.

Wales will be involved in rugby league history on Monday night – whatever the outcome of their World Cup clash against Tonga. Australian referee Kasey Badger will become the first female official to take charge of a men’s World Cup match when she has control of the tie at St. Helens. Badger, who took charge of the grand final in the Australian women’s club game earlier this year, will also be a touch judge for the Kangaroos’ group B meeting with Scotland in Coventry on Friday.

A son, brother, father, husband, friend. A hero – or nemesis – on the rugby pitch. A passionate commentator and familiar face on television. A proud charity ambassador. MBE. Son of Trimsaran. Welshman. Jonathan Davies means a lot of different things to a lot of people, in Wales and far beyond.

Welsh Rugby Union chairman Rob Butcher is banking on his “honest broker” reputation with the member clubs to help push through what he sees as a vital step forward for the governing body. Butcher, just coming to end of his second year as chair, has been touring the nine districts to explain the significance of the clubs backing the call from the board of directors to allow them to introduce an independent chair – “as, when and if they deem it necessary.” The resolution will be one of a package being put to the membership at Sunday’s AGM at Cardiff’s Parkgate Hotel. It will require a 75% majority on the day to pass them.

Max Llewellyn insists he will take the various pats on the back and predictions of Wales caps – but won’t lose focus on his day job at Cardiff. The strapping centre had been making a powerful case for his inclusion in Wayne Pivac’s squad for the autumn internationals on the back of his power-packed impact at the Arms Park. In the end, Pivac took a different route to the one suggested by former Wales centre Tom Shanklin and others and did not include Llewellyn in his autumn squad.

Ioan Cunningham admits he was left frustrated after Wales let slip an opportunity to make the World Cup quarter-finals under their own steam. A 13-7 loss to Australia in the early hours in New Zealand means hopes of claiming an automatic quarter-final place have gone. Instead, the Aussies have taken the second pool place behind New Zealand and head coach Cunningham and his team must now hope that other results go to form, in order for them to make the last eight.

When Jasmine Joyce faces up to Australia at the World Cup this weekend, she will be powered by the strong vibes of love from three pairs of eyes back home. At 2am on Saturday morning, Joyce’s fiancé Alisha Butchers will switch on the TV and smooth down the bed for her two dogs, hoping to settle down to a famous Welsh victory. Had a knee injury not ended her own World Cup prematurely, then Butchers – a club and country teammate of her partner Joyce – would have been out on the field in Whangerei, New Zealand.

Bethan Lewis will throw everything into beating Australia this weekend – including all the skills she learned at sports clubs across Carmarthenshire. The Wales rugby player is currently in New Zealand, part of the squad that will take on the Aussies on Saturday in a bid to make the World Cup quarter-finals. The 23-year-old has become an integral part of the Wales set-up, winning over 30 caps for country, but she firmly believes it was the variety of sports she experienced as a girl that gave her so many valuable life lessons.

By Gareth James Ioan Cunningham has warned his team that they need to dominate from the off, otherwise their World Cup dream will be taken out of their hands. There are four changes and two positional swaps in the Wales Women side named to face Australia on Saturday (14:15 NZ/2.15am UK) following defeat against New […]

By David Williams John Kear insists Wales have delivered their best Rugby League World Cup performance for years – even though their campaign began with a 18-12 defeat to the Cook Islands on Wednesday night. “I think we have earned the respect of a lot of people,” said Wales head coach Kear.  “I think that […]