Aled Ward has bucked the trend – thanks to BUCS rugby – and will aim to prove it for Pontypridd on Saturday night. The Ponty back row forward is a player who has swum against the tide, moving from English rugby to Welsh at a time when so many youngsters are heading eastwards. He intends to show the benefits of that switch back home on the opening weekend of the Indigo Premiership, when Ponty host rivals Cardiff in a familiarly ferocious clash that is live on S4C.

Welsh club rugby is back. The whole chaotic, crazy jamboree returns this weekend in full throttle once more after three years of Covid-affected restrictions. The Indigo Premiership looks healthy, but if it’s real life drama you’re after, then Daniel Parker reckons you need to drop down a notch and take in the vibrancy of the Admiral Welsh Championship. After months of impassioned – and often acrimonious – debate around the future of domestic rugby in Wales, the spotlight on the semi-professional game could not be more intense. It’s a good job, then, that the upcoming 2022-23 campaign promises much to hold the attention.

By Gareth James Pontypridd head coach Justin Burnell believes Nikola Matawalu can set the Premiership alight this season. Pontypridd RFC announced the signing of Fijian star Nikola Matawalu as player/skills coach from French Top 14 side Racing 92. Having set the Pro 14 alight at Glasgow Matawalu is sure to have a big impact on […]

The Indigo Group Premiership returns to a full-blown home and away competition this weekend and it will feature a fascinating father v son battle in its opening round. There are a round of derby matches to kick-off the new campaign, but all eyes will be glued to the clash at Sardis Road between Pontypridd and reigning champions Cardiff. A big game in its own right, it will also have a fascinating sub-plot with the home side coached by Justin Burnell and the visitors likely to give his son, Ben, a debut at outside-half.

Cardiff Demons retained their Betfred Women’s Super League South trophy in style at Cross Keys with a 34-4 victory over London Broncos.

By Rob Carbon The last time new Dragons recruit Max Clark played with current Wales centre Nick Tompkins was in the Under 20 Junior World Championship final in Italy. That was in an England side that had already beaten Wales and went on to finish as runners-up to New Zealand in 2015. Now the 26-year-old […]

By Graham Thomas CARYS Williams-Morris will realise her Welsh rugby dream on Saturday – four years after England claimed she was living out their version with a red rose on her chest. The 28-year-old will make her Wales debut against Canada in Nova Scotia, an ocean apart and a decade on from when she first […]

Carys Williams-Morris has been cleared to play for Wales this weekend – three years after she played for England. In a double boost for the 28-year-old centre, she has also been given RAF elite athlete status from her employers, meaning she has been released to train full-time with Wales in the build-up to the World Cup this autumn. Williams-Morris could make her debut for Wales against Canada in Nova Scotia on Saturday, following a rule change by World Rugby last year.

By David Williams S4C’s Rygbi Indigo Prem have confirmed they will show matches from every round of the new season, with coverage being shown online and on television. Lauren Jenkins will host Rygbi Indigo Prem, and she will be joined by a host of familiar rugby names throughout the season. S4C’s coverage gets underway at […]

By Owen Morgan Pontypridd RFC has produced a long list of rugby greats during its illustrious history, including the likes of Wales and  British Lions legends Tommy David, Neil Jenkins and Martyn Williams. But it was the man known as “The Bionic Elbow” who was celebrated with the naming of lounge at Sardis Road in […]

Former Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett has urged the All Blacks to either sack or back coach Ian Foster. Foster appeared to be on the verge of being dismissed after New Zealand suffered a run of five Test defeats in six matches. But the All Blacks – who play Wales in Cardiff on November 5 – rallied to earn a superb 35-23 victory in South Africa last weekend and since then his bosses have refused to comment on his immediate future.

By Owen Morgan Welsh rugby fans have rarely had to be encouraged to enjoy a drink during a game. But the PA announcer’s reminder for fans to drink plenty ahead of  Saturday’s Pontypridd v London Welsh friendly had more to do with health and safety than any desire to boost the Sardis Road bar takings. […]

By Stuart Taylor “Whoever is in charge of our sevens operation, including player selection, is out of his depth and needs replacing ASAP. If we accept this mediocrity and the hammerings that go with it, we should forget it and use the money elsewhere,” raged a disgruntled rugby fan on social media as Wales crashed […]

The Welsh rugby sevens team put up a respectable performance at the Commonwealth Games in Coventry, but eventually fell to some very talented opposition. In a tough group, Wales always knew they would be up against it and were hopeful of a victory in their opening match against Canada. However, they were put to the sword by a powerful Canadian side, who are only one place above them in the Rugby Sevens Series standings, but looked far superior..

David Williams A legal case involving a group of rugby players – including dozens from Wales – diagnosed with early-onset dementia and other irreversible neurological impairments now looks destined for the courts. Proceedings are to be issued by Rylands Law on behalf of a group of professional and semi-professional players against World Rugby, the Rugby […]

By Stuart Taylor “I feel like my world is falling apart. And I am really scared.” These are powerful words that former Wales captain Ryan Jones used to describe how he feels, having revealed to the world that he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). “It terrifies me […]

Wayne Pivac has challenged his Wales players to build on their performances in South Africa at regional level. Wales lost their Cape Town tour decider 34-10 to the Springboks, but did enough in three matches against the world champions to suggest they can be difficult opponents for any team they face. What they lacked – apart from a few fleeting moments across the three games – was to offer a consistent try-scoring threat to match their magnificent defence.

Players should start missing games in order to protect them from long-term brain injuries following the news that former Wales captain Ryan Jones has early-onset dementia, a leading safety campaign group for the sport has said. The 41-year-old Jones, capped 75 times and a member of the British and Irish Lions squad on the 2005 tour of New Zealand, revealed he had received the diagnosis of probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in December last year. He is the latest in a number of high-profile former players to be diagnosed with the disease and now Progressive Rugby – a non-profit rugby union lobby group – has called for action.

Wayne Pivac described Wales’ South Africa tour as “a big step in the right direction” despite seeing their dream of Test series glory dashed. South Africa took the decider 30-14 in Cape Town, with head coach Jacques Nienaber having recalled eight of the Springboks’ 2019 World Cup-winning team after Wales levelled the series seven days ago.And it worked a treat as South Africa claimed the series 2-1 through tries from Handre Pollard, Bongi Mbonambi and Siya Kolisi, with Pollard kicking three conversions and three penalties for a 20-point haul.

Tommy Reffell has been backed to bring the eye of the Tiger into battle for Wales against the Springboks this weekend. The seal of approval has come from Adam Jones, whose time coaching in England with Harlequins has given him plenty of insight into the emergence of Reffell. The 23-year-old Wales flanker made an impressive debut for Wales in defeat to South Africa in the first Test and backed that up with a man-of-the-match display a week ago as the tourists levelled the series.