In a parallel universe – with no pandemic – Harri Morgan would have been in Rome this weekend, making merry and making memories. Then, assuming a Welsh win, he would have mortgaged the house and made the trip to Paris to see Wales bid for a Grand Slam against France. It would have been the stuff of dreams, but reality has ordered he’ll instead be at home in front of the TV like everyone else. Kudos to the Six Nations fixture secretary for having the foresight to pair Wayne’s Wales with Fabien’s France as the headline act for Super Saturday.

The Scarlets are in Munster on Friday night, where one player will mark a special anniversary. It is a year since Aaron Shingler last played a game, but the clash at Thomond Park sees his return where Glenn Delaney’s side aim to clinch their European spot for next season, as Graham Thomas reports. Aaron Shingler has been described as a Scarlets legend as he prepares to finally return to action after a year of pain and uncertainty. The Wales forward was last seen on a rugby field in March of 2020 when he was on the losing side for Wales against England at Twickenham.

Two years ago, when Wales beat Ireland at the Principality Stadium to secure a Grand Slam title, a teenager was sat amongst fans dreaming of playing alongside his heroes. Fast forward to this year’s Guinness Six Nations tournament and Louis Rees-Zammit is the name amongst the headline acts after producing some exciting rugby whenever he gets the ball. It has been a meteoric rise for the 20-year-old – from club to country, impressing fans with his clinical finishing and lightening pace. Now, he has the chance to help many of the players he watched in 2019 move one step closer to another Slam.

Wales have not lost to Italy for 14 years but Jonathan Davies insists the perennial wooden spoon holders should not be under-estimated ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations game in Rome. The Italians are again bottom after three rounds of this season’s tournament, while Wales travel in the hope of setting up a Grand Slam clash with France the following week. The last time Wales played in the Stadio Olimpico, they were victors, 26-15, two years ago and you have to go back to 2007 for the last Italian victory in this fixture.

The last time Italy won a match in the Six Nations, Louis Rees-Zammit was 14 years old. For most Wales fans, Saturday’s fixture against the Italians is already just a footnote ahead of a Grand Slam decider against France next week. Tomas Marks looks at the problems and the prospects for Wales’ opponents.  Franco Smith’s journey to becoming Italy’s head coach has been a fascinating adventure. Smith is a nine-times capped Springbok, who played fly-half and scored for South Africa in their crushing 96-13 win against Wales in 1998.

As Wales move towards the possibility of conquering Europe on the field, it’s worth noting that this week represents a dozen years since the country planted its flag on top of the world. The year was 2009, the version was sevens, and the lack of recognition has been criminal, says Fraser Watson. It was a landmark moment in the history of Welsh rugby – or at least it should have been. In March 2009, the story of a nation’s only World Cup triumph unfolded in Dubai. From being 80-1 outsiders, a Wales sevens side coached by Paul John dramatically defeated Argentina in a tournament final few envisaged them even getting near.

For the men’s game, the Six Nations is coming to the boil with Wales two games away from another Grand Slam. For the women, however, it’s a case of sitting on the sidelines for the time being. It was a delay that provoked plenty of opposition, but Wales back row forward Manon Johnes reckons there will be benefits as she told Graham Thomas. If adaptability was the key to success during lockdown, then Wales forward Manon Johnes should have few problems when the women’s Six Nations starts in April. The men’s tournament may be in full swing but as the women’s game lacks a full-time professional structure there were too many problems to overcome during the pandemic and the shift in the calendar resulted.

Wayne Pivac insists he has no fears over Taulupe Faletau’s staying power after choosing not to rest the Wales No.8 in Italy this weekend. Faletau has featured in every Wales game so far in their unbeaten Six Nations campaign, as well as representing Bath in the two break weeks. But Wales coach Pivac – who has made only two changes to the team that beat England to clinch the Triple Crown a fortnight ago – says Faletau is “economical” with his exertions when he goes back to play for his club.

When Alisha Butchers went over on her ankle in training with Bristol Bears Women last Tuesday, there was no way she could have foreseen the trouble, stress, and financial worries ahead. The 23-year-old Wales international has been forced to raise funds online for the surgery required to fix her ankle after falling foul of a medical insurance loophole. Butchers – who reached her £4,995 GoFundMe target in just five hours on Friday – wants her fellow female players to ensure they do not end up in the same position and liable for thousands of pounds of medical bills due to circumstances outside of their control.

Dean Ryan has admitted he will have mixed feelings if Wales come calling again for his Dragons back row pair of Aaron Wainwright and Ross Moriarty. The dynamic duo were at the heart of the Dragons’ impressive 31-20 victory over the Ospreys in Bridgend that has dented the losers’ Heineken Champions Cup prospects and given Ryan’s men an outside sniff of qualification. It was the Dragons’ first win of 2021 and Wainwright – released for some game time by Wales coach Wayne Pivac – weighed in with a try to add to doubles from Jonah Holmes and Ashton Hewitt to give the visitors a bonus point victory.

The Ospreys could take a giant step towards Heineken Champions Cup rugby next season if they can complete the double over regional rivals the Dragons at the Brewery Field tonight. The top three teams in the two Guinness PRO14 Conferences qualify automatically for the top tournament in Europe and Toby Booth’s much-improved side are currently on 31 points with three games to play – the Dragons at home and then Leinster and Glasgow Warriors away. If they can beat the Dragons with a bonus point to reach 36 points then they will be guaranteed third place. If not, they will need to pull some points out of the bag on their final two away trips.

Imagine having to wear Alun Wyn Jones’ jersey when he’s not around. That’s a big shirt to fill. But the young player making a pretty decent fist of it at the Ospreys at present is Rhys Davies. The former Wales U20 player is set wear No.5 against the Dragons on Saturday night and tells Graham Thomas how it feels for size. Rhys Davies is already being tipped as a successor to Alun Wyn Jones for the Ospreys and Wales but has revealed it was only a few years ago he struggled to get into his school XV. Admittedly, it was Millfield – one of the most famous sporting schools in the UK – but the young Ospreys second row had high hopes of following the likes of Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams and Chris Robshaw when he moved to Somerset on a scholarship at the age 16.

Kieran Hardy’s loss to Wales is an unfortunate blow, attack coach Stephen Jones has admitted. The young scrum-half has played his final part in the Six Nations after suffering a hamstring injury in the second half against England. Hardy, who made his debut against Georgia in the Autumn Nations Cup, went over for a try in last weekend’s 40-24 victory after a quick tap caught the English napping, before his injury caused him to leave the field.

Wales Pivac has a Triple Crown on the shelf in his room at the Wales team hotel, credit in the bank along with win bonuses, and the prospect of joining Mike Ruddock and Warren Gatland as a Grand Slam winning coach if his side can manage victories over Italy and France. Fraser Watson believes the essence of this turnaround is there in the calendar. In January 1990, Manchester United supporters rolled out the infamous banner at the Stretford End. “Three years of excuses” was the accusation, a certain Alex Ferguson the target.

Dwayne Peel will have to break his contract with Cardiff Blues and could face his prospective employers in court, unless a compensation deal can be agreed that allows him to work at the Scarlets. The former Wales scrum-half is at the centre of a messy battle between the two Welsh regions after signing a deal with one, but wanting to now join the other. Currently still coaching at Ulster, Peel’s future has been thrown into uncertainty with the Scarlets interested in bringing their former star back to Llanelli and plucking him from the clutches of the Blues.

Stephen Varney will be the Welshman aiming to run Wayne Pivac’s Grand Slam bandwagon off the road in Rome next week. Varney has already beaten Wales at U18 and Under 20 level and now the Welsh-speaking teenager is hoping to make it a hat-trick by helping Italy halt the Welsh march to a potential 13th Grand Slam. The Carmarthen-born scrum half – who learned his rugby at Crymych RFC – has already won five senior caps for the Azzurri and made his first start for the senior Italian side against Wales at Parc Y Scarlets in the Autumn Nations Cup.

Welsh coach Leigh Jones is heading back to the UK to take up a newly-created role of general manager of rugby at Leicester Tigers. The former Ebbw Vale, Dragons and Wales forwards coach, who is currently general manager of rugby performance with the Hong Kong Rugby Union, will take-up his new post at the English Premiership club on May 1. He led the Wales A programme under Graham Henry and went on to become a senior member of the Japanese support team at the 2015 Rugby World Cup alongside the now England head coach Eddie Jones and Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick.

Wales Wheelchair Rugby League head coach Stephen Jones has announced a 17 player train-on squad, which includes six potential debutants, for camps in both March and April to prepare for the upcoming Celtic Cup. Jones will later narrow the squad down to a maximum of 13 for the Celtic Cup, which is being held at The University of Edinburgh’s Sport & Exercise Pleasance facility on Saturday 12th June, the tournament having been postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Mike Phillips has heaped praise on Wayne Pivac and told England they need to wise up with referees. The former Wakes scrum-half has pointed to Pivac’s selection policy in the autumn as sewing the seeds for the Triple Crown success, with the willingness of the Wales coach to give youngsters game time to earn valuable experience. But Phillips also believes Wales are way ahead of England – who were beaten 40-24 in Cardiff last weekend – in their recognition of how to communicate with officials, without getting on the wrong side of them.

Cardiff Blues will be confined to the history books next season when the Welsh region rebrands itself as Cardiff Rugby. After 18 years as the Blues, the professional rugby team in the Welsh capital will change its name and image in a bid to get closer to its famous past and heritage created by Cardiff RFC. It means the Arms Park will now host two teams with almost identical names – Cardiff Rugby, who will play in the Guinness Pro14, and Cardiff Rugby Football Club, who play in the Welsh Premiership.