The Rainbow Cup is spreading over Welsh rugby this weekend for the first time. It’s not a perfect tournament and the rivalries lack context says Harri Morgan, but it’s the best we have at present and at least it’s not been constructed with the idea of fleecing a global fan base. Remember The Racoons? The who?

The Welsh regions return to action this weekend when the new Rainbow Cup tournament kicks off with two Welsh derbies. The Dragons were surging when the Guinness Pro 14 came to an end and captain Rhodri Williams is optimistic their charge can continue as he tells Graham Thomas. Rhodri Williams may have lost his position as leader of the Dragons’ West Wales car club – but he’s not ready to lose anything else this season. The scrum-half used to be the senior member of the car share group that ferried west-based players up the M4 to Newport.

Warren Abrahams insists he has kept faith in his squad – if not individual players – to deliver tomorrow in order for Wales Women to avoid an unwanted wooden spoon. The head coach is still searching for his first point on the board in the truncated Six Nations after heavy defeats to France (53-0) and Ireland (45-0). Abrahams has made nine changes for the match against the Scots at Scotstoun, but believes his team can prove they are not as poor as those two results suggest.

Wales Rugby League have named an extended 36-strong Women’s train-on squad as they prepare for the test match against England in Warrington on June 25. Nineteen players remain from the first ever squad in 2019, and 15 new players were selected following elite athlete ID days in both the north and south of Wales this month.

Alun Wyn Jones has signed a new one-year contract to stay in Welsh rugby and could yet reach a fifth World Cup. Jones, 35, is world rugby’s most capped player and a firm favourite to captain the British and Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa this summer. But he shows no signs of slowing down and was in sensational form as Wales claimed the 2021 Six Nations title.

Dwayne Peel has spoken of the “special bond” between Scarlets fans and the region after turning his back on Cardiff Blues to return to Llanelli. The former Wales and British & Irish Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel will go back to his old side as head coach this summer from Irish province Ulster. Peel had agreed a deal to join Cardiff Blues for the 2021-22 season as the man in charge of their attack and signed a contract to that effect.

Dragons coach Dean Ryan has paid tribute to Lewis Evans’ “outstanding achievement” after the decision of the back row forward to retire. Evans has chosen to hang up his boots after a record-breaking 236 appearances for the region over a mammoth 15-year spell. The 33-year-old make his debut back in 2006 – in a back row that included former Wales captain Colin Charvis – and director of rugby Ryan said: “To play for one region as successfully and for as long as Lewis has is an outstanding achievement.

Dai Young has expressed his aim of ensuring Cardiff Blues compete at the “business end” of the season after agreeing to stay on as permanent director of rugby. The former Wasps coach has signed on for the long-term after notching four wins in seven games in his period as the interim director of rugby. Having played for the club earlier in his career, and then spent nine years as head coach, he returned earlier in the year when John Mulvihill moved on. He has put pen to paper on what the Blues are calling “a long-term contract”.

Steve Tandy has reflected on the “pretty surreal” experience of being named in the British and Irish Lions coaching team to tour South Africa. The 41-year-old Welshman has arrived with the Lions via Australia and Scotland, and he will oversee the defence when Warren Gatland’s side take on the Springboks this summer. “I think it was Wednesday last week that I had a call from Gats,” Tandy said.

Three Welsh coaches will be at the heart of Warren Gatland’s back-up team when the British and Irish Lions tour South Africa this summer. Robin McBryde, Steve Tandy and Neil Jenkins will assist Gatland for the three-Test series against the world champions, the Springboks. Gatland’s choices were announced on Tuesday morning, along with confirmation that Scotland’s Gregor Townsend will be the attack coach.

Former Ospreys coach Steve Tandy has emerged as a strong candidate for a coaching role with the British and Irish Lions this summer. Tandy – who has bolstered Scotland’s resurgence as their defence coach – is reportedly being lined up for the same role assisting Lions head coach Warren Gatland in South Africa. Gatland is due to confirm his coaching team on Tuesday, but having suffered a series of setbacks through candidates making themselves unavailable, it appears that 41-year-old Tandy, who spent six years in charge of the Ospreys, is in prime position for a role.

Scarlets chairman Simon Muderack insists the Welsh regions have been short-changed over their supply of players to Wales’ title-winning Six Nations campaign. The region’s chief has called for a re-think into the financial distributions within Welsh rugby and believes only a re-allocation of resources can enable the game to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Muderack argues the Scarlets have not been compensated properly for their provision of 13 players to Wayne Pivac’s Wales squad this season.

Warren Abrahams insists Wales Women will learn the lessons from their thumping 45-0 defeat to Ireland and become a better side in the long run. South African Abrahams has quickly joined the long line of beaten Welsh coaches who talk about absorbing lessons, learning, progress, better days ahead, jam tomorrow, etc. That is after just two matches – both one-sided, heavy defeats in which Wales’ most encouraging moments came when they did no more than simply stem the flow of tries being conceded.

Craig Fisher has been appointed as the inaugural head coach of the Wales Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) side. The 40-year old has previously been involved in the coaching set-ups with both North Wales Origin and Wales Dragonhearts.

Willis Halaholo emerged as one of the new stars of the Six Nations this season as the Cardiff Blues player completed his journey from New Zealand provincial player to Wales international. A quarter of a century ago, Dale McIntosh charted the same route and believes their progress underlines the continuing strength in their homeland as he tells Graham Thomas. The rise of Willis Halaholo proves just how much depth there still is in New Zealand rugby, former Wales international Dale McIntosh has claimed. Halaholo picked up a Six Nations championship medal with Wales this season – eight years after Wayne Pivac opted not to offer the Cardiff Blues centre a senior contract when they were together at Auckland.

Warren Abrahams has backed his Wales Women’s side to bounce back quickly when they face Ireland on Saturday in their next Six Nations assignment. A new era began for Wales as their first tournament campaign under new head coach Abrahams got underway last weekend. But Wales suffered a heavy 53-0 defeat against a strong French side in Vannes and while it may be exciting to see a new coaching set up, it may take a while to develop a winning mentality.

Wales women’s coach Warren Abrahams believes mixing up his selection is a key strategy to make his team more competitive. Abrahams, who was appointed to his role in November, has made four changes from the side who were dealt a 53-0 hammering in France last weekend. Cara Hope and Cerys Hale replace Caryl Thomas and Donna Rose in the front row respectively. Elsewhere, Natalia John comes in at lock and Courtney Keight starts at 11 as Jasmine Joyce is away on GB sevens duty.

Wales face Ireland in the women’s Six Nations this weekend with much to prove after their opening round heavy defeat against France. It was a result that didn’t really need much explaining, unlike so much else around the squad, according to Fraser Watson. Less than three weeks ago, one of Wales Women’s most high profile performers was crashing over for a hat-trick of tries in a thrilling Allianz Premier 15s encounter. The exploits of the 58-cap international in question, Sioned Harries, weren’t enough to help Worcester Warriors edge a thrilling contest with Gloucester-Hartbury – but they did reiterate her long proven credentials at the top level of the women’s game.

Welsh regional rugby reached a desperate low point at the weekend, gaining the one thing that’s always hard to stomach – English sympathy. As all four regions exited in Europe in varying degrees of disarray, it was left to Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson to try and raise some Welsh morale. After the Scarlets had followed the Ospreys, Dragons and Cardiff Blues in losing at the re-jigged last 16 stages of both European tournaments, Sanderson tried to put a positive spin on a bleak picture.

They say the stats don’t lie, so new Wales Women’s head coach Warren Abrahams isn’t going to enjoy reading them after his side’s opening Six Nations defeat to France in Vannes. How about these for starters: 53 points and eight tries conceded, 36 missed tackles, four scrums lost and 14 penalties conceded. Ouch! Then, you have to consider seven bad passes and eight handling errors in the 53-0 thrashing.