It’s cup final week for two Welsh rugby players at different ends of their career spectrum and in two different hemispheres. On Friday night, the former Wales U18 and U20 captain Tommy Reffell hopes to help Leicester Tigers win the European Challenge Cup at Twickenham, while two days later the 2019 Grand Slam centre Hadleigh Parkes will aim to become the first Welsh player to win the Top League title in Japan. The 22-year-old Reffell has featured in three of the Tigers games in Europe this season and was a starter in the back row last weekend in the Premiership when they overcame Harlequins at Welford Road.

Cardiff Blues have become embroiled in a row over their ambition to retain a strong link with Welsh Premiership side, Cardiff RFC. The Blues are turning back the clock this summer by ditching their appendage and re-branding themselves as simply, Cardiff Rugby. In a further attempt to emphasise their historical roots, they also plan to refer to the current club side as the “Rags” – indicating they want to run them as their official reserve side.

Ospreys hooker Scott Otten has retired from professional rugby on medical advice. The 26-year-old Swansea-born forward – who has been with the Ospreys for a decade – suffered a serious neck injury against the Dragons in January. “For me, retirement from rugby has come way too early,” said Otten.

Dragons wing Rio Dyer says speed tips from former Olympic sprinter Darren Campbell is the reason behind his stunning end-of-season finish. The former Wales Under-20 back has been in scintillating form for the men from Rodney Parade in the last two weeks with his remarkable pace standing out. Dyer has now revealed the secret behind his speed.

The Covid-19 pandemic has struck many rugby clubs across Wales, but few players in the professional game have been as deeply affected as Wales and Ospreys star Bradley Davies. Speaking about his illness for the first time, Davies has admitted monitoring his own oxygen levels due to breathing problems, left him fearful about his long-term health, as he tells Alex Bywater. Bradley Davies has revealed he feels lucky to be alive after a serious scare with Covid-19 left him checking his own oxygen levels. The Wales international, a Test-hardened 66-cap veteran, has admitted he felt “scared” by the impact of the virus on his health just a few weeks ago.

The Lions has revised their tour of South Africa this summer and will now only be based in two venues for their entire trip. The tourists – who will include 10 Welsh players, including British and Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones – have been forced to re-draw their plans due to the ongoing chaos in South Africa caused by Covid-19. The revised format reduces travel between cities and training venues and will mean the Lions will only stay in two locations – one near Johannesburg and the other close to Cape Town.

Dwayne Peel has been labelled a winner and backed to become a major success after being appointed head coach of the Scarlets. The Wales and British & Irish Lions scrum-half will be the number one coach at the Scarlets after they dramatically parted ways with Glenn Delaney less than an hour after their derby win over the Ospreys last weekend. Only three weeks ago they announced Peel was to work underneath Delaney who was to be promoted to the role of director of rugby.

It’s a long way from Llandovery to the Lions, but Wyn Jones and Tadhg Beirne will bridge the divide this summer. Five years ago, Wales prop Jones and Ireland forward Beirne could be found playing in the same West Wales club side in the Welsh Premiership. It can be a long journey from club rugby to playing for the Lions for most players, but to travel from playing in front of crowds of a couple of hundred hardy locals at Church Bank, to facing the world champions, the Springboks in South Africa, is an impressive stretch.

Toby Booth believes the Ospreys have signed another leader with the recruitment of New Zealander Michael Collins. The 27-year-old – who is eligible for Wales through his grandfather – will move to the Liberty Stadium this summer from the Highlanders on a two-year deal. The New Zealand Under-20 three-quarter, who can play centre or full back, played in the Blues side that defeated the British and Irish Lions in 2017.

Ken Owens was one of 10 Welsh players and four Scarlets to make the British and Irish Lions squad, but there’s no rest for The Sheriff. He’s back in action on Saturday in the Rainbow Cup against the Ospreys, underlining the dedication that will make him the Lions’ Test hooker, says Adam Jones as he tells Graham Thomas. Ken Owens is “nailed on” to become the Lions Test hooker this summer, according to his former Wales front row teammate Adam Jones. Owens was one of four Scarlets and 10 Welsh players named on Thursday in the Lions squad to tour South Africa.

Alun Wyn Jones believes the number of captaincy candidates for this summer’s British and Irish Lions’ tour to South Africa reached “probably double figures”. And Jones acclaimed the leadership quality of England lock Maro Itoje, who was widely thought to be his main rival for Lions captaincy duties. Wales skipper Jones will lead the 2021 Lions, adding another gilt-edged entry to a career CV that already includes five Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-final appearances.

Warren Gatland believes he has picked a British & Irish Lions squad that can go to South Africa and beat the world champion Springboks this summer. The former Wales head coach will complete a clean-sweep of southern hemisphere tours as the head coach of the Lions when he follows on from his success in winning the series in Australia in 2013 and drawing in New Zealand four years ago with the trip to South Africa. Gatland today named a 37-man touring party for the Castle Lager Series and once again his first pick was a Welsh captain for the third successive tour.

“Pick your own” is normally about fruit and veg, but when it’s Lions year it means something more taxing on the brain than the back. Lions squads have been picked across Britain and Ireland for months, but the one that matters – Warren Gatland’s – will be named at 12.30pm today. Harri Morgan has picked his, but like rugby itself, it’s the taking part that counts.  The middle pages were always easiest to access.   The slightly overgrown nails that you were otherwise ridiculed for, making it easier to temporarily lift the staples that bound the lined A5 pages together.  Lift out a couple of sheets, grab the ruler and commence marking out a football pitch. Corner markings an unexplainable must. 

Wales centre Willis Halaholo has found himself at the centre of yet another racism storm. Halaholo, who helped Wayne Pivac’s side win the 2021 Six Nations, qualified for Wales on residency after three years with Cardiff Blues. When he was first selected by his adopted country in November 2019, the Auckland-born centre was targeted for criticism on social media from bigots who believed a Welsh-born player should have been picked instead – even though he had fulfilled all the requirements.

It was a difficult Six Nations campaign for Wales Women.  Three straight defeats, 125 points conceded, and vociferous discontent from outside the camp about the apparent apathy towards them from the WRU.  And yet, positives emerged. Some collectively, and the others in the form of individuals. 

Pieter Scholtz is being lined up for a move from the Scarlets to Wasps next season. The giant South African prop is considering a move across the border following an impressive first season in Welsh rugby. With the Scarlets having signed Wales squad member WillGriff John from Sale Sharks for next season, Scholtz, 27, was considering a number of English and French clubs, but has opted for Coventry-based Wasps.

The British and Irish Lions squad will be announced on Thursday when the chosen few will be named to tour South Africa this summer. But their best asset is already known according to Scotland coach Gregor Townsend as Graham Thomas reports. The wisdom and wide experience of Warren Gatland will be the Lions’ key weapon when they take on world champions South Africa this summer, according to Gregor Townsend. Gatland and his attack coach Townsend will be deep in final selection talks next week, ahead of the announcement of the 36-man British and Irish Lions tour squad on Thursday.

A new Women’s Super League club is to be launched in Cardiff and will play in the newly formed Betfred Women’s Super League South. The club will be overseen by Wales Rugby League and will train at the University of South Wales. The side will be coached by Ian Newbury, the Wales’s Women’s Assistant Coach, and will feature many of the players expected to feature in the England v Wales international later this year.

Owen Williams should have won far more caps for Wales, insists All Blacks scrum-half TJ Perenara who rates the Welshman as one of the best players he’s played with. The 29-year-old playmaker is Perenara’s half-back partner at NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan’s Top League. Many believe Williams would be a huge asset to Wayne Pivac’s Wales, but his international career looks to be over for good having signed a long-term contract with Worcester which means he remains ineligible under the WRU’s controversial 60 cap law.

With the fall-out from the women’s Six Nations continuing, Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Steve Phillips has repeated his claim that the women’s game will get the support it requires. It was a pledge high on corporate jargon, but low on detail. Tomos Marks has a few simple suggestions – including creating a worthwhile club side in Wales to prevent 18 hours of travel. Wales finished with the wooden spoon in this year’s Six Nations, their sixth wooden spoon since the start of the home nations tournaments in the 1990’s. In contrast, England won their 17th title from 26 competitions to date. This is a sad situation for the Welsh women’s team as they just aren’t competing with their European rivals.