The four Welsh regions have welcomed the £13.5m grant being given to Welsh rugby from Welsh government – part of an overall package of £17.7m to some sports’ governing bodies. The cash is to help sports hit by the absence of fans during the current pandemic and is meant to ensure they can continue until next season. As one regional official put it, “this will ensure that when rugby wakes up next season, although they’ll be a massive collective hangover, at least we’ll still be here.”

Dai Young believes Cardiff Blues are heading forwards after they secured back-to-back Guinness Pro 14 victories over the Scarlets with a 13-10 victory in Llanelli. The Blues won against their regional rivals for the second time inside a fortnight to give Young victory in his first match in charge since returning to the Arms Park. Once again, the Scarlets had most of the possession and territory but the Blues’ defence proved too strong for them to break down.

By the time the vaccines are all handed out, it could be October of this year and that may mean one of the first non-restricted tournaments is the Rugby League World Cup. With that in mind, Harri Morgan has been getting in the mood by re-watching Wales v Western Samoa back in 1995 – a classic that remains vivid for anyone who was there.  In theory, the line-up of sporting events scheduled for 2021 is an absolute belter. The columns and comments should be fizzing with discussion of which players should make Warren Gatland’s Lions squad, whether Wales can repeat their 2016 heroics in the European Championship finals, and, of course, who will be the dominant force in Skateboarding’s Olympic debut.

The Scarlets host Cardiff Blues on Friday night in a repeat of their showdown of a fortnight ago. That game ended with victory for the Blues and proved a spicy one with Liam Williams receiving a red card. The Blues’ former Scarlet Josh Turnbull reckons part two could be just as eventful, as he told Graham Thomas. Josh Turnbull admits there will be hunger on both sides when the Scarlets host Cardiff Blues on Friday night – but insists no-one will be looking to take a bite out of sidelined Liam Williams. The two regions sit down for second helpings just two weeks after tucking into each in a bruising, pulsating battle at the Cardiff City Stadium where Wales full-back Williams was sent off, before the Blues claimed a 29-20 victory.

Glenn Delaney believes his 14-man Scarlets side have learnt well from their defeat to the Cardiff Blues earlier in the month – and can now extract their revenge. The regions met at the start of January at the Cardiff City Stadium, with the capital region running out 29-20 winners. The big talking point was Liam Williams’ red card in the first half after a head-on-head clash with his Wales teammate, the Blues’ Shane Lewis-Hughes.

Wayne Pivac is trying to convince English clubs to allow their Welsh international players to stay in his Six Nations camp for the whole tournament. There are six players – Tomas Francis, Will Rowlands, Taulupe Faletau, Dan Biggar, Callum Sheedy and Louis Ress-Zammit – in Wales’ 36-man squad who are based over the border. Rather than allow them to return to their English clubs during the break weekends in the tournament, Pivac wants the half dozen released for the entirety of the Six Nations, to protect the Wales squad amid continued coronavirus concerns.

Rhys Webb has been left out of the Wales squad for the Six Nations, but coach Wayne Pivac has given a recall to veteran Dan Lydiate. Pivac has resisted calls to bring back another veteran – Bath’s Cardiff Blues-bound outside-half Rhys Priestland – but there are also returns for fly-half Jarrod Evans, wing Hallam Amos and prop Rhodri Jones. Scrum-half Webb, who returned from France to join the Ospreys and revive his Wales career, has lost out to Scarlets youngster Kieran Hardy, as well as established No.9 rivals Gareth Davies and Tomos Williams.

Dai Young has admitted he was left burnt by 16 years of non-stop coaching, but still believes there is enough fuel left in his tank to ignite Cardiff Blues. The new director of rugby at the Arms Park has only been appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season. But after just a week back in his former seat of power, Young has revealed he plans being around for another long haul if things go according to plan.

Mark Jones has moved a lot closer to home and insists one day he wants to return to Welsh rugby. The new assistant coach at Worcester Warriors had been working in New Zealand with the all-conquering Crusaders, but even the best non-Test team in the world had to give way to coronavirus. Having made it back from Canterbury in December for a Christmas break, the pandemic and its effect on flights and transglobal workers meant the Jones family were unable to resume their new life in the southern hemisphere.

In 2014, Will Taylor started for Wasps in front of 82,000 people against Harlequins at Twickenham.  Three years later he was selling vegetables on the streets of London and collecting empty glasses in his friend’s nightclub. They say life’s a rollercoaster but the 29-year-old from Swansea wouldn’t have expected there to be quite as many sharp turns.

The Welsh Rugby Union will receive financial support from Welsh government funding, which is set to be confirmed this week. After a devastating year dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the WRU’s bank balance has been decimated. It’s estimated each Wales home match brings in about £10million and the WRU believe they have lost more than £50m due to Covid-19.

Wales and other rival nations to France for this season’s Six Nations should prepare for the tournament and expect that it will definitely go ahead. The message has come from French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte who says this season’s Guinness Six Nations Championship “will take place”. The World Rugby vice-chairman also says there will be an expanded coronavirus testing programme for the tournament, while each country will have “a Covid manager”.

Cardiff Blue Dragons have given Wheelchair Rugby League in Wales a huge boost by launching a team to add to their ever-expanding player base in the capital. Players are now being recruited by the club during lockdown in readiness for training to start later in the year.

Dan Lydiate has heralded the resurgence of the Ospreys and the region’s signing of Wales prop Tomas Francis. Under the guidance of head coach Toby Booth, the Swansea-based region have improved steadily over the course of a season hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over Christmas the Ospreys won two of their three festive derby clashes by beating Cardiff Blues and Dragons after a narrow loss to the Scarlets.

The Women’s Six Nations has been postponed until “later this spring or early summer”, tournament organisers announced on Wednesday. The Under 20s Six Nations will also be rescheduled, with the governing body saying they expect to announce full details of timings and formats for both competitions by the end of January. Tournament organisers confirmed the men’s edition will take place as scheduled, with Italy hosting France in the opening fixture on February 6, though France’s government is demanding reassurances on safety from England and Ireland before allowing its men’s side to visit those countries next month.

The Welsh regions have started January with a sense of adventure, says Harri Morgan. But this new year resolution has to extend beyond the month and stretch towards the seasons ahead if the game is going to re-connect with its audience. Jumping on a sporting bandwagon – for which you have little interest during the rest of the year – is a great way to provide purpose to the days between Christmas and New Year. For many, this would have consisted of following Gerwyn Price’s journey to glory in the PDC World Darts Championship.

By Paul Jones Lions supporters have started a petition calling for this summer’s tour to South Africa to be postponed to 2022 rather than being staged in the UK and Ireland. Over 1,450 fans have so far urged the home unions not to abandon 133 years of Lions history by holding the series against the […]

Ospreys coach Toby Booth believes Wales prop Tomas Francis can be the rock on which they rebuild their reputation. The region have confirmed the signing of Francis from Exeter Chiefs for next season after Francis opted to leave the European champions in order to continue his Wales career. After twice managing to persuade Welsh Rugby Union officials that extensions to his contract in England kept him within the 60-cap rule, Francis had his third attempt rejected.

Scarlets coach Glenn Delaney has backed plans for the creation of a British, Irish and Italian A league competition. It is understood that talks are at an advanced stage for such a tournament to be played next season during the international window. From next season onwards, the revamped Guinness PRO16 will have fewer fixtures played during the international period in a bid to enhance the quality of the league, making room for a developmental competition to be played during the Test window.

Former Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett has urged the WRU hierarchy to learn from their Celtic cousins by appointing a new head man who will invest more resources into the professional game. Former finance director Steve Phillips currently holds the position of interim CEO of the WRU after Martin Phillips’ departure from the role. But Moffett, who was WRU CEO between 2002-2005, believes they should cast the net wide when it comes to appointing someone on a permanent basis.