By David Williams The Scarlets have been left in the lurch after their Heineken Champions Cup clash against Toulon this evening was called off less than an hour before kick-off. Tournament organisers European Professional Club Rugby have confirmed Toulon decided not to play because of coronavirus-related concerns. But rather than suggest the contest would be […]

The Scarlets may be 12 international players down going into their crucial Heineken Champions Cup home clash with Toulon tonight, but head coach Glenn Delaney isn’t worried about tackling the French giants with a reduced squad. Instead, he is looking forward to giving more youngsters their chance to shine by taking on players of the calibre of Ma’a Nonu, Eben Etzebeth and Sergio Parisse. Jonathan Davies returns to the midfield to join acting skipper Steff Hughes to face Nonu, while wannabee Wales flanker Josh Macleod gets his first start after recovering from the hamstring strain that robbed him of the chance of winning a first cap in the Nations Cup.

Gareth Davies has backed Wayne Pivac to turn things around with Wales and says the evidence for his optimism lies in the coach’s impact with the Scarlets. The Wales scrum half, fresh from another superb try to cap his 200th appearance for the Scarlets at Bath in the Heineken Champions Cup last weekend, has admitted Pivac’s men weren’t where they wanted to be when they gathered for the autumn internationals. Wales lost their first three games, to France, Scotland and Ireland, beat Georgia and then went down to England. They won their final game but didn’t really manage to finish with the anticipated flourish against Italy.

The tries may have come from their internationals, but the Scarlets had the little known Morgan Jones to thank for their sensational 23-19 Heineken Champions Cup win at Bath. The Welsh region spent seven minutes defending their try line, and saw the referee rule out two potential tries, the last of which was all to do with Wales U20 lock Jones’ wrapping his arms around home scrum half Ben Spencer. “The effort at the end was massive, it was all about commitment and heart. We were under so, so much pressure, that was about character,” said a delighted Scarlets head coach, Glenn Delaney.

The Scarlets, Dragons, Cardiff Blues and Ospreys are all in action this weekend, as international rugby moves aside and the new format of the Heineken Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup gets underway. James Dodd takes a look at the chances of the four Welsh teams going into round one.  Like most else in our lives, European rugby is different this year. Thanks again, pandemic. In the top tier competition, the Heineken Champions Cup, there will be two pools, each containing 12 teams.

Stephen Varney, 19-years-old and a fluent Welsh speaker born in Pembrokeshire, will return to west Wales today for a first experience of Test rugby in his homeland. But when he lines up at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli for his first international start, Varney will be wearing the blue shirt of Italy rather than Welsh red. Il Canto degli Italiani – not Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau – will be his national anthem.

The Jersey boys will be uniting again tomorrow as three former players of the Channel Islands club – Kieran Hardy, Callum Sheedy and Will Rowlands – prepare to face Italy. Hardy has had a brief taste of Test rugby and now wants to challenge the more established names as James Dodd reports. Kieran Hardy is determined to end Wales’ 2020 campaign by proving he can be first choice scrum-half in 2021. The 25-year-old from Carmarthen made his debut a fortnight ago in Wales’ 18-0 victory over Georgia at Llanelli.

Wales try-scorer Johnny Williams has told fans not to go nut but stay patient as they rebuild under head coach Wayne Pivac. The Scarlets centre impressed in only his second Test match appearance in the 24-13 defeat to England at Parc y Scarlets.

Wayne Pivac insists Wales are making progress and his players are fully behind him, despite seven defeats in his nine matches in charge. The Wales coach suffered his latest setback with a 24-13 reverse against England at Parc y Scarlets and although it was a much-improved performance by Wales, they were unable to threaten a team currently seven places above them in the world rankings. Pivac, though insists his captain, Alun Wyn Jones, and his players are fully behind him along the bumpy road to transformation from the Warren Gatland era.

Johnny Williams has scored more tries in a white shirt than he has in a red one – but he insists there will be no regrets when he lines up for Wales against England today. The Scarlets centre once touched down in an England jersey, with a red rose on his chest, but he says the heart beating beneath always stirred to the land of his father. Williams – who has beaten testicular cancer to reach rugby’s highest level – insists he is Welsh through and through as he prepares to take on the country of his birth.

Life inside the Wales camp is tough enough at present, with England looming this weekend and a whole load of restrictions in camp due to the pandemic. But Jake Ball has more than most to contend with, as he told Graham Thomas. Big Jake Ball admits he is missing his three kids and he hopes to take out three months of frustration against England on Saturday. That’s how long it is since the 6ft 7in Wales second row last saw his two daughters – Charlotte and Amelia – and son Jackson, due to Covid-19 restrictions and the fact his wife Christie is expecting their fourth child at any moment.

Louis Rees-Zammit is just 19 years old and is facing England in only his second start for Wales tomorrow. But don’t be worried. Because he certainly won’t be, says one man who knows him very well and told Graham Thomas. Louis Rees-Zammit will not be losing any sleep over the prospect of facing Jonny May tomorrow, according to the man who used to be both wings’ boss. In fact, before Wales’ new 19-year-old star goes head-to-head against his Gloucester clubmate, then he will be counting down the hours, says former Gloucester director of rugby, David Humphreys.