There’s a Welshman at the top of the League Two table who looks well placed to win a title and promotion. Rob Edwards pulled up few trees as an international player, though his managerial career is echoing the quiet success he achieved as a club player, as Daniel Parker reports. Of the 21 players handed their first cap by Mark Hughes in his tenure as Wales boss from 1999 to 2004, fewer than 10 would go on to win 30 or more caps. While a handful of Hughes’ debutants progressed to become stars in a red jersey – Danny Gabbidon, Simon Davies, Robert Earnshaw and James Collins – the majority were international émigrés by the end of the decade.

Wayne Rooney has urged Wales manager Rob Page to “get over” any personal history with Tom Lawrence and recall Derby County’s captain. Lawrence has not played for Wales for almost a year since Page left him out of the squad for last summer’s delayed Euro finals. Derby manager Rooney – whose team, including Lawrence, lost 2-1 at Swansea City on Saturday – has claimed the omission of the 28-year-old could be down to “history” between player and current caretaker boss.

Wales manager Gemma Grainger says her team will take the positives from a resilient performance in a tight 2-1 defeat against group leaders France and use them to fuel the remainder of their World Cup campaign. While the hosts conceded two sloppy goals, Grainger was upbeat about the performance insisting that the big nations now respect Wales. The coach was pleased her side showed they can compete against the top nations and really cause issues for some of the best players in the world.

Women’s sport in Wales is on the precipice of the biggest weekend in its history. Both the women’s national football and rugby teams are looking to ride the wave of support in a blockbuster month to confirm a seismic shift in interest, activism and commercial appeal. On Friday night, Wales host France at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, with the prospect of taking a huge step forward towards qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Helen Ward says she would not swap her 14-year international career for a more lucrative one in the modern era as she prepares to become the newest member of Wales’ 100-cap club. Ward is set to join Jess Fishlock, Loren Dykes and Sophie Ingle as Welsh centurions in Friday’s 2023 World Cup qualifier against France in Llanelli. Chris Gunter, Gareth Bale and Wayne Hennessey have reached the three-figure milestone in the men’s game.

Rhiannon Roberts is determined to top up her feelgood factor when Wales host France on Friday night in their crucial World Cup qualifier. The Liverpool defender has already achieved one successful mission this season by sealing promotion with her club at the weekend after a 4-2 victory at Bristol City. The win extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run in the Championship to 19 games and confirmed them as champions.

Wales manager Robert Page has described the prospect of facing England at the World Cup as “mouth-watering”. The Dragons are one match away from making their first World Cup appearance since 1958 following a Gareth Bale-inspired 2-1 victory against Austria last month. Wales will meet Scotland or Ukraine for a place in the finals, with England lying in wait in Qatar on November 29 if Page’s men triumph.

By Harry Corish Rubin Colwill will start on the bench for Cardiff City tomorrow in the South Wales derby after manager Steve Morison insisted he would not get carried away by the hype. Colwill scored his first goal for Wales against the Czech Republic in midweek in an impressive first home start. But despite a […]

By David Williams Wayne Hennessey will join the exclusive Welsh football 100 cap club when he leads the side in the friendly against the Czech Republic in Cardiff today. It is a landmark that threatened to elude him when Leicester’s Danny Ward took his spot at last year’s European Championships. Some may have thrown in […]

By Graham Thomas Helen Ward believes sport is moving in the right direction when it comes to dealing with pregnancy and motherhood – but that didn’t stop her stressing over seeing her own kids on Mother’s Day. The iconic Wales striker – who is closing in on 100 international caps for her country – was […]

Rabbi Matondo is learning the knuckleball secrets from Gareth Bale a year after a knucklehead decision cost him his place in the Wales squad. Matondo is set to face the Czech Republic on Tuesday, as Wales seek to ride the wave from their stunning Bale-inspired World Cup play-off victory over Austria. But only 12 months ago, Matondo was sent home by manager Rob Page for breaking a hotel curfew, along with Hal Robson-Kanu and Tyler Roberts, and his international future was in doubt.

Wales are one win from “living the dream” at the World Cup and manager Robert Page says they would have to “strip the emotions away” were they to meet war-torn Ukraine for a place in Qatar. Page’s side booked their place in the World Cup play-off final by beating Austria 2-1 on Thursday and will now meet Scotland or Ukraine. That semi-final has been postponed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with June being the most likely option for a new date.