Category: Wales Rugby

• Bordeaux wing to miss Friday’s opener against Wales
• Former England prop Henry Thomas makes first start

France’s Romain Ntamack is set to line up at fly-half for the first time in almost 18 months but the Six Nations favourites will be without the wing Damian Penaud for Friday night’s opener against Wales, adding to a list of key players unavailable for the curtain-raiser at the Stade de France.

Ntamack missed the 2023 World Cup with a knee injury and his planned comeback last November was curtailed by a calf injury, but he will reprise his highly regarded combination with the returning captain, Antoine Dupont. Penaud had been expected to return to the team but suffered a toe injury in training and Théo Attissogbé will line up on the wing instead.

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Senior men’s head coach Warren Gatland has named the Wales team to play France in the opening match of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations at Stade de France, Paris on Friday 31 January (KO 20.15h GMT, live on ITV and S4C). Josh Adams, Liam Williams and Dafydd Jenkins return to the Wales starting XV at […]

The post Wales team for Guinness Six Nations opener against France appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Aled Walters still recalls watching the British & Irish Lions win the 1989 series against Australia as an eight-year-old and celebrating Ieuan Evans try in the third Test. Now he will be joining Evans, who is the current chairman of the Lions Committee and tour manager this summer, on the 2025 tour Down Under after […]

The post Walters first Welshman named in Lions squad appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

New Wales scrum coaching consultant Adam Jones is loving being back in the international environment and is backing his old coach Warren Gatland to turn things around. Jones won 95 caps for Wales and played in five Tests for the British & Irish Lions and since hanging up his boots has become a highly rated […]

The post Jones backs Wales to turn fortunes around appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Llandovery overturned a 21-point deficit in the second half to earn a stunning comeback triumph over Cardiff in their Super Rygbi Cymru Cup Pool A opener at Church Bank. Right wing Llian Morgan ran in a hat-trick with left wing Ilan Phillips, No 8 Nathan Hart and a penalty try also on the scoresheet for […]

The post Never say die Drovers’ stage magnificent SRC Cup fightback appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

RGC director of rugby Josh Leach praised his side after they opened their SRC Cup campaign in style by coming from behind to defeat Aberavon 54-42 in a thrilling Pool A clash at Parc Eirias. Flanker Dan Owen, hooker Rhodri King and full-back Dion Jones all bagged braces, with scrum-half Dan Roderick and replacement Jessie […]

The post RGC win 13 try, 96 points SRC Cup thriller against Aberavon appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Ospreys tighthead prop Ben Warren has been called up to the Wales senior men’s squad. WALES SQUAD FOR 2025 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS  Forwards (20) Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby  – 10 caps) James Botham (Cardiff Rugby – 16 caps) Elliot Dee (Dragons – 51 caps) Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby – 104 caps) Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs […]

The post Warren called up for Wales appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

In February 2000, the newcomers surprised Scotland and a quarter-century of highlights remind us of the tournament’s enduring power

It is more than 140 years since England beat Wales in the very first match of the old Home Nations championship, 2-0 at St Helen’s in Swansea in 1883, and there is an old man in the back bar of the Kings Head who will tell you that the English winger’s foot was in touch when he scored the winner.

Even the modern-day championship’s getting on. The Six Nations is 25 this year. The tournament brought in Italy and they marked the occasion by beating Scotland 34-20 in their first game. Diego Domínguez, their little wizard of a fly-half, kicked three drop goals and 29 points in total, and Scotland have not had a relaxed flight out to Rome since.

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Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has given Dan Edwards’ selection in Warren Gatland’s Guinness Six Nations squad a big thumbs up. The 21-year-old Ospreys outside half had been due to train with Wales during the Autumn Nations Series but injury prevented him from doing that. Since then he has bossed the Ospreys side and led […]

The post Jones impressed with Edwards ‘brilliant mentality’ appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Gwalia Lightning’s 27-29 victory against Edinburgh has seen them move up a spot to second place on the Celtic Challenge table after a nail-biting fifth round clash at Hive Stadium this afternoon. Wales centre Kerin Lake made her debut for Gwalia Lightning against Edinburgh with the lead swapping numerous times during a closely fought contest. […]

The post Gritty Gwalia Lightning climb to second spot appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Lock on a daunting Six Nations, handling injury, why Welsh players should play in the Premiership and family pressure

The Six Nations is no place for the weak or the meek. Particularly not on a frantic Friday evening in Paris when Wales, last year’s wooden spoonists, have to enter the bubbling cauldron of the Stade de France. The pumped-up hosts will be scenting dragon’s blood and the task awaiting the visiting pack will be formidable in anybody’s language.

Cometh the hour, cometh the hard men. It is the reason why Dafydd Jenkins, the lock who became the youngest captain in Six Nations history last season, believes age matters less than attitude. “There’s pressure but if you can’t handle that you shouldn’t be there,” murmurs the 22-year-old. When the going gets tough, Jenkins is the type of player who relishes the battle even more.

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Tiaan Sparrow’s rugby rehabilitation will take another step forward when he plays for Llandovery in the Super Rygbi Cymru Cup competition. The teenager is named among the replacements for the Drovers for their Round 1 clash at home against Cardiff. The league campaign has been halted while so many of the players turn out for […]

The post Sparrow ready to fly in SRC Cup for Llandovery appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

Dewi Lake and Mason Grady may be missing from the Wales squad for the 2025 Guinness Six Nations but they have both committed their long-term futures to their professional clubs by signing new contracts. Lake has followed fellow international Jac Morgan in re-signing for the Ospreys, while Grady has put pen to paper on a […]

The post Lake and Grady latest to commit future to Welsh pro clubs appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.

From Ireland’s shot at history to Italy’s raised expectations, the 2025 championship has all the ingredients to rival past classics

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Six Nations and what strikes me on the eve of the tournament is how much of a reassuring presence on the calendar the championship has become. The World Cup is a wonderful tournament but there is debate over how many teams should feature, the Champions Cup has been tinkered with in terms of format and the Premiership has undergone changes, whether it be the number of teams or the absence of promotion and relegation. Against that backdrop, having a tournament as consistently familiar as the Six Nations is special.

Whether you’re a supporter, an administrator, a player or a broadcaster, we all believe that the Six Nations is the shining light of rugby. It is the one tournament where there is a unified belief that it is still the greatest competition. In the coming weeks we’ll have 10s of millions of viewers watching our sport, it is our moment in the spotlight.

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Gwalia Lightning have named the side to face Edinburgh in Celtic Challenge Round 5 at the Hive Stadium, Edinburgh, on Sunday, January 26th (KO:11:30am). The Welsh side hit the road to the Scottish capital determined to build on their remarkable comeback win against Glasgow Warriors in Round 4. The Lightning scored a try with the […]

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