Wales Women begin their 2023 TikTok Six Nations campaign with a home tie against Ireland at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday.

Last year’s campaign proved to be huge for the women’s game in Wales. Ioan Cunningham’s side then went on to secure a quarter-final spot at the delayed 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup, last autumn, before losing to the eventual winners, New Zealand.

It is an exciting time for the Welsh team, as they continue to build on their success. But Cunningham and his side will be looking for further progress as they continue to chase down England and France, who continue to set the standards in the Northern Hemisphere.

Regional Rugby

Cardiff begin this weekend’s United Rugby Championship action with an important fixture against bottom of the table Zebre. The Italian side remain winless, and Cardiff will be looking to pick up maximum points with several members of their squad returning from injury or international action.

The Cardiff side will feature the likes of James Botham, Thomas Young, Mason Grady and Rhys Priestland, as Dai Young looks for a positive result against Zebre this weekend.

The Scarlets take on the Sharks on Saturday evening, in what will be a huge test for the West Walian side. The Sharks boast the likes of Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche, who all played a part in South Africa’s World Cup win in 2021.

Six wins from seven have dramatically turned Scarlets’ season around since January. But it will be a difficult task for the Peels side, as the Sharks travel to Llanelli looking to maintain their current position, inside the play off positions.

The Ospreys host the Dragons earlier in the day at the Swansea.com Stadium. Welsh derbies are always special occasions, but Ospreys’ current position means a win this weekend is crucial, as they continue to chase down Cardiff, who currently lead the Welsh Shield standings.

The Dragons won a thriller last time they faced the Ospreys, with a stunning 32-25 victory in front of their home fans back in October. Since then, the Dragons have struggled in the URC, picking up just one win in their next nine matches.

The Ospreys’ league form has faltered at times, having picked up three wins from their last nine games in URC action, but Toby Booth’s side have enjoyed an excellent run in the Heineken Champions Cup, picking up three wins from four against Leicester and Montpellier.

As the Road to Principality 2023 begins to crescendo, we look towards the return of the WRU Premiership Cup this weekend, with two mouth-watering semi-final ties set to take place on Saturday.

Pontypridd will take on Newport at the Dunraven Brewery Field, while RGC face Cardiff at the Wern, in Merthyr, as the final four teams look to secure a spot at the Principality on the April 23.

Last years’ winners Newport will head into the weekend as favourites in their semi-final, but the Valley Commandos will certainly fancy their chances, having enjoyed an excellent run in the cup competition this year.

The other semi-final is set to be another tight encounter between the Cardiff and RGC, who have only been separated by 14 points during their two previous games this year.

Cardiff have already picked up a league double over RGC this season and will certainly want to make it three wins from three against the North Walian side.

But Ceri Morris’ side will certainly have full belief in themselves, having picked up some impressive wins of late, including a 42-3 win against Pontypridd at the beginning of March.