Wales Prepare For Crunch Ukraine Double Header
Carwyn Harris
Wales face Ukraine on Friday night at Parc y Scarlets in what will be the first of a key double header in their bid to qualify for the Euros.
Rhian Wilkinson’s Wales side have won two games from two so far after a 4-0 home win against Croatia and a 6-0 thrashing of Kosovo.
Wales now face back-to-back games against a Ukrainian side who beat the Kosovans 2-0 before losing 1-0 in Croatia.
Ukraine travel to Parc y Scarlets on Friday before hosting Wales on Tuesday evening.
On Friday, Wales will be led out by Seattle Reign’s Angharad James who has been given the opportunity to captain the side after Sophie Ingle announced she would step away from the captaincy after nine years in the role.
Wilkinson has said that “many players” will wear the armband before she finalises her decision of who will succeed Ingle.
So far their qualifying campaign has been smooth sailing, with Jess Fishlock scoring twice against Croatia, a feat emulated by Rachel Rowe and Elise Hughes against Kosovo with both scoring a brace alongside goals from Kayleigh Barton and Ffion Morgan.
There was also the not-so-small matter of Fishlock’s 150th Wales cap against Kosovo.
Wales also boast the Euros qualifying joint-top goal-scorer in Rachel Rowe with three goals. Rowe will come into the game on Friday on a high after being part of Rangers’ cup success last Sunday, having been pipped on goal difference by Celtic in the league.
After scoring 10 goals in their opening two games Wales will have to make a change in attack to the side which beat Croatia as Elise Hughes, who led the line, is out with an ACL injury.
Head coach Rhian Wilkinson may opt to select Liverpool’s Ceri Holland or Kayleigh Barton after the latter started and scored against Kosovo.
Fellow forward Hannah Cain is still out with her ACL injury, however, there is some positive news as midfielder Carrie Jones and Manchester United goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel return from injury.
So far it has been a positive start to Wilkinson’s reign, having been announced as head coach in February.
Should Wales win both of their games against Ukraine it is possible that they will secure their place on top of the group if other results go their way.
If they do so, they will be seeded for the play-offs to reach Switzerland 2025 and a first major tournament in their history in what could be a special swansong for Wales’ all-time most capped player in Fishlock.
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Five Debutants We'd Like To See In The Wales Squad This Summer
Carwyn Harris
The summer tour is nearly upon us. Traditionally, summer tours for rugby have been used as an opportunity to experiment, trial new players and combinations.
This summer things could be slightly different when Wales face South Africa in Twickenham and on their tour to Australia.
Wales were forced into several changes during the Six Nations with six players making their international debuts during the campaign.
Cardiff Rugby quartet Cameron Winnett, Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, and Evan Lloyd all made their first appearances in a Wales shirt, whilst there were also caps for Bath’s Archie Griffin and Scarlets’ Harri O’Connor.
However, with the return from injury of the likes of Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, Taine Plumtree, and Christ Tshiunza along with the possible inclusion of some of Wales’ experienced overseas players may mean some of the above miss out.
Liam Williams and Cory Hill, who both play in Japan, have been touted for a return, whilst France-based Tomas Francis could be one to appear in the tighthead berth.
Tighthead is one position where there is a fair bit of uncertainty at the moment in Welsh rugby.
Due to injury, five players played in that position during the Six Nations with Cardiff’s Keiron Assiratti starting three games, Leon Brown starting the opener and Harlequins’ Dillon Lewis getting the final game against Italy.
There were also opportunities for Griffin and O’Connor off the bench against England and Italy respectively.
On this week’s Sportin Wales podcast former Wales prop Chris Horsman backed Griffin to be selected for this summer’s tour but there could yet be two separate debutants this summer.
At Ospreys, both Rhys Henry and South African-born Tom Botha have had good seasons in the scrum as a cornerstone of an Ospreys pack which dominated Stormers in South Africa.
Neither are perhaps known for their work rate around the park although Henry in particular does have some good passing skills, but both could set a solid foundation for the Welsh pack.
They aren’t the only Ospreys players in this list.
Both Reuben Morgan-Williams at scrumhalf and Morgan Morris at eight in particular have had good seasons, with Morris winning player of the match in three of Ospreys’ last four wins.
Morris does indeed have his limitations, at 6 foot he isn’t the tallest of eights, and therefore not as capable a lineout option as an Aaron Wainwright, but with the possibility of moving the Dragons man to six or selecting Plumtree or Tshiunza in the back row this could alleviate the pressure on Morris to be a jumping option.
Morgan-Williams meanwhile has blossomed as first choice this season. Helped by a more dominant pack in comparison to Scarlets pair Kieran Hardy and Gareth Davies but his kicking has improved, whilst he has also been a running threat, as demonstrated against Dragons.
Another who may get a chance is James Fender, who shone earlier this season before picking up a shoulder injury in January which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
This tour may come too soon following his return from injury, however Wales don’t have an abundance of choices to face South Africa with Adam Beard and Teddy Williams both injured whilst Dafydd Jenkins and Will Rowlands may be unavailable due to the game falling outside of the international window.
Warren Gatland may opt for the previous international experience of Seb Davies or Dragons’ Ben Carter, but Fender is certainly one to look out for the future.
Wing is another spot where there will be the opportunity to trial a debutant.
After Louis Rees-Zammit’s move to NFL and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso choosing England, Wales are somewhat light on options in this position.
With Mason Grady needed in the centres following George North’s retirement and Joe Roberts’ injury, who provides cover for Josh Adams and Rio Dyer?
Keelan Giles has enjoyed a good season for Ospreys and despite being part of Wales squads in the past, is yet to make his debut at 26, coming closest when left an unused substitute in Wales’ 33-30 win over Japan.
He faces stiff competition from both Scarlets’ Tomi Lewis and Cardiff’s Theo Cabango.
Lewis is physically the largest of the three and has been in strong attacking form for Scarlets ever since he broke into the starting XV after his performance off the bench against Edinburgh in January.
Another who may get an opportunity is Cabango, who has missed a lot of rugby this season and last with serious injuries but is capable of eye-catching scores including against Scarlets and a double, or ghost treble, against Ulster.
Others who could make their debut include Gloucester’s Josh Hathaway who has played for both Wales and England’s U20s teams whilst Dragons pairing of centre Joe Westwood and fly-half Will Reed could be in line for a first call up to the national side.
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Dragons In Netball Super League Shakeup
Carwyn Harris
Cardiff Dragons have been selected as one of eight franchises in the revamped Netball Super League for next season.
Their selection comes after the conclusion of a “robust” eight-month selection process, seeing them join fellow existing franchises Manchester Thunder, Loughborough Lightning, London Pulse and Leeds Rhinos.
Saracens Mavericks are to be renamed London Mavericks, whilst there are places for new franchises Nottingham Forest Netball and Birmingham Panthers.
However, there is no place for Team Bath, Strathclyde Sirens, Surrey Storm or Severn Stars.
The move also sees a reduction in squad sizes from 15 to 10 players in a bid to make the league more competitive, while attempting to ensure the financial stability of the league as players are offered larger professional contracts.
Per the press release by Netball Super League, the plan also includes increasing the average salary of players by 60%, whilst more than half of the games in the 2025 season will be at major arenas.
“We’re looking to be Cardiff’s first full-time professional club for women and that’s really exciting, previously players have had to balance two or maybe three different jobs,” said Dragons CEO Vicki Sutton.
“They do that while training 10 or 12 hours a week and it’s challenging for them, so I’m thrilled about the announcement and the players can benefit sooner rather than later.
“There’re three phases to this 10-year plan, the first phase is three years, as is the second phase and then the final one is four years and the expectations for player salaries will increase in every phase.
“Next year, whilst we’re seeing higher salaries, they aren’t probably enough for all of them to stop their jobs just yet but it’s a step in the right direction and it may not be too long before that happens.
“The 13,14,15-year-olds playing no in their clubs, when they’re thinking about their career path, as of today they can want to be a professional player.”
The hope will be that a rise in professionalism will give players a better opportunity to reach their potential and therefore improve the standard of domestic netball in England and Wales. The challenge then is to bring enough eyes on the new product.
“Every game will be on TV, that’s the commitment that’s been made,” said Sutton.
“My ambition is to make these players household names, like your Aaron Ramsey’s and Leigh Halfpenny’s and we’ll get there. The viewership and interest is increasing and this investment will help that.
“It’s brilliant we’re in and we’re absolutely going to make the most of this process and I’m thrilled we’re one of the eight.
“It’s great to see a football club in Nottingham Forest getting involved, a powerhouse premier league club getting involved in our league.
Sutton acknowledges the process has at times been challenging and that it was a difficult wait after a “robust” data and interview process, but it has been well worth the weight.
“It was an eight month of a really robust application with lots of data and detail, 13 different sections with different ratings, submitted in January,” said Sutton.
“It hasn’t been easy, but the right way to go about it. If you’re committing to something for ten years it shouldn’t come easy, if it was then everyone would do it.
“I’m thrilled for the work and effort we’ve put in, we’ve reaped the rewards for the last three years from where we were to where we are now.”
Captain Nia Jones, says the news is “massive” and feels like a “day that would never come.”
“It’s so exciting and from a players perspective it’s pretty much a dream come true, it’s exactly what you want to do, to be a professional athlete day in day out,” said Jones.
“The fact we’re going to be training more, focusing more on things like analysis and recovery, it means everything will improve which hopefully means a better product for the fans as well.”
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Welsh Rugby's Player Pathway Solution With John Alder
Carwyn Harris
This week’s guest to the Sportin Wales podcast was the WRU’s Head of Player Development John Alder.
Tasked with one of the most difficult roles in Welsh rugby, ensuring a steady stream of successful rugby players progress through the ranks and into the national sides.
Alder was appointed in April 2022 and since then has begun to impart his vision of what Welsh rugby should look like.
He has been instrumental in the development of the Schools and Colleges League, along with the Player Development Centre’s in women’s rugby and most recently the new format and rebrand of the Indigo Premiership to Super Rygbi Cymru.
Alongside some strong questioning from Sportin Wales co-founder Alex Cuthbert, this week saw Alder asked about everything from Super Rygbi Cymru, BUCS rugby, Wales Under 20’s, oh and the case of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
“I joined in April 2022, and it’s been a bit of whirlwind,” said Alder.
“It’s not been as smooth as I might have thought, I always thought it would be a big challenge and a privilege to step into the sport in Wales. It’s the national sport and I was excited by the challenge.
“I didn’t quite foresee the bumps we’ve had to chart the last few years but I’m still excited about the change we can drive forward.
“It takes great responsibility because it’s so important to everybody and it’s not something I’m taking lightly.”
Alder played schoolboy international rugby and enjoyed a short spell at Gloucester and in Australia and the Exeter Chiefs.
Since his playing days he was involved in education, the NRL in rugby league before joining the English Institute of Sport as head of performance pathways alongside Nigel Walker.
The pathway has been under intense scrutiny in recent times with Wales’ men’s international side struggling after a golden generation of players with the likes of Dan Biggar, Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny all retiring internationally in the last 12 months or so.
“The challenge from a pathway perspective with the academies and programmes that are run is, how do you hold a space where each of the players can develop at the rate they need to,” said Alder.
“Also, how can the programmes best prepare the players for what they’re going to face in the end, like some of our younger players who’ve perhaps been called up earlier than they might have expected like Cam Winnett, Mackenzie Martin, how can we ensure that the programmes they’ve been in till that point have prepared them t be called upon at any moment?
“It’s a little bit tricky as how do you plan for that?
“Also, it’s important not to write players off too soon as there’ll be boys who are a shouting talent from 14 or 15 but others may be a later bloomer, so we need to take care of those players on their different journeys.”
In April 2022, the signs were already there that it was a big job and Alder began with what he sees as the “cornerstone of the system” and the regional academies before “working outwards”.
Alder says he feels the pathway are getting to a stage where the Wales under 18s and under 20s have “stabilised quite nicely.”
“We’ve got two good leaders in there with Richard Wiffin in the U20s and Richie Pugh in the U18s,” said Alder.
“Now we can do some work.”
Previously Wales sevens has been a key element of the pathway to international rugby, with the likes of Cuthbert, Tipuric, Lee Byrne and James Hook, all having come through the system.
Currently the Welsh sevens don’t compete on the sevens series individually as they are part of team GB.
“I’m a big fan of sevens,” said Alder.
“I haven’t been close to sevens since I started because they joined team GB and that changed things fundamentally in terms of what we do domestically and access to players.
“Until we know what the future of what GB sevens looks like it’s quite hard to build that domestically in terms of what we’d build in terms of a pathway for lifetime sevens players or as a development route, which I know New Zealand have been quite celebrated in how they’ve used sevens for development.
“For the moment it’s at a bit of a holding pattern, get out the back of the Paris Olympics.
“It’s been a disappointing cycle for GB men’s, you’d think with the power of three great rugby nations it should be a guaranteed but that hasn’t proven to be true.”
Of course, any proposed return to Welsh sevens would be dependent on finances and as the WRU shorten budgets the question arises, does Alder feel he has enough funds to allow his vision of Welsh rugby to properly succeed.
“I suppose it’s the saying, scarcity is the mother of invention,” said Alder.
“How can we look really clinically at what we’re doing and be more efficient and effective as more money doesn’t necessarily mean better results and how can we make sure we’re squeezing every drop of the lemon.
“Of course I’d like more money, but I think we can make some significant strides and hopefully if over time that is increased, we can take it from there.”
So where are we in the timeline of Alder’s programme for changes?
“I always saw it as a three-stage change process,” said Alder.
“The complex political change, some of the pain we’ve been through quite publicly regarding semi-professional change and school changes.
“Then it’s embedding the programmes before sharpening the knife on it.
“I’d probably say we’re on stage two, beginning to embed the programmes, we’ve gone through the big structural change, now let’s good at what we’re doing.
“The decisions will probably not bear fruit until 4, 5 years or even longer. We’ve positioned it as 10 years to mastery in the men’s game, Warren Gatland said to me he doesn’t expect second rows to be any good until they’re 27, 28 so we shouldn’t be writing players off at 22.”
So if the systems are in place, do we have enough talent coming through, for Alder it’s a resounding answer.
“Yes, we do,” said Alder.
“We need to fall back in love with the national game. We’ve got remarkable conversion rates for such a small population, other sports would give their left arm for our conversion rates based on the number of registered players.
“Yes we’ve got the talent, we’ve got a small playing population compared to some of the other tier one countries but it’s never stopped us before.”
And then that perennial question, how many regions should we have for those players to succeed in?
“In my view, and I can only look through a development principal point of view, having four thriving regions is going to give us a brilliant cohort to pick a national team from,” said Alder.
“It works in my mind having four, but we want to have them humming.”
John Alder was speaking on this week’s episode of the Sportin Wales podcast which is available on all audio podcast streaming platforms or on youtube as well as the Sportin Wales website.
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Wales Pushing Their Teams To EFL Success
Carwyn Harris
It’s been a fascinating season for Wales’ footballers domestically this season.
Throughout the EFL, Welsh players have risen to the top, with many receiving titles, individual awards and promotions.
Beginning in League Two, Wrexham achieved a remarkable second consecutive promotion.
Led once again by talismanic striker Paul Mullin who scored 24 league goals and was particularly crucial in the run-in with Wrexham winning seven of their last eight games.
Mullin also won PFA Fans Player of the year award for the league and also took home Wrexham’s player of the season award.
21-year-old defender Max Cleworth was given particular praise by ex-Wrexham boss Brian Flynn on the Sportin Wales Wrexham Promotion Special Podcast and won Young Player Of The Season at the club where he started his career.
Moving to League One and Portsmouth who were crowned champions, returning to the Championship after a 12-year absence from the English second tier.
Welsh defender Regan Poole, who made his senior international debut in the 4-0 win against Gibraltar in October, moved to Pompey from Lincoln in the summer and began the season as a crucial cog in his new side’s defence.
Playing at centre back, he started all but one league game from the start of the season until the end of October, helping his side to four consecutive clean sheets in August, whilst also scoring three goals.
However, Poole suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the opening minutes of his side’s loss to Chesterfield in the FA Cup first round, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
Injury also curtailed Poole’s teammate Joe Morrell. Morrell played 27 times in the league for Pompey this season, captaining the side on eight occasions, but suffered a knee injury in February which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
The injury meant Morrell missed Wales’ crucial play-off qualifiers for the Euros which ultimately ended in disappointment with a penalty shootout loss to Poland.
Derby were the other side automatically promoted from League One, leaving Bolton Wanderers, Peterborough, Oxford and Barnsley to fight it out in the play-offs.
Bolton run to the play-off’s was helped by Welsh duo Aaron Collins and Josh Sheehan.
Collins joined Bolton from Bristol Rovers in January for £750,000. The uncapped forward won League One player of the season last year and joined Wanderers after three goals and seven assists in the league for Rovers this season.
After a slow start at his new club, failing to score in his first seven appearances for his new club, Collins ended the regular season with eight goals, including a hattrick against Reading on April Fools’ Day.
Collins also scored a crucial goal in Bolton’s 2-3 home loss to Barnsley in the play-off second leg, a result which ensured their place in the play-off final after a 3-1 win in the first.
Alongside Collins, Wales international Josh Sheehan was superb in midfield, earning 12 league assists and another in the 3-1 over Barnsley, missing just three games of the eventual 49 in their league season.
Sheehan’s performances ensured he won a place in League Two’s team of the year.
In the play-off final, Bolton came up against Oxford United, a side they had beaten 5-0 in March with Sheehan grabbing a goal and an assist.
The U’s were led by top scorer Mark Harris who moved to the club on a free from Cardiff in the summer.
Harris scored six goals in the final six games of the regular season to help his side to fifth in the table and secure a spot in the play-offs while fellow Welsh international Billy Bodin played 37 times in all in the league, grabbing five goals and four assists.
‘Sparky’, to use Harris’ nickname, played the full game in each of the play-off games and was a key cog in his side’s 2-0 win against Bolton in the final, performing a brilliant defensive display to limit the space of fellow Welsh international Sheehan.
Harris certainly enjoyed the celebrations as was well documented on social media, suffering a black eye after being jumped on by his teammates.
Moving up to the Championship and an automatic promotion race for the ages.
Leicester, Ipswich, Leeds and Southampton were locked in an intense battle for automatic promotion and after the Foxes were made champions both Ipswich and Leeds could have been promoted on the final day.
Both the Tractor Boys and The Whites have benefitted from Wales manager Rob Page asking his players to gain more game time at club level with Kieffer Moore dropping down on loan from Bournemouth to Ipswich while Joe Rodon and Connor Roberts both moved on loan from Spurs and Burnley respectively to Leeds.
In the end, it was Ipswich who succeeded automatically, with Moore, Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns all to the fore.
Moore ended with seven goals in the Championship from 18 games while Broadhead was Ipswich’s joint-top scorer with 13 goals in the competition.
Burns meanwhile finished with six league goals and four assists, but one of those goals was his superb Trivela (outside of the foot) finish into the far top corner after a good team move, earning him the goal of the season award.
Leeds and Southampton were left in the play-offs and after both sides played out 0-0 away draws in the first legs of the semi-final against Norwich and West Brom respectively, both won the decisive home title with Leeds winning 4-0 and Southampton 3-1.
Wales and Leeds have been intrinsically linked through the years with players such as Brian Flynn, John Charles, Terry Yorath and Gary Speed having appeared in white domestically along with the red of the national side.
This season Ethan Ampadu and Rodon have both been crucial to Leeds’ success. Ampadu has barely missed a minute for Leeds this season and has captained his side on 21 occasions, including the play-off semi-final legs.
Since January, he has been used almost exclusively as a centre back, partnering Rodon, for an impressive run of nine clean sheets in 12 games between January 13th and March 17th.
Both continued their form, keeping Norwich’s attackers quiet over 180 minutes in the play-off semi-finals.
Dan James is another who has shone this season, scoring 13 goals and six assists in the league, playing his part in a potent Leeds attack which also features former Swansea man Joël Piroe and Championship Player of The Season Crysencio Summerville.
To his credit, Ampadu was also busy during awards season, winning Leeds’ Player of The Year Award along with being named in the Championship’s Team of the Season.
Another who was given an EFL Championship award was Sheffield Wednesday and Wales midfielder Will Vaulks who won the Player in the Community Award.
It’s the third time he has been presented with the award having won it whilst at Cardiff City and Rotherham and is a recognition of his charitable work and connection to the Club’s community organisation.
Connor Roberts is the final one of Leeds’ quartet and after joining on loan from Burnley in January he had played 13 times in the league and play-offs scoring is solitary goal in a 3-1 win against Leicester.
Leeds will be hoping their Welsh contingent can lead them to victory on Sunday when they face Southampton who have they’re own Welsh star in David Brooks.
Like Moore, Rodon and Roberts, Brooks dropped down from the Premier League for more football to improve his fitness for the Euros play-offs.
Joining on loan from Bournemouth on the 30th of January, Brooks scored twice and assisted five goals in the league before providing the pass for Will Smallbone’s opener in a 3-1 win against West Brom in the play-off second leg.
Whoever the winner on Sunday, Wales will have played it’s part in reaching the golden ticket of the Premier League.
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Joe Hawkins "100% Happy" With Decision To Leave Wales
Carwyn Harris
“I’m 100% happy with my decision.”
That’s the assessment of Wales centre Joe Hawkins when asked about life at Exeter.
The 21-year-old has been one of the most talked about young starlets in Welsh rugby since his debut for the national senior side in November 2022.
He then earnt four further caps in the following years’ Six Nations but made the decision to move from Ospreys to Exeter at the end of the 2022/23 season.
That move made him ineligible to play for his country due to the 25-cap rule which means if a player has received a Welsh cap and has less than 25 caps they cannot move to play outside of Wales and continue to play for the national side. That is the basic rule although there are several caveats.
Hawkins’ decision came amidst the backdrop of great upheaval in Welsh rugby, before just his fourth start for the national side against England there was the threat of a players strike which eventually saw the 60-cap rule reduced to 25.
Despite being a former Wales u20s captain and seemingly destined for a bright future on the international scene Hawkins has no regrets for moving away from his country, despite missing the 2023 World Cup and this years’ Six Nations.
“I understand that playing for Wales is a huge thing and it was something I loved doing and I’d love to still be doing it, I think everyone would,” said Hawkins.
“It was a decision for my personal development as a player but as a person as well, moving away from home, if I’d have stayed in Wales that wouldn’t have been the case.
“I’m still young so whether the 25 cap rule stays or goes, hopefully one day I’ll play for Wales again, but at this moment in time I’m happy focusing on Exeter and establishing myself down here and getting better.
“I wasn’t surprised when Daf was asked to be captain in the Six Nations and I knew going into it he wouldn’t let anyone down because that’s just the type of guy he is.”
‘Daf’ is Dafydd Jenkins of course. Hawkins’ Exeter teammate and a player he played with for Wales u20s who went with the senior side to last year’s World Cup in France before being named Wales’ captain during the recent Six Nations.
“He’s just a grafter, nothing flashy about him but he’s the same here in Exeter,” said Hawkins.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss a training session and that’s quite a big thing the way he puts his body about on weekends.
“At 20, 21 it is hard to back up weekends after weekends and be so consistent so that’s a big testament to him to back up performance after performance and get his body to go every week.
“I’m really happy for him as well. The tournament didn’t go the way everyone would’ve hoped but I thought he came out of it with a lot of credit.”
Hawkins has recently bought a house “round the corner” from Jenkins and is looking forward to living near each other for “god knows how long we’re at the club.”
The pair, along with Wales’ Christ Tshiunza, are part of a crop of youngsters coming through at Exeter, with almost half of the starting XV selected by Rob Baxter which faced Toulouse in the quarter finals of the Champions Cup aged 23 or younger.
“It’s nice for us boys having that backing,” said Hawkins.
“It’s almost easy to please him [Baxter] in a way because what he wants from us is simple, he just wants us to put it all out on the field and go out and play.
“Keep moving, keep doing things, high work rate, it’s probably underrated how hard that is to do but as long as we’re doing that he’s normally pretty happy.”
For Hawkins that has been as a 12 this season, or off the bench, after Wales’ kicking coach and former fly-half Neil Jenkins touted Hawkins as a future 10 for his country.
“Definitely at the minute I see myself as a 12, I played outside-half growing up at Pontardawe and loved it,” said Hawkins.
“There was a bit of chat about me being a 10 long term and I’d certainly be open to that, but I see myself as a 12 who can play 10 rather than vice versa.
“But it all helps. If I play 10 then I understand what my centres need of me or if I play 12, I know what my 10 needs from me, so there’s a lot of crossover.”
Hawkins is having to come to grips with a different style of play at Exeter along with a change in his role.
“Exeter have made quite a big transition going towards playing with a bit more pace,” said Hawkins.
“They used to be a multiphase team, keeping the ball for long periods of time, now we want to play fast for two or three phases and then we might use the ball or look to kick.
“When we have the ball, we’re looking to make sure we’re using it well and having real quality in our play, I think it definitely suits my play because there are lots of opportunities to get my hands on the ball.”
That process has not been smooth, with Hawkins admitting he is “still finding” his way for Exeter.
“The biggest challenge for me this season is playing with someone like Henry Slade who’s a really creative player and I need to understand my role if the team needs go forward or gainline,” said Hawkins.
“It’s something I’m still learning because I like to be creative myself it’s just understanding what the team needs and doing that consistently.
“I’m probably not 100% happy with how that’s gone at times, but I understand I’m a young guy, learning my trade and I’m just trying to enjoy the process of it all.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs in careers and quite often the best careers have really low lows, but it’s everything I wanted it to be, everything I expected it to be and more and I just try and enjoy the processes.
“Not being 100% happy with the playing style I think is down to the fact I’m being pushed more than I have and there’s more being demanded more of me as a player than there has been before.
“I think; ‘Am I better now than I was in the first day of the season?’ and the answer for me is yes which I’m happy with.”
For Hawkins now it is about getting his head down and concentrating on life outside of the Welsh bubble in Exeter, however he admits he still can’t get away from the discussions on his future on social media.
“You obviously see things, regardless of what players say, everyone sees things,” said Hawkins.
“You have to pay no notice to it because no one knows the full story. The only people who know my circumstances or the scenario are me and my family and the average supporter doesn’t know the ins and outs even though a lot of them like to think they do.
“You have to take people’s opinions with a pinch of salt.”
Photograph – Exeter Chiefs
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International T20 Returns To Sophia Gardens
Carwyn Harris
International T20 cricket returns to Sophia Gardens on Tuesday after a long absence.
England haven’t played a T20 match at Glamorgan’s home ground since the 24th of June 2021, a five wicket win by DLS method against Sri Lanka.
On Tuesday they host Pakistan in the third match of four as preparation for the imminent T20 World Cup hosted by the USA and West Indies.
The first game of the series against Pakistan was abandoned on Wednesday due to bad weather, with the second set to take place at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Saturday.
That will be the first time the two teams meet in a T20 since they met in the World Cup final in Australia 2022, when England ran out winners by 5 wickets, thanks in part to a brilliant unbeaten 52 by test captain Ben Stokes.
Stokes will not be part of England’s squad this time round however, having opted out of joining his side in their T20 defence in a bid to recover from knee surgery.
11 of the 15 who were initially selected in England’s squad two years ago have been picked in head coach Matthew Mott’s preliminary squad for the West Indies, including Jonny Bairstow and Reece Topley who withdrew from the squad to Australia due to injury.
One of the headline new faces is bowler Jofra Archer who returns to England colours having not represented them at home in nearly four years.
A stress fracture in his right elbow and lower back have been persistent injury setbacks for the fast bowler who will play in the country of his birth should he be selected for England’s opener of the World Cup against Scotland in Barbados.
Archer was a crucial part of England’s attack for their 2019 One Day World Cup win but has yet to appear at a T20 World Cup.
The other T20 World Cup debutants are Ben Duckett, Will Jacks and left-arm spinner Tom Hartley.
Duckett made his T20 debut against Pakistan in 2019 during Archer’s first game, Jacks made his against the same opposition in September 2022, while Hartley is yet to play for England’s twenty over side.
Jacks, Bairstow and captain Jos Buttler have all made centuries at this year’s Indian Premier League and will hope to continue that form into the World Cup.
England begin their World Cup campaign against Scotland on the 4th of June before facing Australia, Oman and Namibia in the initial group stages before the super eights.
DragonBet has England at third favourites for the tournament behind India and Australia and are also backing them to beat Pakistan on Saturday at 4/9 on.
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Chris Cooke: A Place In History But Not Done Yet
Carwyn Harris
“The body was a bit sore, 1300 squats in the field, it comes with the territory I guess, being a keeper you have those days.”
That was Chris Cooke’s assessment following the opening day of the County Championship season at Lords, watching his bowlers run in nearly 1300 times in one innings from behind the stumps.
Now imagine doing that for 14 games a season, plus T20’s and the Hundred for nearly a decade and a half.
This is Cooke’s 14th season at Glamorgan, given a testimonial year to mark the occasion, over five and a half thousand miles from his hometown of Johannesburg.
“Growing up I was always playing cricket, but that journey certainly took some ups and downs growing up in South Africa,” said Cooke, 37.
“In South Africa, there are only six professional teams, a lot of politics involved and contracts are difficult to get and living there those last few years became very tough.
“I was lucky I had a British passport. I made the decision to come over here and see if I could make it and it worked out quite nicely.”
However, it wasn’t as simple as flying the 5,000 plus miles to Britain, Cooke had to apply for a spot as you would for any other job and rely on some good fortune to end up at Sophia Gardens.
“I was living in a static caravan on the field and sending my CV to all the teams and they get bombarded with stuff,” said Cooke.
“I was lucky Richard Almond, the second team coach at the time, picked up my CV and could resonate with a few of the teams being a South African himself, so he knew I was no mug and played to a certain standard.
“Will Bragg who was keeping for the seconds at the time had just got injured, so they needed a keeper, and I came down and did alright and the rest is history.”
Cooke made his mark immediately, on debut he hit his second, third and fourth balls for six in a T20 against Middlesex in 2011.
“I came in late on in the innings and I didn’t have to think,” said Cooke.
“I missed the first ball, connected with the next three which went for six, had a lucky four and then I was out.
“It was short but sweet and definitely gave me a bit of confidence that I belonged at that level and it’s a cool thing to tell the grandkids that your first three scoring shots went for six.”
Twelve years later, Cooke broke Glamorgan’s record for most appearances in T20 cricket in his 137th game and marked the occasion with their fastest ever 100 with a 38 ball century.
“Getting my first T20 hundred and for it to be a record as the fastest ever hundred for Glamorgan, something which wasn’t even on my radar, is pretty special,” said Cooke.
“I was just swinging, I thought I might be close to the record, but I was lucky enough to be in the zone.
“When you’re there, you’re not thinking about anything apart from what’s coming down at you, almost picturing where the ball is going to land before it does, you know what the bowler is going to bowl, and you stop thinking.
“You’re only in that zone a couple of times a career, if you could wrap that feeling up and sell it, you’d be a millionaire, every sportsman wants that feeling as much as possible.”
Perhaps someone has managed to bottle that feeling and give it to the players this season with captain Sam Northeast getting a record-breaking score at Lords in their first game of the County Championship Division Two and then Cooke scoring an unbeaten 126 in their second match.
That score took Cooke past 7,000 runs for Glamorgan in first class cricket while it also cemented his place in history as the 1,000th century scored for the county.
His 13th century of his first-class career was the latest in a long line of career highlights for Glamorgan.
“I think my love for the club grew over time, I always dreamt of playing for South Africa and at Newlands in Cape Town, but Glamorgan have shown a lot of faith in me and I love Cardiff, I’m so glad I landed here,” said Cooke.
“One highlight was the One Day Cup we won in 2021. I wasn’t in the team that day as I was with the Hundred, but I was there supporting and to finally get over the line and get a trophy was great.
“There’ve been a lot of amazing wins, the one up in Leicester a few years ago when Sam got 410 and we won it from nowhere, I’ll probably look back at that one as the best win I’ve been involved with from a team perspective.”
Despite this being Cooke’s testimonial year, he hasn’t decided to retire as yet and is hoping to win a couple more titles before he decides to call time on his career at Sophia Gardens.
“I’d like to keep playing and trying to win trophies, hopefully we’ll have some good discussions, and I can keep being a part of the club for a couple more seasons,” said Cooke.
“I’m very lucky to have had the career I’ve had, I played with a lot of guys growing up who were far more talented than I was, you’ve got to enjoy it, it’s a privilege to be playing for the ‘Daff’ and I hope I can continue to do so for a few more years yet.
“We’ve got a new coach, new captains, new CEO and chairman, there’s a lot of change around Glammy and it feels like a bit of a new era so I’d like to be part of it.”
Whilst he is not ready to hang up his gloves just yet, Cooke is seeing his testimonial year as an opportunity to build relationships for his future career after retirement.
“This testimonial season I’m meeting some amazing people, and you get a chance to do things outside of the game you wouldn’t normally do,” said Cooke.
“The networking is amazing, I’m trying a few things and hopefully I’ll have a few more winters down the line to nail what path I want to go into although I’d like to stay in sport somehow, it’s been a big part of my life so I’ll be really happy if I can stay in the industry.”
There are plenty of events both on and off the pitch to look forward to during Cooke’s testimonial season, starting with an evening with Australian cricketer Marnus Labuschagne on the 17th of May at the Cardiff & County Club.
“The evening with Marnus Labuschagne should be good,” said Cooke.
“After that on the 28th of June we’ve got a Celebrity cricket day at Sophia Gardens which’ll be a Cook XI versus a celebrity XI, with some of the celebrities already confirmed for that one.
“There’ll also be a couple of golf days and more cricket days along with a celebrity cooking event at Cornerstone which’ll be cool.
“If you’re interested, head to www.chriscooketestimonial.co.uk for more information.”
This interview was port of Sportin Wales’ May issue of the magazine. To read more articles go here.
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Summer Sports For Your Rugby Skills – With The Rugby Trainer
Carwyn Harris
Ben John is a former Ospreys and Dragons rugby player turned rugby coach who now runs a rugby academy and has a monthly column in Sportin Wales’ magazine.
The rugby season is very long and it’s important we give our bodies a break, especially from the contact but also give our mind a break as well, taking some time away and doing other sports will refresh your mind and make you ready to go come pre-season.
As a kid I played every sport under the sun and here are my five sports to do outside of rugby that gets you refreshed and ready for the new season.
Squash is a very good one for the agility, reaction and hand-eye coordination, but also your ability to get into longer movements whilst staying balanced.
You need to read the picture and change direction quickly like a tackle, using your footwork in small little movements to get to the ball, getting long while staying strong because you’ll have to move again, and not just dive into it, be ready to move again.
Cricket is great for the hand-eye coordination, you need the ability to run in at pace, read the flight, under pressure, create a bucket with your hands and have soft hands too. If you don’t, it’s going to hurt.
In rugby we don’t practice catching much, it’s just expected, in cricket they spend loads of time doing it, it’s not just for fullbacks but your lineout options too, catching above your head if need be.
Netball and Basketball players, if you put a rugby ball in their hands their skillset is incredible. Wales’ Tomos Williams or Theo McFarland for Saracens have a Basketball background and their ability to move and catch the ball one handed is incredible.
A lot of the female rugby players who play netball can catch and pass quickly, away from their chest, from playing in a netball team environment.
With Athletics you don’t have to be a speed athlete, just join your local Harriers, do some 100-metre training. You might lose against the sprinters but it’s something for the long run, it makes a big difference learning how to sprint properly in a different setting.
With the jumping as well it’s a huge benefit, I was under 16s Welsh High-Jump champion which helped with my work under the high ball.
Touch or Tag rugby is big in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s hard with the fitness element, I wish I’d properly played it younger. It’s a great gateway for people both young and old to get involved in rugby.
You see people like Marcus Smith, you need to be creative with your footwork, throw in a goosestep to throw people off their feet and then hit that right option, or create those two on ones, done properly it’s a huge gain for any position.
The Rugby Trainer Academy
What I’ve based my academy on is spending 10 minutes each week working on an individual skill, it’s all online so you can do it anywhere in the world whether you’re on your own or with a training partner.
You can film the drills and then send it to me for feedback every week to get better and learn the skill. You can also learn specialisms like scrumhalf passing with Wales’ Ffion Lewis or attack breakdowns with British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton.
www.therugbytraineracademy.com
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Wales Hatchlings Take On Euros Elite
Carwyn Harris
Wales under 17s begin their Euros campaign on Monday after back-to-back qualifications for the tournament.
Last summer, the U17s became the first age group male national side to compete at an age grade tournament since 1981.
Now they are looking to grow from last year where they just missed out on the quarter finals on the back of a stellar qualifying campaign.
Wales beat Belgium through a 91st minute Elliott Myles winner, along with winning 4-0 against Gibraltar, before beating both Romania and Bulgaria 2-1 through goals from captain Oliver Bostock, an own goal and two more from Norwich’s Myles.
This year, the team are almost entirely different to the one which played in Hungary 12 months ago with defender Brayden Clarke the only player who has featured in both squads.
Clarke recently moved to Arsenal from Wolverhampton Wanderers and his experience from last year will be vital to Wales’ young guns.
“I can take all those experiences from last year and take more of a leadership role,” said Clarke.
“It’s a good opportunity with a big turnaround from last year, in Hungary I could sit back and watch the likes of Charlie Crew and Gabriele Biancheri but now I need to take more of a role.”
Wales are one of 16 teams at the Euros in Cyprus and have been drawn against Denmark, Austria and Croatia.
“We’ll be taking it game by game and not seeing the occasion and we’ll see what happens,” said Clarke.
“We don’t know much about any of the sides at this age group but we’ve seen their results in qualifying and they are three big teams but we know we can beat big teams after the win against Belgium.”
Wales are led into the tournament by captain Bostock who has been at West Brom since he was six but spent six months out last year with a stress fracture.
“We’re very confident going into this tournament after the win against Belgium, a top team and that goal will live long in the memory,” said Bostock.
“We’re not going to look too much at the opposition or what they can do as we need to focus on ourselves and as long as we do that we have a chance at success.
“It’ll be an enjoyable experience and with a lot of family and friends going out that will be good but I’m focusing on things on the pitch.”
Bostock is qualified for all four home nations but says it hasn’t been a difficult decision to remain with Wales due to the support and opportunities he has received.
“In the first camp after I came back from my injury one of the coaches came up to me and offered me the captaincy,” says Bostock.
“Since then it’s gone well for me and they’ve stuck by me which is great.”
Bostock has been a key component since his return, scoring in wins against Romania and Gibraltar in qualifying as well as friendly goals against Georgia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Clarke is eligible to play for England whilst his father Nigel Quashie played for Scotland but if things go to plan, both could feasibly be part of Wales setups for the next 15 years.
Therefore, the experiences of this tournament, along with the bonds made with their teammates, could be crucial for their and Wales’ futures.
“It’s massive for all of us, even the coaches, the experience of going out there,” said Clarke.
“Hopefully we’re there for the whole tournament and you see the influence it’s had on the likes of Crew and Biancheri.
“Where could we be in our careers? If we all get opportunities, then who knows!”
Wales Fixtures
Wales v Denmark – 20.05.24 – 16:00 BST
Austria v Wales – 23.05.24 – 18:30 BST
Wales v Croatia – 26.05.24 – 16:00 BST