Ben Davies On World Championships And Devils Testimonial
Carwyn Harris
It’s been a difficult return for Great Britain to the top flight of the Ice Hockey World Championships this year in the Czech Republic.
Last year, GB were in Division 1 after three years in the Top Division but gained promotion courtesy of a win against Italy.
In 2019, GB’s first year in the Top Division since 1994, they lost heavily to Denmark, Slovakia and Canada by a combined score of 24 goals to one.
This year however, GB have been competitive in most games, losing 4-3 to Denmark and 4-2 to Canada, the only outlier being an 8-0 drubbing against Finland.
“If you look at us this year, compared to the first year we were in this division it’s night and day,” said forward Ben Davies.
“We had a bad period against Finland where we let five goals in and the scoreline got away from us but other than that we’ve been there or there abouts with all these top teams and they’ve been bringing some of their big superstars over.
“The game against Denmark was the difficult one, we played really well just a couple of errors and the quality of players in this division you don’t get to give those up.
“We’ve gained a lot of experience in this division but it is hard going into these games and losing them, we haven’t picked up points as a team yet but we’re looking to do that in the next two games.”
With two games remaining, GB face a battle to remain in the division, sitting eighth of eight in Pool A trailing Norway by three points after their loss to Austria on Sunday.
The team which finishes bottom of their pool will be relegated, but with three points for a win within normal time and 2 points for one in over time, Great Britain could still overhaul Norway and keep their place in the Top Division.
Remaining in the top 16 sides in the World would be considered an achievement for GB as they are currently ranked 20th in the world.
“It’s in our hands, we’ve taken Norway to overtime before,” said Davies.
“Norway have some firepower and a few NHL players on their team but we know we’re a well-structured team and play hard.”
“We went down two years ago and popped straight back up and I think that’s testament to where we are as a national team.
“We’re striving to stay in this division and the longer we do that and are able to compete with the speed and pace of the game which is so different to what we’re used to in the domestic Elite league and of Division 1.
“There’s a communal gym so you’re rubbing shoulders with everyone and you see the superstars walking around and we believe we should be here.”
For Davies the experience in front of fervent Czech crowds will live long in the memory.
“It’s super fun. Yesterday we played in front of 17,000 Czech fans and it was bouncing in there, mascots firing one side then the other and you try to take a bit of that in whilst also staying focused on the game,” said Davies.
“That life experience is something which will stay with me and all the boys for the rest of our careers, probably the best atmospheres I’ve played in front of.
“Every game is having 15,000 people which is bonkers, it’s been a good tournament so far.
“My sister Poppy and Dad came out for the Denmark game but the rest of the family are at home watching and I’m looking forward to getting back to see my fiancée and 13-month-old son.
“I’ve been trying to get on Facetime with him every day but he’s got better things to do right now.”
The tournament could mark a memorable milestone for Davies more than 10 years after his debut.
“Every time I get to put the jersey on it’s like the first time really,” said Davies.
“Any time I get to wear the jersey I’m going to jump at the chance, I want to play for the National team as long as I’m playing really.
“I don’t want to jinx things but I’m two caps away from my 50th cap so that would be special if I was to get that in two days time, that would be awesome and I’d be super honoured for that.”
Cardiff-born Davies plays for Cardiff Devils in the Elite Ice Hockey league and this season marks his 10th season at the club over two stints. He is set to have a testimonial on the 1st of June to acknowledge the achievement.
“I love to see the club competing every year, I’m a Cardiff boy and it’s what the fans deserve,” said Davies.
“I don’t take it for granted playing for Cardiff, I love doing it, the year just gone was my 10th year and I’m proud to have played for the club for so long.
“There aren’t too many who get honoured with testimonials throughout the league and being a Welsh boy, I think it’s really special and I’m excited to bring some old teammates back for it.”
Davies will be welcoming several former Devils teammates back to the Vindico Arena including players he played with through the juniors.
There he will be hoping to continue to inspire the next generation of Welsh skaters.
“There’s players coming through and Cardiff has been a hotbed for talent in the past and some good players have come through and had opportunities to play with the Devils,” said Davies.
“With there being 15 imports in the league and Cardiff having some good British players, it’s very hard for British players or youngsters to have opportunities to play in the Elite league.
“When I broke through at Cardiff there were only 11 or maybe 10 imports so when there were injuries there were opportunities for me to play on the third line and play a role, whereas that’s not really the case now, if there’s an injury they bring another import in.
“I think all of us on the national team that the number of imports should be reduced as 15 is not helping the development of British players and it’s forcing British players out it’s not good.”
“I’m hoping there are British players getting an opportunity to come through and Cardiff players, to make it as a career because I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do that over the last 15 years professionally and get all those memories.”
Photograph – Dean Woolley
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Smith On Swansea Home Farewell
Carwyn Harris
Ospreys’ 26-13 win over Dragons was another battling display from the home side, capitalising on their forward dominance and their opponents’ ill-discipline.
There were few moments where individuals stood out as Ospreys continued the team ethic and “family” environment which has served them so well this season.
There was one exception however, as on 68 minutes the whole of the Swansea.com stadium rose to pay tribute to one man.
Nicky Smith is four short of a half century in Wales colours but it’s in the black of Ospreys where the Swansea born prop is lauded most.
Saturday marked 30-year-old Smith’s 189th appearance for Ospreys but also his final one at home at the Swansea.com stadium as he moves to Leicester Tigers for next season.
“It’s the last home one so there was a bit of emotion with the family coming down as well,” said Smith.
“On the other hand we’re still in the play-off hunt and it’s great that’s it’s not going to be a dead rubber season for us, next week five points that’s all that matters for us.”
Ospreys currently sit 11th, four points behind the play-off places and needed to ensure a four-try bonus point against Dragons to realistically keep themselves in the hunt.
For Smith, it was a case of trying to focus on it being business as usual, however even Ospreys’ normally stoic head coach Toby Booth admits there were a few emotions before kick-off.
“I’ll try not get as emotional as I did pre-game where I just about held it together but if you’re trying to create what an Ospreys player should look like the biggest complement I can give is they need to look like him,” said Booth.
“We wish him well obviously, he goes with our blessings as an unbelievable servant to the Ospreys, he brings attributes positionally and on the pitch but also around the place with a team first mentality.
“He’s always willing to listen to both sides and call people and coaches out if need be because he cares massively about the place.
“Those people are very special to any organisation as are others but on Nicky he’s a guy who’s represented Ospreys brilliantly and what we want Ospreys of the future to look like.”
Smith has been a key cog in Ospreys’ front row this season, sharing starter duties with fellow Welsh international Gareth Thomas and playing his part in a dominant set-piece particularly in South Africa against the Stormers and Springbok double world cup winning tight head Frans Malherbe.
Despite his form for his region, he has often found himself on periphery of the Wales squad, third choice for last year’s World Cup behind Thomas and Cardiff’s Corey Domachowski whilst an injury meant he missed the beginning of the Six Nations.
When Smith exited stage left against Dragons on Saturday, he was greeted with a standing ovation led by his teammates on the bench along with the whole of the Swansea.com crowd.
“The ovation was a bit of a surprise, I thought it was just my old man cheering along,” joked Smith.
“It took me by surprise but being a Swansea boy a local boy it really did mean a lot to me.
“As a group one thing you can rely on is how tight a group we are, at the end of the day it’s the person first, family first and we regard ourselves as a big family and that’s the reason why it’s been a successful season so far.
“Overall, the tightness of the group and if the foundations are right that’s when things go well. We know we’ve got things to work on but that tight core group if they carry on like that then the sky’s the limit and this group can do something special.”
“On the family bit Nicky mentioned, those relationships are so important for us,” Booth added.
“They get you through tight moments and get you in the window when you don’t have a right to do it.”
With one game left in the regular season, Smith will earn cap 190 in Ospreys colours at the Cardiff City Stadium in a fortnight’s time on Judgement Day.
He will be hoping his side can grab another crucial five points and see other results go their way to maintain their slim hopes of winning the United Rugby Championship.
“10 more caps for Ospreys is what a lot of people are saying and big Duncan Jones has already said I better come back before I finish, for me it’d be great to have a 200th cap,” joked Smith,
“But it’s more important to see this team do well and win silverware that would be a huge honour for me.”
Smith of course isn’t the only player set to leave Ospreys at the end of the season with scrum-half Cameron Jones, Mat Protheroe, Toby Fricker, Will Hickey departing along with two British and Irish Lion’s in George North to Provence and Sportin Wales co-founder Alex Cuthbert.
Cuthbert injured his hamstring in Ospreys’ loss to Munster in March, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
On Cuthbert, Booth said: “When we brought Alex Cuthbert from Exeter he hadn’t been playing that much towards the end and one of our challenges was to get him on the pitch more often.”
“Our medical team and conditional team were brilliant about that and he played a decent amount of rugby for us.
“He pays you back as well. He’s the first to say ‘that’s not good enough’, very similar to Nicky and others, we’re not a team that sugar coats things and we understand it’s the opportunity to get better.
“Cuthy was up there in the stands near me against Dragons and talking about ‘we need to be more clinical there’ and even though he’s got every right to disengage as he’s not going to play again for us, he cares enough to voice an opinion and that speak volumes about him.”
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Ospreys Get The Job Done
Carwyn Harris
Ospreys have done their part, they have ensured their hopes of making the play-offs will go down to the final weekend.
Before the 15:00 kick-off on Saturday at the Swansea.com stadium Ospreys had seen top-eight rivals Edinburgh and Benetton get what may yet be a crucial bonus point each against Munster and Bulls respectively.
Those results, coupled with Ospreys’ inferior points difference meant they would almost certainly need two bonus point wins in their final two games with nine points between them and the play-off positions before kick off against the Dragons.
However, with the storm clouds looming over the Swansea.com stadium, Ospreys did enough to ensure they are still in the hunt with a four-try win against their East Wales rivals.
Tries from Dewi Lake on his 50th Ospreys appearance and Reuben Morgan-Williams in the final minutes of the first half set things up before, Lake again and Keiran Williams scored tries in the second.
Dragons to their credit battled hard with all of their 13 points coming through fly-half Will Reed but will have been frustrated with their ill-discipline having led 0-6 before yellow cards to Aaron Wainwright and Dane Blacker in the final minutes of the first half ultimately led to 14 points for the home side.
The game began with an air of celebration, Ospreys’ final game at home this season marked a home farewell for several players including Sportin Wales co-founder Alex Cuthbert along with fellow Wales internationals Nicky Smith and George North.
However, the visitors would be the team to score the first points, Reed kicking a penalty early on and he doubled their lead with another successful kick from in front of the posts from a scrum penalty.
Ospreys on the other hand were perhaps guilty of chasing the bonus point early on and being caught up in the occasion, Morgan-Williams taking a quick tap and Dan Edwards attempting to bite off too much with a wayward kick to touch early doors.
For the opening 25 minutes, Dragons had stuck to task and limited their derby rivals, subduing the home crowd.
The biggest cheer of the opening half hour came after a brilliant tackle from Keiran Williams gave Ospreys captain Justin Tipuric a chance of a turnover, which he duly obliged, winning a penalty.
From that point onwards Ospreys gained a second wind, Luke Morgan breaking down one wing before Jack Walsh broke down the opposite side only to knock on.
However, the referee was beginning to lose patience with the visitors’ ill-discipline, and after another kick to the corner, Dragons eight Wainwright was shown a yellow card by referee Ben Breakspear.
With Dragons down a man, Ospreys looked to capitalise and, after being held up over the line, they took a tap penalty from five metres out and a couple of phases later Lake powered his way over, with Edwards’ conversion giving his side the lead.
Minutes later, and with the clock in the red, Ospreys trundled a driving maul from their own 22 almost to the halfway line and when Morgan Morris made a half break off Morgan-Williams’ pass, Dragons scrum-half Dane Blacker cynically knocked the ball out of Tipuric’s hands and Breakspear reduced Dragons to 13.
From there Ospreys kicked again to the corner, and with Dragons afraid of another maul, Ospreys threw a quick trick play with Morris running like a bull down the blindside, where Blacker would have been, before feeding Morgan-Williams to score, with Edwards converting for a 14-6 halftime lead.
With seconds gone in the second half a brilliant kick and chase from Jack Walsh gave Ospreys another penalty and they once again kicked to the corner, this time opting for brute force from the driving maul with Lake the beneficiary from the base.
All the momentum seemed with Ospreys, and when player of the match Morris broke free with Morgan-Williams and Keelan Giles outside him a try looked inevitable but for a poor pass from the eight resulting in nothing and a missed opportunity.
Dragons to their credit found a bit of energy and, after getting good territory inside Ospreys’ 22, a strong carry from Chris Hollis and good hands from substitute Sio Tomkinson found Reed who went over by the posts.
With a little over 20 minutes remaining the rain began to pour down at the Swansea.com stadium, directly preceding Ospreys’ crucial bonus point score with Keiran Williams busting through and stretching over, despite the visitors complaining of a double movement.
Sam Parry thought he had grabbed his fifth try after brilliant hands from Edwards gave both Luke Morgan and Giles a chance to go close but was deemed to be held up following a TMO review.
Dragons to their credit thought they had responded with the try of the game after brilliant work from the base of the scrum by Wainwright and good hands by Reed and Hollis put Ewan Rooser away, only to see his reverse pass to Tomkinson drift forward.
With 12 minutes remaining Nicky Smith was substituted leading to a standing ovation on his 189th appearance and final one in an Ospreys shirt at the Swansea.com stadium.
Ospreys: (14) 26 Tries: Lake x2, Morgan-Williams, K. Williams Con: Edwards x3
Dragons: (6) 13 Try: Reed, Con: Reed Pen: Reed x2
Ospreys: Walsh; L. Morgan, Florence (Scully 71mins), K. Williams (Nagy 74mins), Giles; Edwards, Morgan -Williams (Davies 78mins); Smith (Thomas 68mins), Lake (Parry 60mins), Botha (Henry 55mins), Ratti(Sekekete 71mins), Sutton, J. Morgan (Deaves 62mis), Tipuric, Morris.
Dragons: E. Rosser; Dyer, Hughes (Westwood 59mins), Owen (Tomkinson 52mins), Hollis; Reed, Blacker (Lloyd 70mins); Jones (Martinez 45mins), Dee (Coughlan 48mins), Coleman (Arhip 59mins), Carter, Screech (Lonsdale 66mins), Keddie (Woodman 45mins), Basham, Wainwright.
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Benetton 'Favourites' For Top Eight But What Of Ospreys?
Carwyn Harris
We’re here. The penultimate week of the URC season. For many Welsh rugby fans it will come as a blessing.
During one of the most tumultuous periods in Welsh rugby history, Cardiff, Dragons and Scarlets go into the final two games of the season knowing there is little more to play for than a fight to avoid the ignominy of being Wales’ bottom most region.
So far there is some symmetry in the sides, three teams, three wins each in the URC this season.
Ospreys however, have been the outlier, still with an outside hope of reaching the play-offs, and with it Champions Cup qualification, sitting 11th, eight points behind Benetton with two games remaining and a maximum of 10 points available.
After beating Stormers in April, Ospreys’ top eight hopes seemed back on track but after conceding 18 tries in their last two games, coupled with other results going against them, they now face an uphill task to reach the play-offs.
Benetton in particular have pulled off a string of impressive results, taking two bonus points from their trip to Ulster before consecutive wins against Dragons and Sharks in South Africa.
“The win against Sharks was one hell of a result from Benetton,” said Wales and Ospreys legend Shane Williams on this week’s’ Sportin Wales podcast.
“When the pressure’s on, knowing they probably have to do it and the manner in which they did it is fantastic.
“I really enjoy watching Benetton play, they’ve got a cracking backline, the plays and the calls they’ve got, the confidence they’ve got to move the ball from everywhere they’re a joy to watch.
“If they do it and make the top eight, then they deserve it.”
The current picture reads thus, with each sides fixtures also.
6th Ulster 49 points
Leinster (h)
Munster (a)
7th Edinburgh 48 points
Munster (h)
Benetton (a)
8th Benetton 48 points
Bulls (a)
Edinburgh (h)
9th Connacht 44 points
Stormers (h)
Leinster (a)
10th Lions 44 points
Glasgow (h)
Stormers (a)
11th Ospreys 40 points
Dragons (h)
Cardiff (n)
Therefore, should Edinburgh, Benetton and Ulster all win this weekend then Ospreys’ top eight ambitions will be over, regardless of their result against Dragons.
However, should qualification go down to the final game they will have the benefit of knowing other teams’ results before they face Cardiff and therefore what they require.
Dragons on the other hand will be hoping to complete the double against Ospreys this season, but the hosts will take reassurance they have scored 12 tries in their last two home games against Saturday’s opponents.
Also on the podcast this week was Sportin Wales co-founder and Ospreys wing Alex Cuthbert who admitted Benetton are now the “favourites” for play-off qualification, along with giving his assessment on Ospreys’ top eight hopes.
“It’ll be massive if Ospreys can get top four,” said Cuthbert.
“The boys had an absolute tuning from Mark Jones, the defence coach, showing clips of boys not quite putting the effort in where we’ve set our standards all season which is why we’ve put ourselves where we are and we’ve dropped significantly.
“We were in the top four defensive teams but we’ve dropped significantly in recent weeks, and momentum’s not really with us, going into derby games which are not really easy.
“If we lose to Dragons on Saturday, they’ve done the double over us and I can’t imagine that’s happened to many times at Ospreys.
“We’ve got a standard and that’s where the boys will have to get back to this weekend.
“I can see Edinburgh getting a result against Munster, all of the teams have a tough run-in but the key game will be how many points Benetton can get at Bulls.”
With Dai Flanagan already stoking the fires suggesting his side would be out to spoil Ospreys’ ambitions, get ready for a cracker of a game at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday which is available to watch live on Premier Sports where Williams will be on co-commentary duty.
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Tony Merola On Wrexham Texans And Hitting Back On ‘Not Fast’ Flynn Jibe
Carwyn Harris
If you listened to our Wrexham Promotion Special of the Sportin Wales podcast, you would have heard the thoughts of ex-Wrexham manager Brian Flynn and journalist Bryn Law as they ran the rule over a fantastic season for the club.
Wrexham enjoyed their second successive promotion and next season will be taking their place in League One having spent 15 seasons in non-league football.
While revelling in Wrexham’s success, both Flynn and Law mentioned a former Red Dragons player in Tony Merola.
Flynn was Merola’s manager at Wrexham and said on the podcast: “I gave him [Merola] his debut against Linfield, I think it was in Windsor Park.”
“He was a talented young player. Small stocky striker with a knack of scoring goals but unfortunately, he didn’t have any pace whatsoever and that was lacking so he didn’t quite make it with us.”
Speaking with Sportin Wales, Merola responded to those comments and told all about his Wrexham Texans football academy.
“I was fast, Brian Flynn doesn’t know a fast player when he sees one because he was never fast,” jokes Merola.
“He said I didn’t make it because I didn’t have enough pace, but I think there was a lot more to it than that, I just didn’t have that desire.
“As a schoolboy from 14-16, I was at Wigan but that was a mistake, too far to go with transport and everything from Mold. The late Cliff Sear knew about this because I was in a couple of Welsh development centres with Mike Rigg and he offered me a two-year YTS [youth training scheme] at Wrexham.
“The first year was tough because in May I was in a classroom full of kids and then in June I was in the locker room with a group of professionals who’d just knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup, so I had to grow up really fast.
“It was a big transition, I had a good preseason, made my debut with Brian Flynn out in Ireland at 17, pro contract at 18. I thought I’d made it, but it was probably the worst thing that could have happened to me.
“I was popular with the ladies, popular with my friends, all my mates would watch Wrexham games. I was the last person in and first person out when I was a pro.”
The penny dropped too late for Merola while at Wrexham, which eventually saw him released by Flynn although there are no hard feelings between the two.
“My dad gave me a kick up the backside,” said Merola.
“At the time I had a hernia operation, out for two months towards the end of the season. I’d been playing for six to eight weeks in the reserves with a groin strain and the physio department thought I was faking it, I sort of was because I’d tried to do that at the beginning of the season.
“I couldn’t be bothered going to Halifax away, I’d rather stay with the girlfriend I had at the time. My dad said, ‘I think you having the hernia has saved you, they’ll give you another six-month contract and that’s when you need to get down to work.’
“But it was too late, we had some good youngsters coming through, Neil Roberts and others, when I went into Flynn’s office, and he said he wasn’t going to offer me a new contract it was almost a relief.
“I wanted to go out with my mates on a Friday night, eat a burger, hang out with my girlfriend who, when I got released, dumped me by the way!”
Entering training with the first team can be difficult for any footballer coming out of the youth or academy sides and for Merola it was no different.
“I look back now, and I didn’t think it was daunting, but it was,” said Merola.
“Watching from the terraces as a 16-year-old, the likes of Steve Watkin, Karl Connolly, Mel Pejic, Mark Morris, some of those are still close friends of mine.
“The first 12 months was a wakeup call as I spent my time staring at Steve Watkin and Gary Bennett rather than getting stuck in with them and being me, looking back I thought I wasn’t good enough, but I look back at the players and I was never getting past Watkin or Bennett.
“I thought: ‘I’ll go and play on the wing’, but then I had Karl Connolly, I wasn’t going to get past him, the late Kieron Durkan, Jonathan Cross, so I thought I’d try and be a midfield player, Wayne Phillips, Gareth Owen and Mike Lake and I wasn’t going to be a defender because I’m 5”5 and can’t head it.
“Don’t forget, in the reserves we had Joey Jones and Micky Thomas as well! Second year I sponged a lot from them but then switched off and that’s why I’m so passionate about coaching now, I don’t want to see players make the same mistakes I did.
“Maybe I was just in an era of players who were just really good? A mate of mine, Bryan Hughes, first million-pound player to come from Wrexham, we came through together on YTS, he went to Birmingham for a million pounds, and I went to Rhyl on a free.”
Life didn’t get easier for Merola after his move to Rhyl, although it did put him in esteemed company.
“Playing in the Welsh Premier League I ruptured both my Achilles tendons within 18 months,” said Merola.
“A little bit of a comparison, David Beckham did it at a similar time…that’s where the comparison ends.”
While Merola’s professional career didn’t reach the heights he’d hoped he has found a second life in coaching which began in North Wales but has taken him across the Atlantic Ocean and into the heart of the Southern states of USA.
“At 29, I got into coaching through the Welsh FA, did all the badges,” said Merola.
“I loved America, but I didn’t realise to come here you’d need to have a degree so at 31 went back to Glyndwr University got a degree and now the rest is history.
“I was always trying to drip feed Wrexham here through my coaching, but a lot of people over here didn’t know anything about it and were spelling it without a ‘W’.
“My wife loves to make things up and make things and said – ‘Wrexham Texans its catchy’, it started out the year before Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney got involved, I was trying to get other parents I was coaching with to get involved as supporters.”
Whilst it began as a supporter’s group, soon, the Wrexham Texans became much more than that for Merola.
“Once the owners came on board and the show everything has had a match lit underneath it and it was no longer just a supporters group it was kids wanting to be trained by me,” said Merola.
“I jumped on it, made the Wrexham Texans football academy, used all the methodologies I did whilst I was at Wrexham, working with Dean Saunders as a video analyst, first team scout and bundled it all together and this is mine now.
“I liked the idea of being a professional soccer player, I didn’t have and didn’t like the work ethic or the sacrifices that went with it.
“That’s what I say to the players coming through is that if you don’t have that attitude to be better than the players to the left and right then you’re just going to be one player in a big pool and you’re going to get lost.”
Whilst the academy is a financial opportunity for Merola the Wrexham Texan’s also gives him a tie to home.
“Kids are identifying it with it, asking ‘Did you see Mullin’s goal at the weekend? Are they going to sign that keeper from Arsenal?’ It’s making home feel so close for me,” said Merola.
“10 years ago, I couldn’t listen to the games on BBC, whilst now I’m seeing more games than my dad who’s back in North Wales but doesn’t go to away games.
“It’s 5,000 miles, a nine-hour flight but it doesn’t feel like it. I’m getting random requests from people in Ohio and San Francisco from other Wrexham fans.
“My dad was at the home game against Forest Green when Wrexham secured their promotion, having a beer and there was a fan there from Fort Worth, 15 minutes from me.
“Americans are going over and they’re so into it because they’ve never had the Premier League or been able to connect to a community like Wrexham.
“When me and some supporters watched the game against Sheffield United last year in Fort Worth the whole place erupted, there were Premier League fans in there, but Wrexham is becoming everyone’s second team.”
Football, or soccer as Merola now calls it, is continuing to grow in the US and with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, coupled with Wrexham, and the small matter of the 2026 North America World Cup, it is only likely to accelerate further in popularity.
It seems only a matter of time before American players in the Premier League such as Clint Dempsey, Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams become the norm, but Merola hopes he can have an influence on bringing players over to Wrexham.
“I coach a semi-professional team for 3 months in the year while they’re off in the summer,” said Merola.
“We had three try outs where about 115 were trying out, and of those about 85 to 90 were at a decent level. Very athletic, very savvy, and hungry, just missing that technical proficiency.
“I think within five or six years there will be players breaking through and that’s my ultimate goal. Can you imagine if we could get an American player into the Wrexham team, the elevation for the club over here?
“If you want to go and play in the UK, we have pathways which we can send you there, but likewise if there are players not good enough right now for the UK or wanting to come to the US and study then they can, we’re trying to set up that pathway and bridge.
“The standard is getting better every year, if you come to the Wrexham Texans football academy, you’re going to improve your technique and then bring that to the tactical work your coach wants you to do.”
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Cordina Ready To Defend His World Title
Carwyn Harris
It’s another huge weekend in the world of boxing.
After Lauren Price successfully won her world title fight on Saturday, Cardiff’s own Joe Cordina is looking to defend his IBF super-featherweight title against Belfast’s Anthony Cacace.
Should Cordina succeed, it would mark an incredible week in Welsh boxing with Moses Jolly, Kane Shepherd, Kyran Jones and Rhys Edwards all winning on Price’s undercard last week.
Cordina’s fight is on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s heavyweight unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk, after the fight was postponed in February after the ‘Gypsy King’ suffered a severe cut over his right eye in sparring.
Speaking exclusively to Sportin Wales as our monthly magazine columnist, Cordina admits that having already prepped once for the fight in February that talking about his battle against Cacace is becoming “monotonous” but he feels ready to defend his belt.
“I believe I’ve been in the ring with better opposition, I’m more well-schooled than he is and I trump him in every box,” said Cordina in May’s magazine.
“I’m not saying he can’t beat me, just I think I’ve got a little bit more than him.
“Have I changed anything that I’m trying to work on? No. We’re just adding to the basket.
“We have a full trolley at the moment and may have to throw some stuff out before May 18th, but I’m ready.”
Cacace comes into the fight with an impressive record. 22 fights, 21 wins with seven of those by knockout, his one loss coming in 2017 against Martin Joseph Ward.
Now as the holder of the IBO super-featherweight title he takes on Cordina who so far has an unblemished record of 17 wins from 17 fights, nine of which coming via knockout.
Speaking in April’s Sportin Wales magazine, Cordina gave a lot of praise to his Northern Irish opponent.
“He’s a tricky fighter, an IBO world champion and believes he’s one of the best in the division, but so am I,” said Cordina.
“He’s known to punch hard, and, although I haven’t sparred with him, I can see he’s awkward as well, so it’ll be a back-and-forth fight in terms of momentum.
“But I’ve been in the ring with awkward fighters and I’m sure with my 200 fights all in all, as an amateur and as a pro, I’ve come across someone similar and I believe I’ll get a good win.”
Speaking on the Sportin Wales podcast last week, journalist Dewi Powell and former boxer now trainer Gary Lockett both backed Cordina to overcome Cacace on Saturday.
“I fancy Joe to win, he’s the favourite for a reason but stylistically it could be a tricky fight,” said Powell.
“Cacace is no mug and has been waiting for his opportunity for a long time.
“He’s got some great endorsements, Carl Frampton says he’s one of the biggest punchers he’s ever been in the ring with.
“It doesn’t really translate on his record but he’s one of those who’s maybe a bit deceptive, his arms are a bit longer than what you first think, he’s maybe a bit tougher and his work rate is better than you think because he can often look quite relaxed.
“It’s not an easy fight, but Joe’s world champion and none of these are going to be easy fights. It’s no walkover but I think Joe’s gone to another level since he’s been fighting at world level and I’m sure he’s 100% confident of winning.”
So what if Cordina wins? What comes next?
There are two clear options.
The first option would be a unification bout. With four major bodies in boxing each having a title, WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO along with Ring magazine awarding it’s own award it means there are several titles to win.
These fights often take a long time to come around, epitomised by the heavyweight division where Usyk v Fury is the first unification fight for all the belts since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in November 1999.
Currently no super featherweight holds more than one belt with Lamont Roach Jr, O’Shaquie Foster, Cordina and Emanuel Navarrete holding a belt each with the Ring title vacant.
In boxing there are currently two undisputed champions with Mexico’s Canelo Álvarez holding all the belts in the super middleweight division, whilst Naoya Inoue holding all the titles in the super bantamweight category.
Meanwhile, Usyk and Terence Crawford are both just one title away and Artur Beterbiev needs the WBA belt alongside the Ring title.
“These fights in Saudi almost feel like a winner stays on mentality,” said Powell.
“If Joe puts in a good performance, then maybe those fights against Foster, Navarrete and [fourth ranked] Oscar Valdez which would seem unmakeable otherwise, maybe they come to reality.”
The other option is for Cordina to step up a division and fight in the lightweight division.
This has been something Cordina has suggested particularly in his March column where he mentioned how there were “bigger, more profitable fights at lightweight.”
“I’d be very comfortable at making that step up, it feels a natural one for me at this stage of my career,” Cordina added.
“I fought at that weight earlier in my boxing journey and was a British and Commonwealth champion in that category.
“There are some proper names operating at lightweight – like Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson – and the prospect of big fights in that division is appealing.
“My ultimate ambition would be to have those big, money-spinning fights, and then finish my career with two more shows in Cardiff – maybe one at Cardiff Arms Park and another at Cardiff City.
“One fight that’s pretty unlikely is Foster at super-featherweight as pro boxing is about making fights the public want to see and the truth is Foster has no following in the US.”
On moving up a weight class, both Powell and Lockett could see Cordina moving up a division for the additional money on offer.
Lockett said: “It’s great to be a world champion, but when you’re 55, 60 and look at that world champion belt on the mantelpiece but you’re skint, what difference does it make?”
“I’d always encourage my boxers to chase money over titles. Boxing is one of the hardest sports in the world, it’s brutal.
“It’s only a short career and you’ve got to earn as much money as you can in a short space of time.
“When he first moved down to super featherweight, he said he does it comfortably, now, he’s a little bit older and everything slows down and is finding it harder to make weight than he used to.
“If these unifications do come up though, then he’s got to take them because the money is there and the chance to be great is there to be a two or three belt world champion.”
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Williams: 'Diabolical' Scarlets, Frustrating Dragons & Morris For Wales
Carwyn Harris
It’s been a long and often fruitless season for Welsh rugby.
Going from the highs of reaching a World Cup quarter-final after thrashing Australia 40-6 to a Six Nations and wooden spoon along with a difficult domestic season particularly for three of the four Welsh regions.
This week the Sportin Wales podcast had the pleasure of welcoming rugby legend Shane Williams to the podcast and who better than Wales’ record try scorer to run the rule over each of the regions’ seasons.
Ospreys suffered a nine-try thrashing by Leinster out in Dublin which, according to Sportin Wales co-founder and Ospreys winger Alex Cuthbert, led to a “tuning” from defence coach Mark Jones.
Despite conceding two early tries, the Welsh side managed to get the scores back to 14-all before Leinster pulled away in the second half to a 61-14 victory.
“The problem you have with Leinster is once they have a sniff, they’re dangerous,” said Williams.
“When it got to 14-all I thought, this was good but I never saw them winning, but I didn’t see 60 points coming either.
“When Leinster get in front and they’re clinical and wear you down and in the end Ospreys looked out on their feet.”
Williams says it was good to see Wales’ World Cup co-captain Jac Morgan returning from injury and that Ospreys have seen some good individual performances in recent weeks.
“Morgan Morris…what a player, I’ve no idea how he’s not being looked at in Welsh colours at the moment,” said Williams.
“Meanwhile, Keelan Giles is having the season of his life, brilliant, good to see him on form, looked sharp, strong in the tackle, defensively in the right place, Luke Morgan is having a good season as well and Keiran Williams is Mr. Consistent.
“Two weeks they’ve had a couple of tunings, but we’ve got to say they’re the best region in Wales at the moment and there’s probably more to come from them next season.”
However, despite all the positivity for Ospreys, Williams has become frustrated with Dragons and disappointed in Scarlets’ run of losses.
Dragons lost 21-44 to Stormers having been 21-16 up with fifteen minutes remaining before a late collapse.
“For periods of that game the Dragons were playing some good rugby but you were waiting for that try from the Stormers,” said Williams.
“Once that happened, I went to make a coffee and when I came back they were two tries down again, that sums up the Dragons to be fair.
“We need a bit of positivity, we seem to be spouting the same stuff about how poor the regions have been and you just get fed up of it.
“You’re watching Dragons playing and thinking let’s have one Dragons win. They can play well for 25 minutes in spits and spats and you think, just keep doing that but they go to sleep and they’re two tries down, things you’d do in under 16s rugby.”
Scarlets however received a more damning assessment from Williams, despite him hoping they could succeed under the guidance of the Welsh winger’s former Wales teammate Dwayne Peel.
“Scarlets have been diabolical,” said Williams.
“Just for Peely I want them to win and you look at the players on the field there are some good players there.
“You can see with the amount of experienced players they’ve let go, they’ve thought ‘We need to get those out the way, to get these youngsters to come through,’ they were winning Grand Slams a couple of season ago and some of the best players in the world.
“But I’m thinking, where are these youngsters going to come from? They certainly don’t have that strength in depth at the Scarlets at the moment, I hope I’m wrong, because I want the regions to do well.”
With the budgets set to be reduced against next season from £5.2million to £4.5million, Williams believes things are “going to get worse before it gets better.”
“It’s a money saving process let’s be honest,” said Williams.
“Younger players are going to get opportunities younger and earlier which could be great for Welsh rugby eventually, three or four years down the line.
“Players who have 60 international caps are being let go because they can’t afford them, a new kid coming through who probably wouldn’t have got a senior contract until two years down the line but now he’s going to have to play 20 games a year.
“It’s tough in their first season. Let’s hope the Morgan Morse’s and these guys are world class and British and Irish Lions, winning Grand Slams for Wales, but it’s not going to happen now.
“We’re still going to be criticised for not winning games or told it’s not good enough and it won’t be next year, but it might be two or three years down the line, but that’s where we’ve put ourselves.”
During Williams’ time at Ospreys, the side was littered with a plethora of Welsh international talent alongside oversees stars leading many to refer to the team as the ‘galacticos.’
“When I was playing, you’d look at players that would come in to strengthen and bolster the squad, Filo Tiatia, Justin Marshall, Marty Holah, Tommy Bowe these guys would come in and they were world class,” said Williams.
“Then players like Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb were around and learning from some of the best, Jerry Collins and these guys. They’d have two years with them and then say ‘Thanks Jerry, or Justin Marshall, I’ll take over from here’.
“World class players towards the end of their careers, or out of international careers and then people were learning from some of the best in the world, that was happening in every region, but we don’t have that luxury now.”
One question which has loomed large over Welsh rugby in recent years is whether there is a large enough player pool or financial power to support four regions in Wales.
Whilst Williams can see the short term gains of cutting the regions, for the time being he would like to see Welsh domestic rugby maintain its four pronged approach.
“If you cut the regions in half to two, you have more money to invest in players, facilities and coaches, then you’re going to have stronger regions to be able to compete,” said Williams.
“People are still going on about going back to Llanelli, Swansea and Ponty but then you’ve got 15 teams which are all spread so hopefully that debate is out the way.
“There’s no doubt, a quick fix, cut the squads in half but then we’re going back to a situation where youngsters aren’t getting opportunities again and then people can sign the Marty Holahs etc. It probably would be a quick fix with stronger squads.
“Do we still have the strength in depth now if we cut it to two to go to the RDS and beat Leinster or to beat the best sides in Europe with the talent pool at the moment, probably not.
“I can see the appeal in it but at the same time with the four regions we’re in a rebuilding phase where we’re trying to bring our youngsters through, chuck them right in the deep end, saying; ‘Morgan Morse, you’re young but you’ve got to do the business against Cardiff, take you to Leinster, play against the biggest pack in the URC in the Bulls.’
“Let’s give this a go, put a bit of faith in our four regions and youngsters coming through to maybe win us a Grand Slam in three years’ time, you never know with Wales.”
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Welsh Premiership Final Preview
Carwyn Harris
If you are a fan of Welsh rugby or simply want an excuse to enjoy Wales’ moment in the sun this weekend, where better to go than Church Bank in Llandovery on Saturday?
It might sound like a hard sell with the return of regional rugby, but while Scarlets have nothing to play for when they host Ulster, the same cannot be said for the clash between Llandovery and Newport in the Indigo Premiership Final.
Both sides have had stellar seasons to date, Llandovery finished on 105 points, losing just twice and chasing an historic double having also won the cup, while Newport ended just a point behind at the top of the Premiership table.
Llandovery and Newport went into their play-off semi-finals last weekend as favourites and duly delivered, the Drovers beating Cardiff RFC 34-13, whilst the Black and Ambers grabbed a 48-13 win over Ebbw Vale.
“We’re really excited, it’s two top sides who like playing good rugby and it should be a great day in good weather so it’s a truly fitting end to a long successful season,” said Llandovery attack coach Gareth Potter.
“Without doubt, we’re delighted to see the weather, both sides can play a tight or an expansive game, but Newport have a giant pack so we’re going to go out there and enjoy ourselves, keep the ball in play time high and see if Newport enter into the spirit of things.
“The double would be huge for us, it’s historic, something we’ve been aiming for since Euros Evans took over as head coach back in 2015.
“It would be a huge moment for us to win, we’re only a small town of 2,000 in rural mid-west Wales, we rely on the community, as much as they rely on the club and a win on Saturday would be a fitting tribute to what they’ve done for us.”
Last week, Sportin Wales spoke to Peter Rees, chairman of Llandovery and Matt O’Brien, Newport’s fly-half, who both emphasised the impact their young stars of the future were having on their seasons and on the semi-final stage those starlets responded.
For Llandovery, 19-year-old Macs Page has been known to score a “spectacular” try or two and Saturday was no different, showing great speed to make an outside break before twice stepping inside covering defenders to score under the posts, even having time to perform an early celebration.
Newport however have their own star, 20-year-old centre Joe Westwood was described by O’Brien as “physically gifted” last week and he showcased both his pace and power as he crossed for a hattrick against Ebbw Vale in their semi-final.
“Macs Page is full of confidence and right now he’s just thinking ‘Give me the ball’,” said Potter.
“At the moment his speed and agility make it hard for others even Adam Warren to keep up with him. Macs is continuing to develop and he’s working on his high ball work and defensive work.
“But it’s not just him, we have a whole backline of line breakers who can spark things for us, Lee Rees at scrum half, every team tries to slow him down to stop our speed of ball but that’s easier said than done, often he’s there before the ball.
“On top of that when the game breaks up, he’s dynamite.”
While both Westwood and Page will be hoping to create plenty of history in their rugby careers, on Saturday they will both be part of a poignant moment in time with the last Indigo Welsh Premiership Final before the dawn of the EDC.
The Elite Domestic Competition begins at the start of next season and both sides are going to be part of a new ten team league which is designed to bridge the gap between the community and professional game in Wales.
“Both side’s records over the season speak for themselves and Newport have performed well whether they play a tight game or an open one, whether it’s in the sun or raining,” said Potter.
“We expect it’ll be a stern test and I think they’ll try and get at us up front with their huge pack, but I would say our quality up front is just as strong.
“For us we need to find a way to stop their fly-half Matt O’Brien, I think the best option for us to try and stop him getting to the ground!
“O’Brien is a player of immense quality, and a great person as well, someone who we need to have in the league, like every good player he has so much time on the ball.
“If we give too much room to him and Che Hope we’ll be in trouble but at the same time if we focus too much on him then that’ll give too much space for their speed out wide and also the likes of Westwood in the centres.”
Both sides are incredibly well matched. Newport won the last game between the two in a home 24-6 win in late March, whilst Llandovery won at home 29-7 in November.
Question is, who will win the decider in the May sunshine on Saturday.
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Wales One Win From World Cup
Carwyn Harris
When Wales hosted Ireland last month in a crucial World Cup qualifying match the home side knew they needed their big-name players to stand up tall.
For Wales, that was their captain Bethan Dainton, who made history last year as the first Welsh player to appear in a women’s Challenge Cup final, sadly she was on the losing side, as her Leeds Rhinos team were beaten by St Helens.
Dainton scored a double against Ireland, helping her side to a 28-10 win, getting her side off to the perfect start with a try from short range before her moment of brilliance in the second half.
Taking the ball off debutant hooker Agnes Wood, Dainton began from her own half, breaking through two would-be tacklers, before fending off the fullback and then showing good speed to beat the cover.
“Our game plan was to hit the wider runner so the ball shouldn’t have hit me, but I saw they’d clocked off a bit so I shouted at Agnes to give me the ball,” said Dainton.
“Then it was just head down and try and get as far as you can and then I was through.”
Dainton’s score, under the posts, resulted in Wales taking a 20-point lead, although they still needed some rear-guard defensive work to secure the win.
“It was really competitive, can’t take anything away from Ireland, I think they went over the line about two or three times just we held them up,” said Dainton.
“All I asked for was composure and to do your own job well, then it’s about believing in each other and if anyone messes up, we park that and move on. I thought the girls really bought into that and I think that sticking together as a team probably got us that win.
“We made a few mistakes, pushed our limits a bit because we probably got carried away at times, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the girls.”
Alongside Dainton are a core of players who play for Cardiff Demons in the women’s Super League South.
Several of those players balance playing league and union throughout the season including Shaunni Davies who returned to international duty having previously spent nearly two years out with a knee injury.
“We’ve had a lot of movement because of injuries in vital positions, a few girls have moved over to contracts with rugby union as well,” said Dainton.
“It was unreal to get Shaunni Davies back, she’s such a good player, underrated as well. Her tackling as well, I’m so glad she’s on my team!
“Her performances in the Challenge Cup says a lot, she was in team of the month from Cardiff Demons, you don’t see many people from the Super League South in that team of the month, we’re so lucky to have her, she’s just going to get better and better as she grows in confidence.
“The majority of our team do play rugby union and I think they only train once a week at Cardiff Demons but it’s testament to them because you can’t tell. They’ve only just finished the rugby union season and it’s hard for them going back and forth between the two codes.
“But all the teams entered the Challenge Cup and they’ve had that exposure, playing the better teams in the Superleague and that’s massively it definitely helped.”
Wales now sit on the precipice of history, needing one win away from home against the Netherlands in June to reach a first ever World Cup.
Netherlands travel to Ireland on the 19th of May having thrashed Italy 56-6 in Venice last month.
Both sides are battling for a place at the southern hemisphere World Cup. The venue is as yet unknown, with the tournament having previously been pushed back multiple times.
Dainton played rugby union for Wales but missed out on playing at a World Cup in 2017 having “shattered” a bone in her foot while on sevens duty.
Wales’ wheelchair team has already booked their place for the 2026 World Cup, while the men’s League side could book their place later this year.
“We do back ourselves against Netherlands, so long as we perform the way we know we can do we should get a result,” said Dainton.
“I think the uncertainty has helped us a little bit as we’ve got more people coming in, 12 new people in the programme and I think we’re now in a stronger position than we were last year to qualify.
“I definitely think rugby league in Wales is growing, we’re getting a lot more people interested, wanting to come in to our camps. We need to get the culture and environment right, if we’ve got that right then people will want to come and play alongside us.
“Our focus now is on a second win and to hopefully be at our first ever world cup which would be unreal, we’re not too bothered where it is, we just want to be there and compete.
“The more teams we can get out there, the more exposure we’ll get. It’ll be great to get that many Welsh people over there playing for the badge.”
Photograph – Penallta Photographics
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Bagent on Rees-Zammit's 'Difficult' NFL Journey
Carwyn Harris
NFL quarterback Tyson Bagent says it is going to be “more difficult” for players such as Louis Rees-Zammit who’ve come through the International Player Pathway to make it in the NFL.
Bagent says the fact they haven’t had prior experience of learning a college playbook will make it harder to learn all the plays required in the NFL.
An NFL playbook differs from team to team although some playbooks can comprise hundreds of plays.
Bagent, who joined the Chicago Bears in 2023, says it has been the hardest part about transitioning from collegiate to professional American Football.
“It is the hardest job in the entire world, being an NFL Quarterback,” said Bagent.
“It’s so difficult, so heady. It was a tough acclimation for me because growing up, everything I did was physical based; working out every day, getting in the cold tub, the sauna, stretching, eating right and then you come here, and you have to have a PhD in football.”
What has made it somewhat of an easier transition for Bagent is that he can fall back on experiences earned during his time as a college quarterback at Shepherd University.
There, Bagent would have had to learn a different playbook but also he would have experienced a vast array of defensive plays and looks.
“From playing college football, I’d already seen everything, even if I couldn’t put it into words, I think that repetition is the mother of all learning so that helped me out a lot,” said Bagent.
“When I started in the NFL, if ever there was a route concept that was similar to one we did in college, in order to learn it I’ll think: ‘This was called stars in college, now we call it fun, so stars equals fun,’ you start to marry the two and you get out of your old language and into your new language.
“It’s mental tomfoolery 24/7.”
So what about the likes of Louis Rees-Zammit who, despite having been a part of several professional setups in the past, doesn’t have the same level of experience to call on in American Football.
“It’s going to be more difficult for the guys on the IPP, there’s nothing really to say apart from work really hard,” said Bagent.
“That and make plays, if you make plays, you’ll have a job, it’s going to be hard regardless of if you have experience or not.
“Then again, being around the NFL for a season, you realise they’re all just normal people, everybody’s working hard, but they’re not working hard enough that it makes me nervous, I still felt that I could work harder and that’s what they’ll need to do.”
Photograph credit – Chicago Bears