Geraint Thomas Giro Preview: Battling One Of The Greatest Ever
Carwyn Harris
Geraint Thomas is set to embark on his latest attempt to win Giro d’Italia.
Having been pipped to the post agonisingly in the penultimate stage of last years race by Primož Roglič in the final time-trial, Thomas is set to embark on his latest attempts to win the coveted maglia rosa.
“Preparation has been good, slightly slower as I want to do the Tour de France later in the year but it’s smother running than last year,” said Thomas.
“Last year I had a UTI and during training, I felt a bit stronger this year than I did 12 months ago coming here but who knows.
“All I know is I feel I’ve done all I can and I’m excited now to get racing.”
Unlike many grand tours, racing at this years Giro for the overall classification begins almost straight away, with a mountain top finish on stage two.
The course also features two individual time trial each more than 30kilometres which should suit Thomas’ capabilities.
“The course is alright, it has a few longer time trials and doesn’t have a silly stupid thing up a mountain this year,” quips Thomas, referring to the time trial where he lost his lead 12 months ago.
“I think the climbs aren’t as steep as previous years which probably suits me a bit better, hopefully the weather will be a bit better too.
“Stage two is important for the overall but it’s not the be all and end all.
“You need to be good from the start to the finish in any grand tour but with the mountains coming early earlier than normal it settles the race down early on.
“At least it’s not like the tour where you have those long flat days at the start of the tour which are chaos and it’ll create tiredness in the peloton as well.”
One name rises high above the rest in the list of Thomas’ rivals for the Giro’s Pink jersey or Maglia Rosa and that is two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar.
The Slovenian has been in fine form again this season, winning Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège along with the overall and four stages at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
Interestingly, this is the 25-year-olds debut at the Giro but is seen by many as the winner elect.
“You don’t go in to the race thinking to yourself that Tadej Pogačar is bound to win but he is a phenomenal bike rider, one of the greatest ever,” said Thomas.
“UAE have a strong team around him as well but I think we have a strong team too which is similar to last year but with a few new guys like Magnus Sheffield.”
Aside from Pogačar, there are a number of other threats for the podium and top 10 across a real range of ages and teams.
33-year-old Frenchman Romain Bardet has shown glimpses of being back to some of his best form recently with a second placed finish behind Pogačar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège along with a fifth placed finish at the Tour of the Alps.
He hasn’t finished on the podium of a grand tour since his second place at the 2016 Tour de France, the same year as Movistar’s Nairo Quintana won La Vuelta.
Quintana hasn’t shown the form required to challenge at the Giro but will certainly be in the reckoning for a stage win or two as will countryman Esteban Chaves who has already won three at the Giro alongside finishing second overall in 2016.
Fellow Columbian Daniel Martinez is a former teammate of Thomas’ at Ineos but has since moved to BORA-hansgrohe.
Generally, the 28-year-old seems to fade in the grand tours and goes stage hunting but is handy on a time trial bikem winning Columbia’s National title this year, and is a previous winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné so cannot be taken lightly.
Bahrain-Victorious’ Damiano Caruso has already tasted a podium at his native Giro back in 2021 and finished fourth last year, although this season he has yet to sparkle and may well be a foil for his young teammate and countryman Antonio Tiberi.
22-year-old Tiberi has had a real break through year, finishing third in the general classification at the Tour of the Alps alongside a second placed finish in the youth classification at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, and will surely have his eyes on best young rider once more.
However, he will face stiff competition from Team Visma – Lease a Bike’s Cian Uijtdebroeks.
The 21-year-old Belgian won two stages and the overall at Tour de l’Avenir in 2022 and with no other obvious general classification competitor in his team, he may be given free rein to see how far he can go in the high mountains.
Other young guns include Florian Lipowitz who finished third at the recent Tour de Romandie and Thomas’ teammate Thymen Arensman who finished sixth at the Giro last year and may well be given more license to compete for himself with Thomas’ eyes drawn somewhat to the Tour de France.
Lidl-Trek’s Juan Pedro López is no longer eligible for the white jersey having turned 26 but will be looking to make top 10 having won a stage in 2022 on his way to 10th overall and recently won the Tour of the Alps ahead of Tiberi and Bardet.
Others to keep an eye on include Irishman Eddie Dunbar who finished seventh at the Giro last year with an impressive fourth placed finish on stage 16, while Australian Ben O’Connor’s second places at Tour of the Alps and UAE tour showed form akin to that which saw him finish fourth at the 2021 Tour de France.
Fellow Australian and Dunbar’s Jayco AlUla teammate Luke Plapp is a fiend on a time trial bike and is current Australian time trial and road race champion, whilst he also finished sixth in Paris-Nice and second at the UAE tour last year.
Finally, Domenico Pozzovivo may well be 41 but he knows how to get around Italy, having finished in the top 10 on seven occasions and will be out to do so again for new team VF Group-Bardiani CSF- Faizanè.
The Giro is renowned for throwing up a few surprises, hopefully Thomas will have a cards up his sleeve to play.
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Blumberg: 'If We Tell The Right Story Then We Can Get A Romantic Outcome'
Carwyn Harris
It’s been quite the week at Rodney Parade.
Dragons have announced David Wright as their new chair, new signings in the form of Chris Hollis, Solomone Funaki, Harry Wilson, and Steve Cummins and now a new CEO in former Cardiff Chief Operating Officer Rhys Blumberg.
Dragons’ new CEO took time out of his “mad day” to speak to Sportin Wales after his move from Cardiff to Dragons was announced.
“My battery has died three times today, but it’s all been positive so that’s good,” said Blumberg.
“I’ve been on and off with Cardiff for 13 years, I’ve resigned three times but there’s no hard feelings there. Cardiff were really accommodating, Dragons understandably wanted me in as soon as possible so I have a pre-season.”
“I was approached a few months ago by the three new owners, all three are very different but are approaching the region in a very realistic way.
“We’ve made new signings this week and the intention is to take the club from where it’s been for the last 15 years and accelerate.
“I’m not saying Dragons will win the URC straight away, but the aim is to be far more competitive than of late.”
Dragons’ new signings will go someway in improving the side on the field but in his new role Blumberg regards the commercial side of the business as well.
“Off-field we want commercial revenue growth and to build the Dragons brand to what it should be,” said Blumberg.
“The owners were keen to bring in a young CEO who will be looking to get their hands dirty and drive revenue personally and that’s what I’ll be doing.
“We’re the only region which owns our own ground and that gives plenty of opportunities with the old clubhouses for redevelopment.
“With the ground being in the heart of Newport there are opportunities to bring events into the city, it’s not Cardiff in size but it’s still a city with a good population.”
Blumberg admits the easiest way to bring in bigger crowds and in turn more commercial revenue is by having a winning team but also believes there needs to be a heightened importance on consistency of messaging to media and fans alike.
“At Cardiff, myself, Matt Sherratt and a few others sat down before the start of season and discussed the need to keep our messaging and PR approach consistent,” said Blumberg.
“We knew we had a good group of young players who were desperate to impress and would give everything for the badge in Mackenzie Martin, Cam Winnett, and Alex Mann so we focused the marketing around them.
“That played a big role in us selling out the stadium three times and nearly doing so on four more occasions as those messages and the narratives have been consistent.
“Now with Dragons, we’re signing better players and we want to create a string of consistent messages which creates a story.”
“In truth, I haven’t lifted the bonnet at the Dragons yet. If we tell the right story then we can get a romantic outcome.”
Dragons currently sit second from bottom in the United Rugby Championship, a position they have held in both of the last two seasons.
Whilst this season has also seen Cardiff and Scarlets struggling, in part due to the financial difficulties surrounding Welsh rugby, Blumberg believes there needs to be a change of culture both within and outside of the club.
“In the past there’s been an acceptance of Dragons’ poor results,” said Blumberg.
“Not necessarily internally but externally by fans and in the media with people expecting them to lose.
“First thing I want to do when I arrive is ensure that that acceptance is no longer acceptable both on the pitch and commercially.
“If we fall short of a commercial deal or a result, we’ll be disappointed together.
“I feel the club has underachieved on every level and, for some, Dragons has been the graveyard of rugby in the past which is ridiculous because of its history, heritage and importance to Welsh rugby.
“We need to change that culture and begin improving things. It won’t happen overnight, I’m not going to say we’ll win our first five but we’re here to make a massive difference.”
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Blumberg Joins Dragons As CEO
Carwyn Harris
Dragons have announced that Rhys Blumberg will to be the region’s new Chief Executive.
Having spent four years as Cardiff Rugby’s Chief Operating Officer, Blumberg joins incoming chairman David Wright at Dragons.
Wright said: “We are absolutely delighted that Rhys is joining us and excited about the impact he can make right across our club.
“Rhys is very highly regarded right across Welsh rugby, following his impressive work at Cardiff, and brings not only his expertise but also a huge level of energy, innovation, and forward thinking to the role.
“The Board of Directors conducted an extensive search for our new CEO and Rhys was the outstanding candidate. We believe he can have a huge impact here and be a huge asset in the years ahead.”
Blumberg added: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Dragons as CEO. Having engaged with all three owners extensively, I am extremely excited about their energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to make the Dragons as good as they can possibly be.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cardiff for the past four years and now look ahead to a thrilling future with the Dragons where I hope to make a real impact across all departments of the organisation.
“I am eagerly anticipating diving into this new chapter and connecting with all stakeholders. Together, let’s embark on the journey to create a thriving and successful environment for all involved.”
On X, Cardiff Rugby tweeted: “Best wishes on the new chapter at Dragons rugby Rhys Blumberg.”
“We look forward to continuing working closely together and going head-to-head on East Wales derby days. Diolch yn fawr a pob lwc.”
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Swansea's ‘Summer Of Problems’ And Season Review
Carwyn Harris
This week’s Sportin Wales podcast saw us hold a football season review as Sportin Wales welcomed TalkSport’s Laurence Mora and freelance journalist and commentator Philip Marsh.
The pair spoke about whether Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut should be offered a new contract, who Wrexham should sign this summer, and whether Newport can keep hold of Will Evans.
However, Mora was particularly strong on his assessment of Swansea’s rollercoaster season, so Sportin Wales decided to take a more in-depth look at what went right and what went drastically wrong for the Swans this season.
It all began, almost 12 months ago, when then Swansea manager Russell Martin made a verbal agreement in May to join Southampton before it was announced in June.
This prompted a disagreement between Southampton and Swansea in terms of compensation owed. Laurence Mora explained more on the podcast:
“Some of the decisions over the last 12 months have blown my mind, they’ve made some bad decisions in the last couple of years but in the last 12 months they’ve been phenomenally bad,” said Mora.
“Andy Coleman came in as chairman and talked a good game, but the mess with Russell Martin around him leaving the club is an embarrassment.
“The fact they’re still chasing them financially, still an argument going on with Southampton. The lawyers will sort it out, but it’s not a good look, surely this could have been done and dusted long ago.
“Swansea didn’t seem willing to invest in Martin and the style of football, then went completely away from the style of football to go to Michael Duff.
“Credit to Coleman he saw it quickly. He could have belligerently stuck his heels in but he saw the writing on the wall quite quickly and hoicked Duff out.”
Michael Duff, the former Barnsley manager, was appointed as Martin’s replacement but had an atrocious start to his time in charge as Carwyn Bowen, creator of Swansea City unofficial content account Only Swans, elaborates on;
“To be honest it’s been a bit of an eye opener,” said Bowen.
“We can’t just progress from style to style whenever we want. Swansea City has to be suited to a certain style in the fact we are a very unique club and have a specific style of keeping the football and playing nice football attached to us.
“Going from a possession-based manager in Russell Martin to Michael Duff really affected us and fan moral was at its lowest since I became a fan 15 years ago.
“They didn’t do enough planning when they thought about who to bring in as manager, they just saw that Duff’s a winner, really nice CV, just lost in a play-off final, bring him in and everything will be rosy but that wasn’t the case.
“At the start of the season we went seven league games without a win which was shocking. He was one of the first managers in EFL history to not win one of his first seven games which is incredible.”
After failing to win any of his first seven league games, Duff then won four on the bounce as Swansea scored 11 goals in the process, but then a run of one win in seven eventually saw him lose his job in early December.
It wasn’t just Duff’s comments on the field which frustrated Swansea fans, it was also his comments off it, as Philip Marsh said on the Sportin Wales podcast.
“Duff seemed like a nice guy but he didn’t suit the club,” said Marsh.
“The press conference before the derby against Cardiff, he said if they go up and lose both derbys he’d be happy and he said that while they were a point above the relegation zone.
“The writing was on the wall from that point onwards and the performance in the first South Wales derby said it all.
“The other mistake Swansea made was how long it took to replace him, he went in late November and it was only start of January before they found someone else and by that point the season’s over.
“For the club that, on the whole, has run things smoothly for the last 10 years, this was an off-season and a season to forget.”
“That was bonkers,” Mora added.
“They removed Duff which was a positive statement and you felt they must have someone lined up, it was bizarre to say the least.
“So many names bandied about, from my understanding they didn’t necessarily get their number one choice but I think Luke Williams is a good fit and will be a positive influence in the summer.”
The eventual successor, former Notts County manager Luke Williams was appointed on 5th January and whilst he didn’t manage a league win in his first four, since then Swansea’s form has improved and they are unbeaten in their last four with just one game left in the season.
At the time of writing, both managers have been in charge for 19 league games this season, Duff’s record stands five wins, six draws and eight losses for a total of 21 points, whilst Williams has seven wins, four draws and four losses for 25 points.
In fairness to Duff, the blame cannot be sent squarely at his door, with some poor transfer business last summer.
“The summer is the most we’d spent in a season since we were relegated and it was the worst we’ve spent in our entire time,” said Bowen.
“£2.5 million on one striker who averages nine touches a game [Jerry Yates from Blackpool] and simply doesn’t look fit to play for this football club.
“He was completely miss-profiled and can’t play in a one striker formation so god knows why we signed him.
“Then the other striker [Mykola Kuharevich], another £2 million spent on him potentially and he’s barely seen the pitch, he sits in the same row as me for every single Swansea game because he doesn’t play.
“It was damming transfer business, especially when signed by a new sporting director.
“The January players were players that fit the profile a bit more but we still need to rectify this poor business from last season.”
Mora added to this on the podcast;
“They’re now stuck with players who were bought for Duff who don’t suit the way Williams wants to play and those are on two or three-year contracts,” said Mora.
“I see a real summer of problems…sorry Swansea fans!
“Are they going to splash the cash? Absolutely not. They’ve got to remove people from the books. Williams has had half a season to look at his players now, he knows which ones he wants, he’ll have gone through it with Coleman.
“I don’t think they’ll be fishing in the pool of the Championship, they’ll be looking at League One and League Two and teams like that which they can get a bargain from.
“This is what worries me about the Swansea summer transfer market. Liam Cullen is almost out of contract is not getting a long-term deal, not a better paid deal, just an extension and has to go and prove himself again. I do worry that financially they haven’t got the money to push them on.”
“I wonder how gutted they’d be about Morgan Whittaker as well,” Marsh added.
“A goalscorer they had on the books last year and he’s been really good for Plymouth, they’ll be looking at him and scratching his head.”
Whittaker moved from Swansea to Plymouth for £1m plus add-ons in the Summer and has since scored 19 league goals in a side fighting relegation.
So who might Swansea sign in the summer?
Notts County striker Macaulay Langstaff is the top goalscorer in League Two and is known well by Williams following their time together, but a lot depends on which players Swansea manage to keep hold of.
“Whether we see the likes of Joe Allen there next year, I remain unconvinced whether that will continue,” said talkSport’s Mora.
“It depends if the manager wants him and whether Joe fits. He’s been terrific this season in the bits I’ve seen of him but the body is the body and he’s done a lot of hard yards.”
Only Swans’ Bowen would like to see Allen stay, alongside the likes of Jamie Paterson and Przemyslaw Placheta who was signed in January but would also like to the academy be given a chance.
However, Bowen thinks it unlikely Swansea will be able to make the loan signings of player of the season Carl Rushworth and striker Jamal Lowe permanent deals.
“Since we’ve brought in Luke Williams we’ve brought in some more exciting players than we had in the summer and it looks more positive now,” said Bowen.
“The midfielder to go next to Grimes has to be one of our first priorities, we’ve been linked to Aberdeen midfielder Connor Baron, I don’t hate it, we usually do well when we sign from Scotland.
“This is another great era of our academy which is pretty good at producing players. Azeem Kerr Abdullai is a really good prospect, played through Scottish age groups and Sam Parker came through well before he got injured.
“Rushworth is just a bit too good for us, Brighton will be looking to ship him to a better team. It’s a shame our situation has been so bad because he could have been in team of the season, regarded as one of the best keepers in the league.
“Lowe has recently been convincing me that I might want him back but probably not. He’s hunting for a contract but Luke Williams said he’s on a Premier league contract and we can’t afford to bring him back.
“He is a match winner but there are younger players who could offer more and academy players who could offer more too.”
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Bagent, Teulu and the NFL
Carwyn Harris
Wales and the NFL. Two words which, before this season, would rarely win you prizes in any game of word association.
However, all that has changed this season.
First, there was the case of Louis Rees-Zammit, turning his back on Wales’ Six Nations squad to fulfil a lifelong dream of playing American Football at the highest table.
The former Wales, British and Irish Lions, and Gloucester wing has since signed a three-year deal with reigning Superbowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.
And then there is the mysterious case of Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent.
The 23-year-old from West Virginia was an undrafted free agent when he was picked up by the Bears at the start of the 2023 season but made his way into the starting position after Justin Fields’ injury.
He won on his first start in the NFL, becoming the first Bears quarterback to do so since 2004, before winning one and losing two others in a four-game stint as the man in the driving seat.
But what has particularly piqued the interest of Welsh fans was a video which showcased Bagent’s impressive array of tattoos. Two in particular stood out.
The word “Teulu”, Welsh for family and the words “Teimlais fy holl fywyd fy mod I fod I hedfan” are displayed on his torso, the latter translating as ‘I felt my whole life that I was meant to fly’.
Until very recently, the connection flummoxed Welsh NFL fans.
“It’s been interesting, a couple of weeks ago I started getting messages on Instagram asking about my tattoos,” Bagent told Sportin Wales.
“It’s made me take a deep dive into my tattoos more than I ever really had since I got them.”
The reference to flying, written directly below a man fishing from a boat as an airplane flies directly above his head, is a direct quote by Bagent’s grandad whose heritage is from Wales.
Bagent’s grandfather died recently which was the inspiration behind the ink.
“My overwhelming love for my grandad is my main reason for the tattoos and how much he meant to me,” said Bagent.
“Every year, one of the things me and my grandpa would do is go fishing, so I got him on his boat and he was also a pilot so I got the plane he used to fly.
“The last couple of times I’d see him I’d record our conversations, trying to take a deep dive into his life and when he was happy, satisfied, unsatisfied, all the things, then we got talking about him being a pilot and it was word for word he said.
“I’ve been thinking about my grandad, how happy he’d have been for me to be in the position I’m on today, also how excited he’d have been with this whole story.”
That experience, whilst Bagent was still only 17, along with the recordings were “life changing” and have helped strengthen his mental resolve.
“I’m glad I went about it the way I did,” said Bagent.
“Not really being scared or sad about the death that’s coming, just accepting of it and leaning into it, because those are real natural moments we don’t get very often.
“I watched my grandfather die in a sense over years but in a hypersensitive manner for three months, watched him wither and pass away and talked about all the things he did and made him happy sad, things he wasted his time on, things he thought were a good time use.
“He was a lawyer, a pilot, he did so many different things and to hear the things that meant the most to him a lot of the time they were things that weren’t materialistic but real-life moments he was able to be a part of.
“There’s probably been 150 times today where I’ve stressed or worried about something really stupid which I won’t think about on my deathbed, so being able to hone in on that was huge for me.”
Bagent doesn’t speak Welsh so translating his grandad’s words into Cymraeg was partly down do a translating tool every child is taught not to use.
“It was Google translate,” said Bagent.
“Although I made sure to make sure I didn’t have random words on my body forever, in Spanish class back in the day sometimes it’d be good, sometimes the teacher would ask where on earth I could have come up with that translation, but this time it worked well.”
Bagent’s father Travis is a 28-time arm wrestling world champion and his son says his dad’s “energy” has played a crucial part in his career.
“That energy has always been great for me and all my siblings, being able to be around someone like that on a daily basis that breathes so much life into you, whether you can or can’t he’s going to make you feel like you can,” said Tyson Bagent.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without that character. You could get fired today, you could get fired tomorrow, there’s no guarantees with this until you get that second contract.
“It’s a day-today business being able to compete every day and that’s the biggest part.”
Bagent now has more competition at the start of this season after Bears used their number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select quarterback Caleb Williams which brings more pressure to a position which Bagent believes is the “hardest job in the world”.
“There’s a lot of pressure but there’s a sense of what the hell else am I going to do? A teacher? It’s fine but it’s not what I want to be right now, I want to be a football player,” said Bagent.
“If I can be a tool for the team that helps everybody win and keeps people happy then everybody still has a job at the end of the day.
“I just try and work as hard as I can, be the best version of myself as I can, be as ready as I can and then do as much right as I possibly can do.
“I just try and hone in on what I am responsible for and control what I can control because I can’t control who they bring in or how many they bring in, that’s how I look at it and helps me settle in and not be as sporadic or anxious.
“It’s exciting too, we’re going to try and win a Superbowl this year, that’s the mindset in the building and everyone’s really excited.”
With plenty of time until the NFL season starts in September, only time whether that comes true and which of Bagent or 22-year-old Williams will be the bigger long-term success in Chicago.
Photograph credit – Chicago Bears
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Indigo Welsh Premiership Play-offs: Llandovery v Cardiff Preview
Carwyn Harris
It’s the season end and an end of an era as the play-offs for the Indigo Welsh Premiership kick off this weekend.
With the incoming EDC next season this feels like “a line in the sand” in the words of Cardiff Academy manager Gruff Rees.
Cardiff are joined in the play-offs by Ebbw Vale, Newport and table toppers Llandovery.
Drovers pipped Cardiff in the play-of final last year and will host the rematch on Saturday at Church Bank having already finished first in the table and won the cup.
Peter Rees, Chairman of Llandovery RFC, says their recent success both last season and this has been something they were working towards for some time.
“As a club we’ve been building for a number of seasons this is accumulation of lots of hard work on the field by players and management team,” said Rees.
“This year it could be three achievements if things go well, there’ve been a number of close games and overall, it’s been a tough season despite finishing first, it just goes to show the strength of the Premiership this season anyone could beat anyone.
“Cardiff are hitting form at the right time and I expect it to be a close game.
“It’ll be the last game in this format, it’s interesting and it gives us motivation. Last year we gave credit to Cardiff for coming top and we feel there should be a league trophy for finishing top, to win consistently over the course of a season is such an achievement.
“We haven’t won the league, cup and playoffs before so it would be historic but we’re a long way from that yet.”
In its current guise the Welsh Premiership is melting pot of experienced semi-professional players alongside academy and youngsters from regional rugby.
“We’ve got a combination of young and experienced players with a few key individuals and it’s no secret that our game revolves around scrumhalf Lee Rees who’s been one of the best players in the Premiership for a number of years,” said Peter Rees.
“We’ve got other players like Jack Jones our captain and Adam Warren who was at the Dragons but since coming back to us he’s been fantastic, with amazing professionalism.
“Also, youngsters like Macs Page and Jac Davies. Page scored a spectacular try against Aberavon and Davies was on fire, pushing for regional place before he broke his leg.”
Cardiff come into the game on the back of five straight wins, including a 77-7 thrashing of Carmarthen Quins and a 47-24 win over Merthyr in their last two matches, but they lost last time the faced the Drovers, a 26-54 defeat at Cardiff Arms Park.
Gruff Rees is Cardiff’s Director of Coaching and believes that after a difficult season his side are well-placed going into the business end of the season.
“We’re at a point where we’re really excited by it now,” said Gruff Rees.
“It’s been a slog at times, some of the senior challenges last summer and squad composition, squad depth has been challenged.
“Certain boys have gone to the well every week and we’ve had to overplay a core group and rely on local clubs and young players coming through so it has been a real challenge this year and you can’t understate that.
“Fair play to head coach Steve Law, the coaching team and the playing group, to get to this point with a bit of momentum we feel and some identity in the last block.
“We’re coming into a nice patch of form, acknowledging that last year we were top of the league but were stretching by the back-end truth be told and Llandovery pipped us to the post. So it’s nice to go there and have a crack at them.”
Cardiff’s squad for this season included a number of omissions from the team that played Llandovery in the final not 12 months ago, due to retirements, players moving on and in the case of Evan Lloyd, Mackenzie Martin and Cam Winnett, players who are already in the red of Wales.
“People wouldn’t realise the stress there was, pre-season in the summer there were points I was uncertain at some points whether we would get a squad together,” said Gruff Rees,
“The financial challenges to put together that group, being really creative and working differently behind the scenes.
“One of the things in the back of my mind is I thought it’d be a success to get through this season and be competitive before re-setting for the EDC.
“With the help of local clubs, there’s a number of them in any given week just look at our teamsheet, reflecting the ebb and flow and inconsistencies we’ve had.”
Gruff Rees admits Llandovery are “clear favourites” for Saturday’s semi-final and has been impressed by the West Walians’ consistency this season.
“Llandovery and Newport have been class acts this year,” said Gruff Rees.
“We know Llandovery pretty well, they’re a good all-round package, dangerous across the board, the foundations of their game are really strong, in terms of set-piece, they know when to kick and when they do they kick effectively.
“Their first three phases have a lot of variation. Good rugby players within a good structure where they pick the right option and there are always multiple options.
“Unlike a lot of semi-pro and pathway rugby, they finish well, once they make half-breaks they tend to convert an awful lot of them which shows a side that are well-coached.
“We do feel we have a template to negate them and do things with the ball as well, but huge respect for what they’ve done over 12 months, winning last year and deservedly so, then they’ve bounced onwards impressively with a cup victory to boot.”
The former Ospreys coach says the EDC been “a long time coming”.
“I think there’s a relatively clear vision and purpose,” said Gruff Rees.
“It may have gone too far in some ways and I think there’s still going to be challenges in terms of squad composition, auditing and governance but for us it’s exciting and with a calendar that suits our needs.
“I think it’s a little bit of a line in the sand in terms of a split from the community game and it being governed slightly differently now.
“The league has changed dramatically so many times, when I was away I was aghast at so many different East, West, teams, numbers, I think we need a period of solidity and to back this format.”
Peter Rees echoes his namesake’s optimism for the league.
“I’m looking forward to the EDC, it gives the Premiership an opportunity to take a huge step forward and we’re delighted to be a part of it,” said Peter Rees.
“It just depends if they get the balance between competitive rugby and developing youngsters.”
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Indigo Welsh Premiership Play-offs: Newport v Ebbw Vale Preview
Carwyn Harris
The second Indigo Welsh Premiership play-off semi-final sees two Gwent sides go head-to-head as Newport take on Ebbw Vale at Newport Stadium on Saturday.
Newport finished second in the league, 15 points and one place ahead of Ebbw Vale.
The home side have won their last 14, scoring 544 points and 79 tries during that period including an 89-26 demolition of Bridgend Ravens last time out.
However, the games between Newport and Ebbw Vale this season have been much closer, peculiarly with the away side winning both times.
While Newport won their most recent meeting in March 25-31, Ebbw Vale won the reverse fixture 20-28 in November at Newport Stadium.
It all sets things up rather nicely for Saturday’s crunch game with the victor getting bragging rights but more importantly a place in the play-off final against Llandovery or Cardiff.
Newport fly-half Matt O’Brien partners his role as his side’s attacking lynchpin with his position as Dragons’ backs coach and is hoping his side can continue their good form at the end of the regular season into the play-offs.
“We’ve got that winning habit right now and I think we’ve hit form at the right time,” said O’Brien.
“It was a slow start to the season, going out in the first round of the cup, Rynard Landman will say he was the turning point as since he’s come in we’ve improved!
“We’ve been dealt with a fair few injuries to key players throughout the season but have managed that well and a core of semi-professional players like Joshua Skinner, captain Ben Roach and Lloyd Lewis have helped us through.”
O’Brien’s dual roles at Newport and Dragons also puts him in prime position to keep an eye on developing talent coming through the region, including 21-year-old scrum-half Che Hope and 20-year-old centre Joe Westwood who have recently signed new contracts with their region.
“Che’s going really well, his speed of pall and pass accuracy are really good,” said O’Brien.
“Both of them signed new deals recently and we regard them as high potential players.
“Joe is physically gifted but can do a bit of everything with good handling and kicking as well.”
“Having those two either side of me is good because it draws eyes away. If defenders are worried about Joe’s pace and power or the pace of pass from Che is good, then it gives me a bit more time.”
If O’Brien is given time and space on Saturday then he has the abilities to pull the strings for his side masterfully with his choice of pass and array of kicking skills.
“I still enjoy it, I love playing having played here for 10 years,” said O’Brien.
“I’m experienced and know what’s coming now as I’ve seen most things by now.
“We’ve probably played together as a core group for three or four years now and we’re all aligned, signing off the same hymn sheet, especially in attack and it makes things easier especially if Lloyd Lewis knows when I’m going to kick for instance but it did take a while.
“Ebbw Vale have a decent set-piece especially scrum and maul and they have good half backs who manage the game well and kick a fair bit this season, I expect it’ll be a close game.”
Whilst Newport are a settled side, their opponents’ head coach Jason Strange says his Ebbw Vale side are still developing, believing his side are still yet to hit their peak and won’t do so for “two or three years”.
“It’s been a fantastic season for us,” said Strange.
“An impressive campaign, losing in the semi-final of the cup against Llandovery and now in another semi-final after finishing third in the league.
“There have been highs and lows to this season, but their biggest strength is how close they are as a group, they’re really tight and best friends.
“A lot of our strengths come from our culture and I think we’ve got a good blend of youth and experience with the likes of scrum half Jonathan Evans, Joe Franchi and Rhys Francis but also young local lads like Ethan Phillips and Curtis Gregory.
“I taught Ethan when he was 11 for about five or six years and those two have played nearly every game and been standouts in their positions.”
Like the other sides in the play-offs, Ebbw Vale come into Saturday’s game in good form having won their last four after consecutive losses to Llandovery in the cup and Newport in the league.
“We’re peaking at just the right time, that’s what the playoffs are about,” said Strange.
“What you’ve done in the past counts for nothing, it will be a 50/50 game on Saturday. I expect it to be really tight and could be decided by the bounce of a ball.
“You need a different type of game plan for this sort of game, be really clear and keep things simple which normally wins you big games.
“We’d hoped the game would be at Rodney Parade but with it being on a football pitch which is eight or nine metres narrower than a normal pitch it really changes your attack and defence, so we’ve planned for that as well.”
Looking ahead to next season, both sides will appear in the EDC next season and Strange says he is “looking forward” to the new competition.
“I think it’ll be a good thing, promoting sustainability and stability,” said Strange.
“We believe we’re as strong off the field as on the field and I think it could be a game changer with the salary cap and allocation of academy players between the clubs meaning it’ll level the playing field.
“It’ll only strengthen the league if everyone buys in with good integrity. We’re doing it for the betterment of the game in Wales for the future as we know there isn’t enough money in professional and semi-professional rugby as it is.
“We believe we have a good business model, building that and a good team without losing our values or identity as a club which is very important in my opinion.”
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Carwyn Harris
If you had been looking for Wales football heroes to take over from Gareth Bale, then Nathan Broadhead would probably have been low down your list.
Yet cometh the very late hour, cometh the young man in Croatia as Broadhead grabbed the equaliser to earn his country a 1-1 draw in their first qualifier for Euro 2024.
Aaron Ramsey hadn’t scored, Kieffer Moore had hardly had a kick, but when the ball was flicked on to the far post, Broadhead – a 24-year-old, who plays League One football with Ipswich – reacted like a veteran international striker to deliver a priceless point.
The question for Wales now is can they carry on the momentum by beating Latvia at home on Tuesday night.
After all, the Latvians are considered the weakest team in the group and any point gained unexpectedly in Croatia would be handed back immediately if Wales don’t get all three points at the Cardiff City Stadium.
In Saturday night’s game, Wales could well have gone further behind after they went 1-0 down in the first-half to a goal from Andrej Kramaric.
But what will have encouraged the 2,000 members of the Red Wall who made the trip to the city of Split – as well as those watching on TV back home – was the positive nature of the Welsh response.
Manager Rob Page sent on fresh legs in the form of Broadhead, Sorba Thomas, Wes Burns and Tom Bradshaw and their energy proved decisive as the Croatians tired.
Some of the Welsh fans pictured celebrating at the end were also supporters of Barry Town United and it was a memorable weekend for them.
Earlier on Saturday, their club had hammered Pontardawe Town, 5-0, to confirm themselves champions of the JD Cymru South.
It will means a quick return to the JD Cymru Premier for Barry, who were relegated last season but will now go back up after a dominant campaign in the second tier of Welsh domestic football.
Eye-opening achievement of the weekend should go to Wrexham, whose crowd of 9,511 for their match at home to Connah’s Quay Nomads was a record for a women’s fixture in Wales.
They won 2-1 at The Racecourse in the Genero Adran North, 24 hours after their men’s team had beaten York City, 3-0, to stay top of the National League and on course for automatic promotion back to the Football League.
In the Genero Adran Premier, Cardiff City Women clinched their first title for 10 years after overcoming The New Saints, 3-1.
It was a weekend when most of the rest of Welsh football put their feet up, because of the international matches.
Cardiff City and Swansea City were able to get some extra training done ahead of their crunch Welsh derby meeting in the Championship this weekend, while Newport County’s planned League Two fixture against Harrogate was postponed due to international call-ups.
In the JD Cymru Premier, The New Saints had already sewn up the league title, but anyone thinking they might relax was proved wrong as they hammered Cardiff Met, 7-1 at the weekend.
In the only other fixture, Penybont maintained their position in third place, even though they were held, 2-2, at home to Bala Town.
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Jak Jones Trumps World Number Two And Reach Maiden Semi-Final
Carwyn Harris
Jak Jones is through to his first ever World Championships semi-final after a shock 13-9 win over world number two Judd Trump.
The Welshman from Cwmbran was ranked number 44 in the world coming into the tournament, needing to go through qualifying.
Having reached the quarterfinals last year in his first ever world championships appearance he has now gone one better and may face seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-final.
Over two rounds of qualifying, Jones beat countryman Jamie Clarke and then Zhou Yuelong of China who is ranked 23 places above him in the rankings before reaching the crucible.
Once there, Jones faced Zhang Anda of China, in a low-quality affair, but battled it out to win comfortably 10-4 before facing last year’s semi-finalist Si Jiahui.
Jones labelled his performance in the first evening session of that match as “shocking” and had a high break of 77 in a 13-9 win.
Next up however, was Judd Trump, winner of the world crown in 2019 and a player who showed recent good form winning the World Tour Open in China in March, whilst he also has the most centuries by any player this season.
Trump had looked in great touch at the crucible also, beating Hossein Vafaei 10-5 and Tom Ford 13-7 on his way to their quarterfinal matchup.
Jones would have been frustrated to finish all square on Monday morning after being brought back to 4-4 at the end of the first session but produced a match high 117 break to level things up at eight all.
After winning the first frame on Tuesday, Jones pocketed the white while making screwing back and ultimately lost the frame.
However, Jones reacted the better, finishing strongly with breaks of 87, 61 and 106 to wrap up what former world champion Dennis Taylor on commentary duty for BBC described as Jones’ “best win of his career”.
Trump was notably out of sorts and was outbattled by Jones, with the stats quite convincingly in the Welshman’s favour with better pot success, more points and more balls potted along with two century breaks whilst the world number two only managed one in the opening frame.
Despite the huge win, things don’t get easier for Jones who will next face the winner of Ronnie O’Sullivan against Stuart Bingham with the pair locked at 4-4 over night.
Speaking on BBC Jones said: “I don’t know how I got it done, every shot in the last frame I twitched but luckily they went in,
“He started the game in typical Judd fashion with a century but I felt quite calm, it motivated me.
“I’m hoping they move the whole tour here! The longer formats help me settle, if you can’t get up for the crucible you can’t get up for everything.
“I turned pro at 16, there was only one year tour cards back then and a high finance with no sponsors and my parents struggled by to pay for everything for me and there’s a lot of pressure, especially as a kid.
“I couldn’t deal with it really, maybe that shows in the way I play now where I don’t give up because of the struggles I’ve had
“I know everyone says this but it’s down to my parents, it’s the reason I’ve continued going because they’ve supported me so much.”
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Ill-disciplined Dragons Outmuscled At Home
Carwyn Harris
Dragons were unable to earn what would have been only their fourth win in the URC season, suffering a 27-34 loss to Connacht at Rodney Parade.
Throughout the match, the home side gave away too many penalties, allowing Connacht to kick to the corner and they were unable to halt their opponents forward dominance.
Ultimately it would be the maul that proved the difference with Connacht substitute Dylan Tierney-Martin’s late score to clinch the victory.
Connacht scored through Shamus Hurley-Langton, Finlay Bealham and John Porch in the first half and captain Dave Heffernan and Tierney-Martin in the second, while Dragons’ tries came from captain Steff Hughes, Rhodri Williams and Rio Dyer.
Before Saturday night, Dragons had been consistently poor in the first half since Christmas Day having conceded 121 points and scored just 26 in the first 40 and against Connacht, they were behind within just four minutes.
A mistake from Rhodri Williams saw his kick go out on the full and from the resulting lineout the men in green drove from the maul before going through the phases and it was Hurley-Langton who stretched over to score from short range.
However, no sooner had they gone behind than Dragons were back level. From their first lineout of the match, Rhodri Williams’ cut out pass found his captain Hughes on a brilliant line, cutting through and then rounding the cover to score.
Dragons were consistently giving away penalties in midfield, offering the visitors easy entries into their 22, whilst their scrum was coming under significant pressure.
Inside 20 minutes the visitors had a second. Young scrum-half Matthew Devine breaking though and coming close, before Ireland tight-head Finlay Bealham pounced from close range.
After that try and speaking on S4C, Dragons forwards coach Luke Narraway said his side needed to be “more accurate”, adding they had been on the wrong end of some “dubious refereeing decisions” in a typically inconsistent display from Italian Federico Vedovelli.
Dragons could only blame themselves for the next try, a cheap penalty given away by Cai Evans, providing Connacht an entry into their 22 and with the visitors going through the phases the defensive line was drawn narrow, with Bundee Aki’s looping pass finding John Porch to score in the corner.
The home side were having their moments, scrum-half Williams breaking through and an interception from Aneurin Owen showing promise but on both occasions, Dragons were unable to maintain momentum with passes hitting the turf.
Having been under pressure for most of the half, Dragons grabbed a try of their own, fortunate to win a penalty at scrum time they kicked deep into Connacht’s 22 and Rhodri Williams broke from the back of a maul stepping inside the cover to score.
With Cai Evans’ touchline conversion, Dragons trailed by just five at half time and were somewhat fortunate to be so close.
Within a minute of the second half, Dragons flanker Sean Lonsdale was lucky not to receive a yellow card for a clear-out on Devine, which halted another promising attack.
It was a short reprieve however, as Connacht kicked to the corner and after repetitive penalties Elliott Dee, on his 150th appearance for the region, saw yellow for coming in from the side of a maul.
From the next maul Dee’s opposite number Heffernan was the beneficiary from another dominant maul as the visitors claimed the bonus point with 35 minutes remaining.
Soon the Williams boys combined for Dragons and to lethal effect. First scrum-half Rhodri made another brilliant break, before the ball was spread to Jordan whose grubber kick through was pounced on by Dyer to score.
However, no sooner had Dragons got themselves and the crowd back level than they shot themselves in the foot once more.
After a brilliant turnover from Owen, they were too slow to capitalise on turnover possession and Jordan Williams’ kick was charged down, leading to a scrum and yet another penalty, this time in front of the posts which former Dragons man JJ Hanrahan converted.
Scores were back level soon later with Evans converting a penalty of his own, but with Connacht under significant pressure, a serious looking injury to Hanrahan prompted a TMO review and Jordan Williams was penalised, surprisingly so.
Minutes later, Ben Carter went upright into a tackle on Connacht wing Shane Jennings, receiving a red card for direct shoulder to head contact, meaning the home side were down to 14 for the final 10 minutes.
From the resulting lineout there would only be one result. Connacht powering through weak Dragons maul defence and substitute Tierney-Martin grabbing the visitors fifth and decisive try.
Dragons: (14) 27 Tries: Hughes, R. Williams, Dyer, Cons: Cai Evans x3, Pen: Evans x2.
Connacht: (19) 34 Tries: Hurley-Langton, Bealham, Porch, Heffernan, Tierney-Martin Cons: Hanrahan x2, Forde. Pen: Hanrahan.
Dragons: J. Williams; Dyer, Hughes, Owen (Westwood 75mins), E. Rosser; Evans, R. Williams (Hope 75mins); Jones (Martinez 59mins), Dee, Coleman, Carter, Screech, Lonsdale, Basham, Wainwright (Nott HT).
Connacht: O’Halloran; Jennings, T. Farrell, Aki, Porch; Hanrahan (Forde 67mins), Devine (Blade 63mins); Buckley (Dooley 6mins), Heffernan (Tierney-Martin 67mins), Bealham (Illo 63mins), Joyce, Thornbury (Dowling 51mins), Hurley-Langton, Oliver (Butler 63mins), Prendergast (Boyle 12mins).
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Dainton Drives Wales To Within Reach Of World Cup
Carwyn Harris
Wales women’s rugby league side are one step closer to the World Cup after a 28-10 win over Ireland at Cardiff University Sports Park.
The win in this first of two qualifiers means Wales require just one more win, against the Netherlands in June to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup finals.
Two tries from captain Bethan Dainton along with scores from Georgia Taylor, Kathryn Salter and Rhi Parker for Wales saw them take the win whilst Grace Tutty and Mairead Quinn responded from the visitors.
Ireland’s side featured nine debutants whilst Wales had three of their own.
Wales took the lead after 10 minutes when Shaunni Davies’ steepling kick was fumbled in the Irish backfield with Leeds Rhinos’ Dainton hitting a brilliant line to crash over.
To their credit, Ireland responded well, some brilliant offloading in midfield getting them close and after Quinn was held up over line on the next play of the ball they fed the ball right and a pinpoint crossfield kick found Tutty to dot down in the corner.
Wales responded immediately however, a brilliant offload from Dainton after a passing move found Taylor who dove in wide on the right.
With eight minutes remaining in the half, Rhi Parker forced a turnover in midfield and a couple of plays later, Brittony Price got on the outside and offloaded to Salter who bullied her way over the line.
With Salter adding her third conversion, that’s how the scores finished at half time with Wales leading 18-4.
Wales began the second half on fire and looked certain to score but for some brilliant Irish last-ditch defence holding them out just short of the line despite repeat sets.
Ireland then had a chance of their own but four or five Welsh defenders combined to hold up the opposition over the line, a set each later and captain Dainton took the game by the scruff of the neck once more.
Taking the ball at first receiver short of the hallway line, Dainton burst between would be tacklers from the play of the ball, before fending off the fullback and rounding the cover to score underneath the posts.
For the next 20 minutes, Wales were forced into defensive duties and the visitors came close but Tutty’s hack on dribbled into touch when she looked destined to score.
Eventually Ireland received their just rewards as Quinn forced her way over from barely five metres giving Storm Cobain the easiest of conversions from under the sticks.
That looked as though it would b the final try of the game but there was still time for one more with Dainton once again to the fore, bursting down the right hand side, fending players off left and right before offloading to Parker to score in the corner.
Next up will be Netherlands on 22nd of June away from home, after they hammered Italy 56-6 in a play-off.
Wales will get a chance to watch their opponents when Ireland host the Netherlands next month.
Featured image – Penallta Photographics