Welsh Clubs Are Ready For The First Whistle After A Summer Of Change And Optimism
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
The lines have been painted, the nets have been hung, and the talking is over.
The new Football League season starts this weekend and it’s a moment of hope, and possibly silent prayer for fans of Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County and Wrexham.
All four have plenty to prove when they begin their league campaigns, but perhaps the sharpest focus will be on Wrexham.
The Dragons ended the last campaign in a blaze of Hollywood-fuelled publicity with promotion from the National League back to League Two and they start their new adventure at home to MK Dons on Saturday – their first match back in the top four leagues for 15 years.
Skipper Luke Young believes the long wait to return to the Football League has only increased the excitement and anticipation for this season.
“15 years of hurt, heartache, ups and downs, almost getting relegated to being so close to getting out of the league on a number of occasions to finally doing it,” Young reflected.
“People were even thinking were we ever going to get out of this league after so many years and it was a relief to finally do that.
“We’re back in the EFL and we want more. We want to be up there this season as well.
“We have the confidence, the drive and the ambition to certainly do that.”
The only downside for Wrexham is that they will be without their star striker Paul Mullin for up to two months as he recovers from a punctured lung suffered on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA.
There is a sense of the unknown at all four of the Welsh clubs, as each have undergone significant change within their playing squads.
Cardiff have been especially active and although the re-signing of Wales captain Aaron Ramsey stole most of the headlines, the captures of Greek defender Dimitrios Goutas, and proven strikers Karlan Grant and Yakou Mete suggest a more heavyweight feel to the Bluebirds’ resources.
New manager Erol Bulut has been handed a tricky opening fixture – away to relegated Leeds United on Sunday, but seems unfazed.
“Their stadium will be full and that is perfect,” said Bulut.
“Football has to be like that, filling the stadiums. It will be difficult against Leeds, they are at home, they are strong and have their fans behind them.
“But I think we will have a good game on Sunday.”
Swansea are also under new managership in head coach Michael Duff, who has recruited five new players that will extend to six when Newcastle United defender Harrison Ashby completes his loan move on Friday.
Ashby could be the most significant of all the incomings, a 21-year-old who cost Newcastle £3m when he moved from West Ham 18 months ago.
“He has been in for a couple of days and we think he’s a good player – a powerful player, who does both parts of the game well,” said Duff.
“He can get in the top third and deliver crosses, but he’s also a good defender which is first and foremost the most important thing.”
Swansea are not among many pundits’ tips for promotion this season – even via the play-offs, but their head coach is reluctant to set any objectives.
“We want to be competitive, but I am not a big one for making predictions. Everyone will be saying the same thing at the start of the season, let’s try and win the first couple of games, and then see where are after 10 games,” he said.
“That’s not me being negative, I think this is going to be the most competitive Championship season for a long time.
The Swans start at home to Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon, at the same time as Newport begin their League Two campaign at Accrington Stanley.
There has been even more churn within the playing squad at Newport than at Cardiff or Swansea and manager Graham Coughlin warned: “We’re into the realms that I’ve never seen before when you see some of the finances and some of the things happening.
“We’ve now got a League Two team flying off to the United States, we’ve got League Two teams going across to Asia, we’ve got League Two teams flying all over the continent in pre-season.
“Some of those things never ever happened before in League Two so the landscape has totally changed.”
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Martyn Williams Talks Of Importance And Ruthlessness Of Rugby World Cup Camp Prep
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Martyn Williams went to three World Cup tournaments with Wales but was broken before he could make a fourth.
The one he didn’t make was the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, the first Wales attended with Warren Gatland as their coach.
Williams – now Gatland’s right-hand man as team manager for the national team – knew the game was almost up 13 years ago. As he neared 100 caps, the then 36-year-old was under enormous pressure for his place in the team from a young Sam Warburton, and his body was starting to fail him.
But it was in Poland – at an infamous training camp in a town called Spala – that Williams realised he wasn’t going to make World Cup number four.
“I went to Spala and it was brutal,” he recalls.
“I didn’t make the 2011 World Cup squad in the end, but I went on those two camps to Poland. They were hard. But that was the foundation for the next 10 years.
“That was their first World Cup camp for so many players and it laid down a marker for the future. That is how hard you have to train.”
Roll on a dozen years and Williams is helping manage the latest training camps as Wales prepare for the 2023 tournament in France.
It’s been a three-pronged prod of pain, a tricolour of sweaty trials and tribulations that began at the squad’s Vale of Glamorgan base near Cardiff, moved on to the high Alps in Switzerland, and finally turned up the heat fully in Turkey.
But Spala remains the most legendary of all the brutal Welsh World Cup camps. The daddy. Perhaps Gatland, younger and less experienced, pushed things a little too far.
You only need mention the word – Spala – and players who survived it still flinch when they remember the ice baths before breakfast, the relentless running, the endless weights and the weariness that seeped into their bones. More than one player admits they would curl themselves into a fetal position late at night and hope the whole thing would go away.
Things may have moved on. Certainly, there is more attention to mood and morale and the intention is not to break anyone, physically or emotionally.
But Williams admits the current camps have been . . . demanding.
“The first couple of sessions, the players were on their hands and knees. But it’s the best way to get to know people by going away together and working hard.
“They have three days off in 14 and it is pretty intense. We are pushing them right to the edge, but the idea is not to break them.”
The brutality of the camps has been regularly referenced in the build-up to France, but then it has been a bruising year for Welsh rugby in so many ways. The regions have been forced to make huge cuts in their spending and many of the players who are in the Wales squad are not going to be returning to Wales to resume their livelihoods next season. They are heading elsewhere.
The Welsh Rugby Union have had to tighten their own belt, but Williams insists the heavy spending it takes to get ready for a World Cup could not be undermined.
“Everyone is under the pump on budgets these days and the national team is no different,” says Williams.
“We are mindful of that, but with high performance at this level you have to be very careful what you cut. It is about ensuring the players get everything they need so they can have no excuses.
“World Cup camps do cost, but everything we are doing has been in the budget for two and a half years. The amount of effort and work that goes on behind the scenes is amazing because it is such a big group – attention to detail has to be spot on.”
After three tournaments as a player in 1999, 2003 and 2007, this will be William’s’ first as a manager. It has been a steep learning curve.
“As a player I was lucky enough to play under Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland and I‘ve taken bits from everyone I’ve worked with down the years into my new role as manager,” says the former British Lions flanker who made his name with Pontypridd and then moved to Cardiff.
“What I did learn very early on is that as a player you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes, even if you think you do. I played international rugby for 16 years and by the end of it I thought I was an expert – ‘Why aren’t we doing this, we should be doing that’.
“Then you come to the other side of the fence, and you suddenly realise why certain things happen and others don’t.
“It is well documented that the Six Nations was tough. It was the hardest one I’ve ever been involved with as a player or manager because of what was going on around it – it was brutal.
“Everyone went back to their clubs and regions and turned up for our mini camps a few weeks ago. They’ve parked all that stuff now, they are loving each other’s company.
“They’re all in a very good place and training unbelievably hard. For the management team it’s about trying to strike the balance between enjoying yourself and getting the work done to win in France.
“Nobody wants to come here and enjoy themselves, and then lose at the World Cup.”
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RUGBY Star Jonathan Davies Is The New Champion And Ambassador For A Leading Mental Health Service
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
The Wales, Scarlets and British Lions centre has joined forces with CALL Mental Health Helpline for Wales.
Given a rising need for mental health support, with suicide rates among young males and the many challenges facing people of all ages across the country – notably the cost-of-living crisis, mortgage rates and energy costs – Jonathan encouraged anyone struggling with anxiety, stress, or depression to contact the organisation.
“Mental health is extremely important, and I know in my working life talking about the stresses I faced helped me cope when I needed it most,” he said.
“You’re not on your own, even if it might seem that way, and knowing you have support is everything.
“People should talk about it, or at least try, as I know myself from personal experience that other things as well as rugby can play on my mind – as a man, I get it.”
Jonathan added: “Boys, talking about things is definitely something we can work on so kick the stereotype into touch, if life is getting you down get in touch with CALL.”
CALL Manager Luke Ogden thanked Jonathan for helping to remove stigmas around asking for help when you need it, especially among men.
Three times as many men as women die from suicide, according to reports by The Mental Health Foundation, but men are less likely to access psychological help – only 36% of referrals to the NHS for therapy and support are for men.
“Jonathan is right, we definitely need to break down stereotypes and encourage more young men and anyone facing mental health challenges to get in touch with CALL,” he said.
“Our operators are there 24/7 to listen, the helpline is free to use and as well as discussing any concerns they can also signpost users to services across the country.
“To have a role model like Jonathan as part of our team is fantastic, he is one of the best players Wales has ever produced but also someone who understands the pressures and issues faced by so many men in Wales today.
“We are so grateful to have him on board, I’m sure he will help us to spread a positive message far and wide over the coming year.”
Text the word ‘HELP’, 81066 or call freephone 0800 132 737 for more on CALL Mental Health Helpline for Wales. Alternatively, visit www.callhelpline.org.uk.
CALL Helpline is the all-Wales mental health helpline. It delivers emotional support to anyone living in Wales. The helpline operators provide a listening ear to anyone wanting support with their mental health.
CALL Helpline is available 24/7 to anyone phoning from Wales and is also a bilingual service, meaning callers can choose to speak to the helpline operator in either Welsh or English.
CALL also offers a service through Language Line, which allows a caller to speak to the Helpline Operator in their language of choice.
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El Torro On The Rampage . . . Liam Jones Is The Young Welsh Boxer Making A Mark In Majorca
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
The posters dub him “El Torro” and there’s no doubt local boxing fans in Majorca are bullish over the prospects of young Welsh fighter Liam Jones.
He was known as “The Bull” when he was making his way in Treorchy in the Rhondda, but it was more than just an obvious promotional strategy for the 23-year-old to quickly re-brand when he opted to base himself on the Spanish island.
In the ring, Jones is direct, powerful, and on the rampage – evidenced by his 6-0 record so far as a professional.
“I am learning the sport at the moment, but I have ability and I have self-belief and I do believe that one day I’ll be a champion,” says Jones.
The super-lightweight has an interesting back story, one that came out of the deep fat frier of a fish-and-chip shop, but now definitely has more the flavours of tapas and paella.
His family own the renowed Ton Pentre fish-and-chip shop, “A Fish Called Rhondda”, who glory in their motto: “We love to cook fish and chips for the Valley that loves to eat them”.
Except Jones doesn’t get to eat them too often these days. Not only is he meticulous about his dietary intake ahead of his next fight – scheduled to be in Llanelli – but he has spent the past two years living in Majorca.
His family owned an apartment, and regular summer visits cultivated a love for the island. When he wanted somewhere where warm weather training would be almost a guarantee, then there was only one place to go.
“I’d been coming here all my life and I love the place,” he says. “There was an opportunity for me to base myself in Manchester after I turned professional, but my trainer, Paul Hamilton, was happy to train me here.”
And fight in Majorca, too. So, far Jones has fought three times on the island and three more times in the north of England. He remains unbeaten.
“There are no distractions here, which I would have at home. It’s a beautiful island but when I’m in camp I don’t see that much sunlight because I’m training in the gym three times a day.
“But if I want to get on a run, or on the bike, or down to the sea, then I know I’m blessed.”
His Majorcan base has not stopped his fans from supporting him. When he fought last year, over 50 of his supporters had jumped on a plane to fly in from Wales.
Sport runs through the family. His older brother is Marc Jones, former pro rugby player for Bristol, Sale and the Scarlets and now coach at Carmarthen Quins.
Jones is very aware he’s still in the foothills of his career and there is a long trek ahead, but sponsors are already taking note with Watches of Wales, a Cardiff-based business, and a Sportin Wales watch feature since the beginning, one of his major backers.
“Obviously, everyone’s goal is to one day fight to become world champion and then have one of those super fights in America – Las Vegas or New York. That’s my plan and my goal, to see my face lit up in gold out there and live the dream.
“You have to believe you can become world champion. Otherwise, what’s the point of all the sacrifice and hardship? This is now my life and my livelihood.”
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Martyn Williams Talks Of Importance And Ruthlessness Of Rugby World Cup Camp Prep
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Martyn Williams went to three World Cup tournaments with Wales but was broken before he could make a fourth.
The one he didn’t make was the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, the first Wales attended with Warren Gatland as their coach.
Williams – now Gatland’s right-hand man as team manager for the national team – knew the game was almost up 13 years ago. As he neared 100 caps, the then 36-year-old was under enormous pressure for his place in the team from a young Sam Warburton, and his body was starting to fail him.
But it was in Poland – at an infamous training camp in a town called Spala – that Williams realised he wasn’t going to make World Cup number four.
“I went to Spala and it was brutal,” he recalls.
“I didn’t make the 2011 World Cup squad in the end, but I went on those two camps to Poland. They were hard. But that was the foundation for the next 10 years.
“That was their first World Cup camp for so many players and it laid down a marker for the future. That is how hard you have to train.”
Roll on a dozen years and Williams is helping manage the latest training camps as Wales prepare for the 2023 tournament in France.
It’s been a three-pronged prod of pain, a tricolour of sweaty trials and tribulations that began at the squad’s Vale of Glamorgan base near Cardiff, moved on to the high Alps in Switzerland, and finally turned up the heat fully in Turkey.
But Spala remains the most legendary of all the brutal Welsh World Cup camps. The daddy. Perhaps Gatland, younger and less experienced, pushed things a little too far.
You only need mention the word – Spala – and players who survived it still flinch when they remember the ice baths before breakfast, the relentless running, the endless weights and the weariness that seeped into their bones. More than one player admits they would curl themselves into a fetal position late at night and hope the whole thing would go away.
Things may have moved on. Certainly, there is more attention to mood and morale and the intention is not to break anyone, physically or emotionally.
But Williams admits the current camps have been . . . demanding.
“The first couple of sessions, the players were on their hands and knees. But it’s the best way to get to know people by going away together and working hard.
“They have three days off in 14 and it is pretty intense. We are pushing them right to the edge, but the idea is not to break them.”
The brutality of the camps has been regularly referenced in the build-up to France, but then it has been a bruising year for Welsh rugby in so many ways. The regions have been forced to make huge cuts in their spending and many of the players who are in the Wales squad are not going to be returning to Wales to resume their livelihoods next season. They are heading elsewhere.
The Welsh Rugby Union have had to tighten their own belt, but Williams insists the heavy spending it takes to get ready for a World Cup could not be undermined.
“Everyone is under the pump on budgets these days and the national team is no different,” says Williams.
“We are mindful of that, but with high performance at this level you have to be very careful what you cut. It is about ensuring the players get everything they need so they can have no excuses.
“World Cup camps do cost, but everything we are doing has been in the budget for two and a half years. The amount of effort and work that goes on behind the scenes is amazing because it is such a big group – attention to detail has to be spot on.”
After three tournaments as a player in 1999, 2003 and 2007, this will be William’s’ first as a manager. It has been a steep learning curve.
“As a player I was lucky enough to play under Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland and I‘ve taken bits from everyone I’ve worked with down the years into my new role as manager,” says the former British Lions flanker who made his name with Pontypridd and then moved to Cardiff.
“What I did learn very early on is that as a player you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes, even if you think you do. I played international rugby for 16 years and by the end of it I thought I was an expert – ‘Why aren’t we doing this, we should be doing that’.
“Then you come to the other side of the fence, and you suddenly realise why certain things happen and others don’t.
“It is well documented that the Six Nations was tough. It was the hardest one I’ve ever been involved with as a player or manager because of what was going on around it – it was brutal.
“Everyone went back to their clubs and regions and turned up for our mini camps a few weeks ago. They’ve parked all that stuff now, they are loving each other’s company.
“They’re all in a very good place and training unbelievably hard. For the management team it’s about trying to strike the balance between enjoying yourself and getting the work done to win in France.
“Nobody wants to come here and enjoy themselves, and then lose at the World Cup.”
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FOUNDERS COLUMN: The Rugby World Cup Is A Chance For Me To Finally Live Out My Dream
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
It’s a bit of a sporting cliché, but for me it’s an absolute truth: when it comes to the Rugby World Cup, I have unfinished business.
I played in the 2015 tournament, when I was only 24 years old. But it wasn’t quite the role I had in mind.
I had moved to Wales from New Zealand the year before, with the dream of making a big impact in that tournament, but I picked up an ankle injury and I ended up playing in just two matches.
In 2019, I was playing well and feeling confident of making more of the opportunity. We played a warm-up game against England at Twickenham, half an hour had gone, and then I felt my knee suddenly pop.
The outcome of that was a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, the bleakest two years of my rugby career, and, of course, another World Cup passing me by.
So, yeah, you could say I’m pretty keen to make the 2023 version.
Touch wood, things are looking okay so far. I’ve come back from a shoulder injury that undermined a whole big chunk of last season and I’m feeling fit, fresh, and eager to play more rugby.
There are more hurdles to overcome yet, like getting through the rest of the training camps, gaining final selection, and those two warm-up Tests against England and then South Africa.
After that, we finally get out to France.
I’ve learned to take nothing for granted in this game, to be grateful for health and fitness, and whatever comes beyond that is a bonus.
When sport is your livelihood and you are injured, then it’s inevitable there will be doubts that creep into your mind.
I went through all that and there’s no doubt my injuries made me feel vulnerable. You worry about the future and whether your career will continue in the way you’d planned.
This summer, I had come to the end of my contract with the Ospreys and there was no offer of a new deal.
Maybe that’s not surprising, because of the financial mess the domestic game is in. But it all adds to the sense of vulnerability and not being in control.
Thankfully, I was always open-minded about my future and now I’ve signed to play in Japan for Suntory Sungoliath, I’m really looking forward to the next stage.
It was a relief to get everything sorted and it’s going to be a real honour to play for one of the biggest clubs in Japan after the World Cup is over.
Family-wise, it will mean some adjustment but my wife is really supportive and between us we’ll make it work.
But that’s later in the year. For now, it’s the World Cup that’s on my mind.
The training is hard, the squad has had its withdrawals, but the spirit in the group is good and the bonds between players are getting stronger all the time.
When the time comes, the boys will be ready.
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The Bluebirds On Board The Bulut Train
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
The average Championship fan could have been forgiven if they hadn’t heard of the name Erol Bulut before early June 2023.
But now, to the supporters of Cardiff City Football Club, new Bluebirds boss, Bulut, appointed on July 3rd, 2023, offers the hope of stability and much needed progress on and off the pitch.
It’s been a tumultuous five years for the Bluebirds since earning promotion to the Premier League during the 2017/18 season. The sadness of the Emiliano Sala crash, still looming with their current EFL embargo on paying transfer fees and legal battle with FC Nantes, took eyes away from a valiant attempt to stay in the top-flight. Since Neil Warnock’s departure six months after relegation, City have gone through five permanent managers and a caretaker boss. The capital city club needed big changes if the Club are due to contend for a place in the promised land once again. That monumental challenge falls to a man who has never managed in English football before.
Turkish-born Bulut enjoyed a near twenty-year professional playing career on the continent, appearing for the likes of Fenerbahçe, Olympiacos and 1860 Munich. His most high-profile managerial stint so far was an eight month spell in charge of his former club Fenerbahçe. Bulut had a near-62% win record while in charge of Sarı Kanaryalar.
While the Bluebirds are unable to pay a transfer fee for players until January 2024, they have used their money in other ways. City chairman Mehmet Dalman was quick to dispel rumours of Bulut being a cheap choice. In fact, he was Dalman’s first choice for the role all along.
“We tried to approach Erol two years ago initially,” Dalman said at his unveiling press conference. “We went through the process and had some very good candidates. What distinguished Erol for me was two things – his desire to win something and establish his own reputation. His ambition was important but his personality too. This isn’t an exercise in getting a football manager in. This is not a cheap hire. We have targets, strategy and a vision. Erol will be a key in that strategy.”
The pressure is on Bulut to turn around a City side that only avoided relegation to League One because of Reading’s point deduction in the last campaign. But it is an opportunity he is relishing!
“I like to win, and I don’t like to lose. I will make everything possible in the games to have the three points in the end. At least, if we don’t win, we have to get a point. Every point will be important for us. At home we have to be much stronger, with the fans behind us. We need them, everywhere. They will be the 12th person on the field, to support us.”
You can understand Bulut’s hopes of changing his new team’s fortunes at Cardiff City Stadium. It might be the home of the Welsh national team, but it has hardly been a fortress for the Bluebirds in recent seasons. In-fact, the Club won just six of 25 competitive fixtures at their Leckwith home last term.
Goals are another area of focus for the former left-wing back with just 41 goals scored in 46 games in 2022/23. Erol has swiftly made his moves to strengthen his attacking options in the transfer market, bringing in Iké Ugbo & Karlan Grant on loan for the season, and signing former Reading man Yakou Méïté to a two-year deal.
Talking about his new forwards, Bulut added: “Iké has shown what he can do over the last three years. In 1v1 situations, he is really good in the box. His heading and finishing abilities are also strong. These are things that we need, because we know that last season the team did not score enough goals.
“Yakou will help us a lot with his power and his speed. We are really very satisfied that he’s signed for us. He has played the last five or six years in the Championship, so he knows the league very well. He’s experienced, strong, skilful; he will play many games for us and score.
“Karlan will bring goals, speed and work rate to this team. He works hard on the pitch, not just offensively but in defence as well. Now, we have a few players like Karlan who can play in different positions. He can play as a winger, but we can also use him as a striker and a second striker. I’m pleased with these reinforcements.”
Delightfully, just before we go to print, the most impressive possible service to those attackers has been confirmed by Cardiff City Football Club.
After a summer filled with speculation, Aaron Ramsey’s Bluebirds return home was confirmed on Saturday, July 15th, 2023 with the Wales captain penning a two-year deal.
Their new number 10 is still Cardiff City’s youngest ever player. He came off the bench to replace Club legend Peter Whittingham in the 2008 FA Cup Final, before moving to Arsenal that summer. Spells in Turin with Juventus and the French Riviera with OGC Nice followed and while he wasn’t without options this summer, Rambo‘s desire to return home and help the Club he supports was too big of a draw to turn down.
Speaking at Cardiff City Stadium after putting pen-to-paper for the Bluebirds for the third time, Aaron said: “It feels unbelievable to finally be back here. I always thought one day I’d come back, and now it’s the perfect time to do that. For me now to come full circle, to be part of this team now, and hopefully achieve the goals we want, there’s no better feeling than that. I’ve said it many times in the past – I owe so much to Cardiff, to the fans, to everybody who has been at the Club when I was here as a young boy coming through.”
In Ramsey, Erol has a leader, a creative influence and a beacon of positivity. He loves the Club. He wants to be there and he wants to work for a manager who is building towards a shared objective.
“Aaron started here, and now he is back to help us to achieve our targets. Aaron has had a great career. In the Premier League, then Italy and France, and now back home in Cardiff. I hope his last years with us will be great too, and I hope we can make our dreams come true.”
Five new signings already, including a Club and Welsh icon – that embargo isn’t holding Cardiff City back on their ambitions to rise again. The Bulut train has well and truly started its journey, and the capital city is excited by the prospect of where it will take them.
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Royal Porthcawl Weather Makes Life Tough For The Seniors, But Alex Cejka Proves Up To The Task
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Golf
The wild Welsh coastal weather on Sunday failed to blow Germany’s Alex Cejka off course as he won the Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club.
Despite driving wind and rain making for very awkward conditions, Cejka defeated Padraig Harrington at the second play-off hole to win the title.
Cejka mixed two birdies with five bogeys and a double-bogey to card a five-over 76, with Harrington posting a final-round 75 to join him on five over after missing an eagle attempt for outright victory on the final hole.
The players returned to the par-five 18th for a play-off, where Harrington tapped in for birdie – after almost holing his eagle putt from off the back of the green – and Cejka two-putted from 30 feet to extend the contest.
Harrington then missed the green with his approach on the second play-off hole and could only make par, as Cejka posted a two-putt birdie to claim the win and add to his senior major victories in 2021 at the Regions Tradition and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
“I still can’t believe it,” Cejka said.
“It’s been a really tough week. It’s been a really tough two days. I can’t believe I’m standing with the trophy here.
“Seeing all those great names on the trophy, coming in here with all the pictures and everything, all the guys who won it before me, now holding it myself, it’s surreal.”
Netball
Wales earned their first victory at the Netball World Cup in South Africa, but were brought down to earth by champions New Zealand.
Captain Nia Jones Jones and her team earned their first victory in their third match at the tournament when they beat Sri Lanka, 68-56.
But after defeats to South Africa and Jamaica, Wales were then given a difficult time by New Zealand as they went down, 83-34.
The Silver Ferns showed why they are highly fancied to retain their trophy as they went 40-16 up at half-time, led 65-22 by the end of the third quarter, and then stretched their winning margin in the fourth quarter.
Jones said: “We knew today was probably a bit out of reach for us in terms of where we’re at as a national team.
“There were structures that we put out today that worked and if they worked against these guys, we know that they will work against Uganda and Trinidad and Tobago, that’s what we really need to look at and stick to it for a little bit longer.
“I think we lost a bit of our discipline, we know they off-mark, they have got a break zone and we fell into their traps a little bit too often today.”
Wales now take on Uganda on Wednesday.
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Aaron Ramsey On Track For Championship Debut Second Time Around For Cardiff City
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Cardiff City and Swansea City both made final preparations for the start of the Championship season on Saturday.
The Bluebirds were held to a goalless draw at Wycombe Wanderers, while the Swans won 4-0 at Reading.
Now, attention turns to the real deals when Swansea host Birmingham City on Saturday and Cardiff visit relegated Leeds United a day later.
Aaron Ramsey, having returned to his first club at Cardiff, insists he is injury-free and can finally enjoy a smooth ride under their recently appointed Turkish boss, Erol Bulut.
“I feel good again,” said Ramsey, who has averaged 12 league starts per season since he left the Gunners in 2019.
“I kept myself ticking over in the off season and, I’ve been building up the minutes and I’m good to go.
“I still feel I’m capable of producing performances, so for me there was no better time to come back to Cardiff and to help them progress.”
After various injury issues, Ramsey showed he still has the durability to manage to make a combined 44 appearances for French club Nice and Wales last season.
His homecoming to the club he left 15 years ago, means the 32-year-old has managed to get Bluebirds fans all misty-eyed and they quickly sold out their aways fans’ allocation of 2,000 tickets for their opening trip to Leeds United next Sunday.
“Cardiff have had some low points in recent years, but they have also had some highs, like being in the Premier League,” added Ramsey.
“My aim is to help them get back there. I’ve met the new manager and had a few discussions about how he wants me to play, so I’m excited to get going.”
Ramsey played his last match in French football in May and then featured twice for Wales in June – against Armenia and Turkey – so Bulut insists there are not recent questions against his midfielder’s fitness.
“He has not lost any conditioning because he was not long away from the game,” said Bulut.
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Ryan Elias Ready To Take On England As Wales Turn Up The Heat For World Cup
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Wales spent the weekend focusing on their first World Cup warm-up match at home to England this week – and for Ryan Elias that presents a likely opportunity to show he’s the No.1 hooker.
The Scarlets forward was absent with an Achilles injury back in February, when the Six Nations match against the old enemy was almost derailed by a players’ strike in a dispute over delayed contracts.
In the end, the game went ahead and England won 20-10, but now the context is entirely different as both nations flex their muscles in a first World Cup warm-up.
“There has been a huge amount going on in Wales and England with players out of contract and clubs going under, but from a player’s perspective you just want to do your job, which is to play rugby,” said Elias.
“That last game involved close friends of mine, so I was in contact with them during the build-up.
“You’d rather have meetings about rugby and so it didn’t sound as if they had the greatest prep for that game.
“Now, we just want to rip into it again. We are all solely focused on the rugby.”
Wales have lost huge experience with the international retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb, plus the injury that has ruled out 36-year-old hooker Ken Owens.
That has opened the door to Elias, 28, who has had to battle his rival for the shirt for both club and country.
“I’ve known Ken for years – we went to the same school, played for the same club and I have grown up with him.
“But I’ve got 33 caps and I feel I have a hell of a lot left to contribute. I feel the strongest I have ever been.
“England are going to be like us – fighting desperately for World Cup places, so I’d image it’s going to get pretty tasty.”
As Wales honed their plans for the game, they also paid tribute to Clive Rowlands, the former Wales captain and coach, who died over the weekend at the age of 85.
The Wales defence coach Mike Forshaw, who is with the squad in Turkey for their pre-World Cup training camp, said: “From all the players and staff, we want to send our condolences to the family. He was a great rugby man and he’s been in our thoughts this morning in Turkey.”
Rowlands, who played 14 times for Wales as scrum-half, also managed the British & Irish Lions and served as president of the WRU.
He captained his country on each of his international appearances and led the team as they shared the 1964 Five Nations title with Scotland.
As coach he guided the team to a first Grand Slam in 19 years in 1971, after retiring from playing at 29.
He also led the team to their most successful finish at a World Cup, placing third at the inaugural tournament in 1987, before mastermind victory for the Lions on their tour of Australia two years later.