#Alun Wyn Jones

One of the biggest calls Warren Gatland will have to make for the Six Nations is who to install as Wales captain, with a number of strong candidates putting up their hands. Justin Tipuric and Dan Biggar have led Wales over the past two campaigns, while Adam Beard has leadership qualities and so do Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, Ken Owens and, of course,…

Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby news for Wednesday, December 14. Gloucester Rugby are the unnamed England Premiership side which has signed Welsh star Max Llewellyn from Cardiff, according to the latest reports. The 23-year-old is one of Welsh rugby's hottest prospects and has been tipped by many to be a future Wales international, but…

It has been a hugely eventful year in the world of rugby, amid a plethora of incident and individual excellence. Here's our A-Z guide of what went on in 2021. A is for Alun Wyn Where better to start than with a man who has risen to new heights this part year amid more superhuman exploits. Having skippered Wales to the Six Nations title, he was then…

The 2020 edition of the Six Nations kicked off with Wales against Italy. The Welsh came into the tournament as the defending champions after their Grand Slam success 12 months ago, but England were the bookmakers' early favourites this year, followed closely by Ireland. A spokesperson for The Pools said: "All change for the Six Nations Express!…

Ospreys' Wales quartet Adam Beard, Alex Cuthbert, Rhys Webb and Jac Morgan will miss the visit of United Rugby Championship (URC) leaders Leinster. Head coach Toby Booth has made eight personnel changes from the side that defeated Cardiff. Ireland captain Johnny Sexton is missing through injury with flanker Rhys Ruddock leading Leinster. World…

No self-respecting tour would be complete without some frivolous awards, so without further ado, here are RW's Alternative Lions awards... At the end of an emotional, roller-coaster of six weeks on tour, it's time for Rugby World to hand out a few tongue-in-cheek gongs to a few individuals, highlights and lowlights that caught our…

Welsh rugby heads into the new year with one headline-grabbing decision having been made, but lots of other issues still to be resolved. The autumn internationals marked the end of the road for Wayne Pivac as Wales coach and a return to the helm for Warren Gatland. You never like to see anyone lose their job and Pivac is a decent bloke who gave it…

Lineen played for the Scots from 1989 and 1992, sharing in their 1990 Five Nations grand slam. There has since been a continuous Kiwi influence in the Five Nations/Six Nations since 1994. This year's tournament kicks off this weekend, with seven New Zealand-born players and two Kiwi head coaches involved. Some - notably French prop Uini Atonio -…

Here are the latest rugby headlines on Monday, December 26, 2022. Louis Rees-Zammit went off injured within the opening 10 minutes of Gloucester's Christmas Eve defeat to Leicester Tigers. The Wales winger suffered an ankle injury just six weeks before the Six Nations begins. The severity of the injury is not yet known but the ankle was heavily…

Wales have announced the team that will take on South Africa in Saturday's second Test today. Wayne Pivac has largely kept faith with the 23 that pushed the world champions so close last weekend, with Alex Cuthbert the only addition to the starting XV. Josh Adams moves to the bench, while Tomas Francis is replaced by uncapped Sam Wainwright after…

The men's national team clinched a Six Nations title in empty stadiums and endured a bruising autumn when fans returned, while the women's game made significant progress on the pitch and in the boardroom. But for domestic rugby in Wales, problems continue to intensify after another austere 12 months. BBC Sport Wales looks back at an incident-packed…

Your rugby headlines on Sunday December 11. Eddie Jones is being linked with what is being dubbed a'sensational' rugby return for the World Cup which would see him lock horns with Wales. The axed England boss is being eyed up by Australia to join their coaching team for the tournament next autumn as the Wallabies look to'weaponise' what has just…

Following a 23-17 victory for Leicester Tigers over the Ospreys in their Champions Cup fixture, here's our five takeaways from the match at Swansea.com Stadium on Sunday. This was an outstanding win by a particularly inexperienced but youthful Tigers side playing away against the Ospreys boasting some seven Test Lions and something north of 700…

The wait is almost over as this Saturday, the Six Nations returns to our screens and with fan-filled stadiums to boot. After last year's tournament was played behind closed doors, players, coaches and fans will be thrilled that all matches are set to feature no such restrictions after the Welsh government dropped relevant Covid-19 rules in…

Victory for England here would maintain their place in second, at least, and would ramp up the tension on their final two matches, including a trip to Paris in the last round. Six Nations 2022 on TV - schedule, kick-off times, channel details Reigning champions Wales came into the tournament with faint hopes of retaining their crown due to a string…

To say Wayne Pivac needs to start drilling down names into his World Cup plans must be an early candidate for understatement of the year. Quite how many players are inked in at this stage we cannot know after a Six Nations that ended chaotically for Wales, but maybe we can have a stab at projecting how Pivac's squad will look. Alun Wyn Jones has…

Wales are playing for pride on Super Saturday as their Six Nations 2022 campaign draws to a close with a home clash against Italy. The reigning champions are set to relinquish their title but can still claw their way up to third in the table if results fall their way. Wayne Pivac's men have been hamstrung by key injuries and third place would…

All the latest odds ahead of this weekend's quarter-final The countdown to the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup is underway. All eight teams will have optimism filling the air around them as some hope to upset the odds while others will be looking to prove why they are the favourites. England, Wales and Ireland will be representing the Home…

Next weekend, the 2022 edition of European rugby's treasured showpiece begins and there is huge expectation of a classic Six Nations campaign. Sportsmail's panel of experts - columnists Sir Clive Woodward, Danny Cipriani and Andy Nicol, along with former Wales coach and captain Rob Howley and former Ireland full back Geordan Murphy - debate the…

Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, November 24. Bookmakers have released the first odds on Wayne Pivac's potential successor as Wales coach, even though the Kiwi is still the man at the helm. The under-fire Welsh boss today names his team to face Australia at the weekend knowing he needs to find a winning formula as pressure builds…

Rugby's Greatest Championship concludes this weekend with'Super Saturday' as Wales host Italy, Scotland head to Ireland and France meet England in Le Crunch. The 2022 Six Nations Championship comes to an end with Round Five this weekend and it's all to play for ahead of Super Saturday. Following our Round Four predictions, we are 10 for 12 in our…

Our overview of Heineken Champions Cup Pool B teams continues with a look at Ospreys, the solitary Welsh region in this season's competition. Heineken Champions Cup record Ospreys have reached the quarter-finals of EPCR's elite tournament on three occasions - in back-to-back seasons between 2007/08 and 2009/10. They were beaten 19-10 at Saracens in…

They are the Wales internationals who spent the autumn on the outside looking in. Many of them may not say it, but all will still crave the opportunity to pull on their country's jersey once again. For a number of those listed below, it's a case of odds-against. But a few just may interest Wayne Pivac for the autumn. We look at the XV of out of…

It is sixth against ninth in World Rugby rankings as Argentina arrive in Cardiff to face Wales. Except this time, after a 30-29 win over England at Twickenham, it is Michael Cheika's Pumas riding higher in the global standings than Wayne Pivac's Wales. Three places between the two sides, three years and three months after Wales had topped the world…

3pts Scotland to score six or more tries at 8/11 (Paddy Power) 2pts Scotland (-27) to beat Italy on the handicap at evens (General) 1pt Scotland to win by 31-40 points at 7/2 (Paddy Power, Betfair) 1pt Chris Harris anytime try-scorer in Scotland v Italy at 5/2 (Paddy Power, Betfair) 1pt England try first scoring play v Ireland at 4/1 (Betfair,…

WALES host New Zealand in the first of four autumn internationals TOMORROW. The Welsh side will be looking to pull off a famous victory as they have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953. Wayne Pivac's side will then face Argentina, Georgia and Australia to top off the autumn internationals. The All Blacks have already defeated Japan and will now…

Head coach Wayne Pivac has named the Wales senior men's team to face New Zealand in the opening round of the Autumn Nations Series on Saturday (KO 3.15pm) Wales play the All Blacks in front of a full house at Principality Stadium where the match is live on Amazon Prime, with English and Welsh live broadcasts available. There are also highlights on…

WALES welcome captain Alun Wyn Jones back ahead of schedule as they host whipping boys Italy in their final Six Nations match. Wales' title defence has not gone to plan so far as they have been beset by injuries and lost three of the four games they have played. However, they did show signs of improvement last week as they pushed Grand Slam chasers…

The annual Autumn Internationals rugby carnival is underway, with England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland to be tested by the best the southern hemisphere has to offer. New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina are all in action over a five-week period, which began with Scotland's narrow defeat to Australia at Murrayfield last…

Hardcore rugby fans the world over will be licking their lips as the armada of Southern Hemisphere giants steams north to take on the old world powers of the Six Nations. New Zealand laid down a statement of intent last weekend when they stopped off in Washington DC to cuff around a callow United States Eagles team, shorn of their more experienced…

Wales will be looking to salvage a result against a Scotland side who will be on cloud nine after achieving back-to-back Calcutta Cup for only the second time in almost 30 years. With eight injuries hanging over the Wales squad, including captain Alun Wyn Jones, it seems like Wayne Pivac has the impossible task of raising a side with the aim to…

We were treated to a stunning spectacle of rugby last weekend which saw all four Southern Hemisphere nations take the chocolates, while France was the only team from up north to collect a win. With several series on the line can England, Ireland or Wales fight their way to victory in Game 2? Read on for all the line-ups and key team news as it…

The new season is nearly upon us and it's a big year for Welsh rugby. There's the second year of the United Rugby Championship, the usual autumn internationals and Six Nations fixtures, the small matter of a World Cup in France around the corner - and then the general turmoil that surrounds the Welsh game from week to week. With all that in mind,…

The 2022 Six Nations Championship promises to bring the usual excitement and thrills that rugby fans have come to expect from the annual competition. However, there are also a number of team and individual records which could be broken this year as players look to cement their names alongside the all time greats in the competition's storied…

Wales begin their Six Nations defence with a trip to Dublin as Wayne Pivac seeks to prove the doubters wrong in this campaign. The extent of the holders' injury list is one that no sporting fan wants to see but Pivac is tasked with putting forward a solid title defence with seven key players missing. Totalling an incredible 657 combined caps, Wales…