#Dan Biggar

With the Welsh Rugby Union deciding on a head coach change so close to the 2023 World Cup in France, Warren Gatland does not have long before the major tournament across the Channel. However, having worked under limited time frames in the past with the British & Irish Lions, if anyone can turn things around for Wales in this time, it's…

Returning Wales coach Warren Gatland will have been thrilled at how the regions fared, winning four from four across the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup, while players old and new staked a claim to new England boss Steve Borthwick. England and Wales, as well as Scotland, will all be naming their squads for the Championship next week,…

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,…

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…

Here are the latest rugby headlines on the evening of Wednesday, December 8. Thousands of pounds have already been raised to help Ospreys player Ifan Phillips, who is being treated for "life-changing injuries" after being involved in a motorbike crash. The Welsh region confirmed that 25-year-old Phillips - the son of former Wales and Neath hooker…

The new Gallagher Premiership Rugby season kicks off on Friday with an enthralling encounter that sees Saracens begin life back in the top-flight against Bristol Bears following their promotion at the end of last term. Bristol Bears against Saracens gets underway at 7:45pm at Ashton Gate before an action-packed weekend of Premiership…

Kiwi youngster Lewis Gjaltema will start for Harlequins Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Northampton v Harlequins in the Premiership BT Sport 1, 3pm Sunday Harlequins+6 1pt 10-11 BoyleSports Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers and all you need is an account. Sign up here Sky Bet are offering new customers…

All year long, Rugby fans and followers wait for the Six Nations Rugby tournament, which will kick-start on 5th February 2022. Since 1882, the Six Nations Rugby tournament has been taking place, attracting millions of sports followers and fans from around the globe. Ireland, England, Italy, Scotland, Wales, and France would be competing for the cup…

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 -…

Recent history tells us to look no further than an Englishman or a Frenchman to finish the Six Nations as the Championship's top points scorer. The cross-channel rivals have shared the'golden boot' between them in the last six years, Romain Ntamack topping the charts last season with a relatively modest 57 points as Les Bleus finished runners up…

Dan Biggar urged his Wales side to hit the standards they've set in South Africa on a regular basis going into a World Cup season and not regress to the paucity of their Six Nations displays. At the start of the year, Wayne Pivac's side could only beat Scotland of their European rivals and lost at home to Italy for the first time. It meant that a…

Saturday will bring the grand finale of the 2022 Six Nations Championship with just France and Ireland left in contention for the trophy. France are set to face England at home and are aware that a victory in Paris will give them their first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010 while Ireland are hoping Les Bleus fall to England and that they…

After succumbing to a highly disappointing opening day defeat to France in their Six Nations opener last year, Eddie Jones' England bounced back to claim the prestigious championships in an all-action final day consumed by drama. It marked an end to a tournament like no other, which lasted over nine months after the outbreak of the coronavirus…

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…

You normally come away from an opening Six Nations weekend with a pretty good idea what teams you want to keep on side, from a handicap point of view at least, for the rest of the tournament. But, with the exception of England, the performance of the other five countries sent out some very mixed messages indeed. And it would appear that the coaches…

There have been some seriously dark times in the rich, turbulent history that is Welsh rugby. You only have to recall the countless thrashings by New Zealand - some of which are too painful to remember without feeling embarrassed - but South Africa dished out the worst beating on June 27, 1998. In the last passage of play, replacement Springbok…

Eddie Jones has been keen to manage expectations and play down England's tag as favourites to win the 2020 Six Nations, pointing to how sides have "deteriorated" after playing in a World Cup final, but the state of the teams around England suggest he should be quietly confident. England were some way ahead the other northern-hemisphere sides in…

The ninth Rugby World Cup gets underway on Friday in the Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo, taking place in Asia for the first time as the Japanese hosts - still best known for delivering the biggest shock in the sport's history by beating South Africa in 2015 - look to inspire a nation where interest in rugby is growing at a rate of knots, albeit in a…

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…

The Cherry and Whites are back at Kingsholm on Saturday looking to reclaim a spot in the top four having dropped out of the play-off spots with defeat Leicester Tigers last weekend. Gloucester Rugby host Northampton Saints in Round 19 of the 2021/22 season and have been defeated just once at Kingsholm in any competition since October: 17-20 to…

Gareth Anscombe returns at number ten for Wales Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's Autumn Internationals. Amazon Prime, 5.15pm Saturday New Zealand to win by 21 to 30 points 1pt 10-3 Betfair, Paddy Power Four Six Nations titles in the last decade, including two of the last three, should make Wales a force to be reckoned with but…

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…

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…

Rugby's Greatest Championship returns this Saturday and will feature what is set to be a titanic clash between two fierce rivals at Twickenham. It will be the first home match of the tournament for Eddie Jones' side who are looking to build on their 33-0 demolition job in Rome while Wales are riding a wave of confidence following a 20-17 victory…

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…

Rugby's Greatest Championship continues this weekend as France head to Wales, Italy host Scotland and England face off against Ireland. The 2022 Six Nations Championship returns after the second and last of two bye-weeks with three more exciting international fixtures. It was a difficult round to predict and this weekend's fixtures look to provide…

With each of the 15 players that make up a rugby team playing a vital part, we take a look at the roles they all play during a match ahead of Rugby's Greatest Championship getting underway. Loosehead prop Wears the No.1 jersey, stands to the left of the hooker at the scrum Plays a key role in helping a team get on top at scrum time Often involved…

Sevu Reece and the All Blacks defeated Japan in Tokyo a week ago Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's autumn international between Wales and New Zealand. Amazon Prime, 3.15pm Saturday New Zealand -11 2pts 10-11 general It's been a difficult year for New Zealand and the pressure is still on following last week's unconvincing win…

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…

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…

These are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, November 3. Wales head coach Wayne Pivac is due to name his starting XV today, when it will become clear how much injuries within the squad have taken their toll. The build-up has seen a number of players with injury issues, including key performers like Taulupe Faletau, George North and Josh Adams.…

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…

With the rugby transfer market flooded with Worcester Warriors players, and potentially soon Wasps players, the rugby transfer market has never been busier with clubs also locking down their key stars and targets ahead of the 2023/24 season. Here are all the latest transfer rumours, contract renewals and confirmed moves from around the Gallagher…

Premiership final hero Freddie Burns is back for Leicester Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Northampton v Leicester in the Premiership on Saturday. BT Sport 1, 3pm Saturday Leicester -1 2pts Evs bet365 Leicester beat their East Midlands rivals Northampton three times last season including a 27-14 success in the playoff semi-finals, and…

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…

When Clive Woodward coached England he tried to cover all bases to the point where his back-up team even included a visual awareness coach. Cut to Wales heading for the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. They had the visual awareness side of things covered only in the sense that head coach Tony Gray wore glasses. Woodward knew that nothing could be…

Defending Six Nations champions Wales know they have to win when Scotland come to town on Saturday - a second defeat on the spin would all but end their hopes of back-to-back titles. In truth, the odds have been stacked firmly against Wayne Pivac's side due to an injury list which would make any coach in the world gulp. Still, that was no excuse…

Competition: Gallagher Premiership Date and kick-off time: Friday, September 9, 2022, 7.45pm Venue: AJ Bell Stadium Weather forecast: 18c, showers Live coverage: PRTV Live Referee: Tom Foley Sale Sharks: L James; Roebuck, S James, Tuilagi, O'Flaherty; R du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, van der Merwe, Schonert; Wiese, Postlethwaite; JL du Preez, B Curry…

Bottom of the pile last season but with Johann van Graan's arrival comes a degree of optimism that things will improve. At the very least supporters can expect more commitment than was shown in the humiliating defeat by Gloucester in April and in Chris Cloete, Dave Attwood and Quinn Roux, the South African coach has added some heft to his forwards.…