8 h. ago Wales coach Steve Tandy left trapped in middle of toxic Ospreys and Cardiff saga

Doubt over regions is fast escalating into a civil warSix Nations squad announcement overshadowedThe prevailing mood in Welsh rugby has frequently been dark but rarely this bible black. Once upon a time a Six Nations squad announcement would have topped the agenda across the country; on Tuesday it felt like a semicolon in a much bigger narrative. Even Wales have never selected seven players whose club is in imminent danger of being axed by their own union.The bare facts of the situation are increasingly stark for all involved. The existing owners of Ospreys, Wales’s most successful region of the past two decades, have just been controversially nominated as the preferred bidders for Cardiff, potentially clearing the way to reduce the number of Welsh professional sides from four to three. The internecine politics have become so increasingly toxic that Steve Tandy, the national head coach, had to plead for rugby-related questions at his lunchtime squad announcement. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago The unluckiest players in Wales today and why they weren't selected

Steve Tandy has named his Wales squad for the Six Nations with some big names missing out on selection

Sport

10 h. ago Steve Tandy Q&A: Outstanding leader's reviews got him the nod and why I've left star out

Steve Tandy held court with journalists to explain his Six Nations squad selection

Politics

12 h. ago Wales squad braced for turmoil as Steve Tandy admits there will be 'hurt and anger'

The Wales head coach admits players will be unhappy if and when a region is lost but he is confident they will be ready for the Six Nations

Politics

16 h. ago Wales announce Six Nations coaching team as Welsh internationals return

Steve Tandy's coaching team for the Six Nations has been confirmed ahead of his squad announcement

Politics

20 h. ago Wales Six Nations squad announcement LIVE as Steve Tandy makes big calls

Tandy will name his Six Nations squad today ahead of Wales' tournament opener against England

Politics

35 h. ago Real Sociedad steal a march on Barcelona to get city party started early | Sid Lowe

Carnival drums provided the backdrop to surprise victory over league leaders that was not just down to luck“There was a little magic in the atmosphere,” Pellegrino Matarazzo said. Real Sociedad’s new coach could feel it; he could hear it too, the sound of drums beating on every street of the city he has embraced and into the stadium that has embraced him back already. When he and his players arrived at Anoeta on Sunday evening, they entered through a guard of honour, a band of soldiers and chefs lined up in the rain, hammering out the club anthem and hoping. By the time they departed around midnight, following 35,346 supporters out into San Sebastián, it had actually happened. La Real had beaten Barcelona 2-1. Celebrations, his captain Mikel Oyarzabal said, had come a day early.This week is tamborrada, the San Sebastián festival where, at midnight on 20 January, the city flag is raised and marching bands parade through its streets in Napoleonic uniforms and cooks’ costumes grasping ...

Events

4 d. ago How small steps can help you feel in control of finances from a mindset coach

Author Roxie Nafousi breaks down how to get on top of your money sustainably

Politics

5 d. ago Razor’s All Blacks lacked sharp edge but sacking Robertson does not guarantee revival | Robert Kitson

There is still time before 2027 World Cup to rescue the drooping silver fern but rebuilding an international team is hard and New Zealand’s aura has fadedAs a keen surfer Scott Robertson is well aware how abruptly situations can change. One minute you are riding the perfect wave, the next you’re being dumped from a great height and having your world tipped upside down. Which is essentially how “Razor” will now be feeling after being ousted as All Blacks head coach barely two years into his tenure.On the surface he was everything New Zealand rugby could have wished for. The serial domestic winner who had guided the Crusaders to seven successive Super Rugby titles, the empathetic everyman with the break-dancing skills to match. If anyone could connect with younger generations and encourage everyone to fall in love with the ABs again, surely he was da man? Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Wales make final Six Nations calls as 'Roy Keane' and England U20s star considered

Steve Tandy has a lot to ponder ahead of Wales' Six Nations squad announcement next week

Politics

1 week ago English club keen on signing Ospreys star in move that would end Wales hopes

The 25-year-old is set to become eligible for Wales next year, with his coach saying he will 'no doubt' be of interest to Steve Tandy

Politics

1 week ago Wales' best Six Nations squad as enforcers return, Che Hope named and top star dropped

Steve Tandy will select his Wales squad for the Six Nations over the next couple of weeks

Politics

1 week ago Wales see five outsiders emerge as unofficial Six Nations trial period ends

Steve Tandy has a lot to ponder ahead of the Six Nations

Politics

2 w. ago The six selection decisions Steve Tandy has to make ahead of England Six Nations clash

Wales start their Six Nations campaign in just over a month at the Allianz Stadium

Politics

2 w. ago Wales star's reaction stops Steve Tandy speech and towering Welsh rugby figure dies

The latest headlines from the world of rugby on Monday, January 5

Events

2 w. ago New faces enter Wales Six Nations equation as coaches start selection process

Steve Tandy has a difficult task on his hands heading into the Six Nations

Politics

2 w. ago Mikel Arteta shows true colours with Enzo Maresca Chelsea exit verdict

Enzo Maresca parted ways with Chelsea earlier this week, as the Blues scramble to appoint a successor - and Mikel Arteta has now shared his feelings on the Italian head coach

Politics

3 w. ago Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story review – shall we all vow not to watch true

This terrifying documentary about the Utah life coach convicted of extreme child abuse feels supremely grubby. How about a new year’s resolution not to watch – or make – anything this grim ever again?We are always aware, I think, of man’s inhumanity to man. The latest true-crime documentary from Netflix is here to remind you that this is an umbrella term. It is undoubtedly rarer, though precisely why is unclear, but women can inflict the most awful suffering too – and here, a pair of them do so on children.Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story is the latest offering from Skye Borgman, who is the undisputed queen of the genre, specialising in high-end takes on the most extreme, the most only-in-America stories of depravity you could (not) hope to find. She made her name with 2017’s Abducted in Plain Sight, about the case of Jan Broberg, who was kidnapped not once but twice by Robert Berchtold, a close friend of the Brobergs and a sexual predator who effectively groomed the whol...

Politics

4 w. ago The forgotten enforcer Steve Tandy should call on as coach makes feelings clear

Wales need to be stronger up-front if they are to avoid a third successive Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations

Politics