Dai Sport

Steve Cooper insists there is no guarantee of a new manager “bounce” when Bristol City visit the Liberty Stadium today. The Robins have appointed Nigel Pearson as their new manager following the sacking of Dean Holden, but in one sense the recovery period has already been sparked as the managerless Robins won 3-1 at Middlesbrough in midweek. Swans head coach Cooper knows the visitors’ caretaker coaches Paul Simpson and Keith Downing – who have both been retained – from his time with England U17s.

The joy of George North’s 100th cap landmark for Wales will be lined with sadness at his boyhood club. The Wales centre will lead his team out against England today, hoping his celebrations for a century of appearances can inspire the delivery of a Six Nations Triple Crown. But his record-breaking milestone has been put into perspective by the death of a member of his first rugby club.

Cardiff City have been blessed with a number of very good goalkeepers over the years, but none, surely, can boast a starting record like Dillon Phillips. The man likely to be in goal for the Bluebirds at Middlesbrough today has given manager Mick McCarthy a welcome selection quandary since Phillips took over from Alex Smithies. When Phillips joined Cardiff from Charlton for an undisclosed fee in the autumn of last year, he had to show considerable patience.

The first crowd-less Wales v England Six Nations match will take place this afternoon – an eerie prospect, even a year on from the disappearance of fans from most of our sporting fixtures. No roars, no shouts and certainly no singing. Rhodri Jeremiah details the power of song at matches between the old rivals. Let’s be honest here,  we all love a sing song. Whether it’s in the shower, the pub or even at a rugby international.

A group of Wales’ most promising athletes have been given access to approved training facilities as the sport takes its latest step towards returning towards normality. Until now, access had been limited to a group of 26 athletes who had been given “elite” status by virtue of them receiving the top level of Lottery funding under Welsh Athletics’ Commonwealth Games programme.

Elfyn Evans was fifth after the opening days of the Arctic Rally Finland on Friday. The Dolgellau-born racer was around 16 seconds slower on each off the two passes of the Sarriojärvi test - the second completed in darkness - as Estonia's former world champ Ott Tanak dominated the first day.

Wayne Pivac has praised George North's attitude and appetite as he prepares to win his 100th Wales cap and become a rugby union record-breaker. North will reach a century in Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash against England at the Principality Stadium. And at 28 years and 320 days, he will eclipse Australia captain Michael Hooper by four weeks as the youngest player to clock up 100 appearances for their country.

Simplicity has been the key to Cardiff City’s revival under Mick McCarthy, according to Wales midfielder Will Vaulks. The Bluebirds will be seeking a seventh consecutive victory when they go to Middlesbrough on Saturday and a meeting with former manager Neil Warnock. When McCarthy replaced Neil Harris, they were 15th in the table and 13 points adrift of sixth place. After taking 20 points from a maximum possible 24, Cardiff now occupy that final play-off position and are 11 points behind the automatic places with 14 matches still to go.

Eddie Jones has told England to pick up their own arousal levels when they face Wales this weekend. But it’s not a case of thinking Welsh fires can melt the mighty iceberg, says Harri Morgan. It’s more about Wales being coldly, clinical themselves. Expect Eddie’s England to arrive in Cardiff brimming with whoop and holler. Each milestone in the game will be celebrated to the hilt. Every high pitched rejoice or northern grunt, designed to nudge up the level on their “arousal-ometer”.