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Coach Ioan Cunningham has admitted he can offer no excuses for his team’s humbling defeat to Australia which has put Wales on the back foot after just one game of the WXV2 tournament in South Africa. Having been thrashed 37-5 by a team they had beaten eight days earlier, Wales must bid to avoid a second defeat when they face Italy on Friday.

Cardiff City caretaker manager Omer Riza insists he has not given up hope of being given the job permanently despite the worst possible audition. The Bluebirds, who sacked Erol Bulut eight days ago following their worst start to a season in 94 years, are still rock bottom of the Championship table after a 4-1 hammering at Hull City.

Glamorgan coach Grant Bradburn insists the county have enjoyed a successful season, despite their failure to mount a promotion charge from Division Two of the County Championship. Bradburn’s team won their final game of the season against Gloucestershire to finish fifth in the table, but some distance behind the promoted top two. But with Glamorgan having won the One Day Cup, Bradburn believes the 2024 campaign should be viewed in a positive light.

Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt insists he won’t be getting carried away by his team having opened their United Rugby Championship campaign with back-to-back bonus point victories. They followed up the round one maximum against Zebre by coming from behind to claim another as they won 24-15 away to the Scarlets in Saturday’s Welsh derby. It has put them level on 10 points with Leinster at the top of the table and set them up nicely for Friday’s big Arms Park clash with champions Glasgow.

Can lightning strike twice in eight days? Having beaten Australia for the first time at Rodney Parade last weekend, Keira Bevan will lead the Welsh side into battle with the Wallaroos once again in the opening round of the WXV2 in Cape Town.

Dragons coach Dai Flanagan admitted his team were brought back down to earth after their last gasp home win over the Ospreys was followed by a heavy defeat to Leinster in Dublin. Flanagan watched his side go down to a 34-6 loss against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies will be aiming to celebrate a major career landmark in winning style when the Scarlets host Cardiff in the first Welsh derby of the season on Saturday. Davies will become just the third player - after front row duo Ken Owens and Phil John - to make 250 appearances for the Scarlets since the start of the regional era.

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney has insisted there is still more to come for women’s rugby in Wales after the union issued new full-time professional contracts to 37 players. The move – which comes as Ioan Cunningham’s squad prepares to face Australia in the WXV2 tournament in South Africa this weekend – includes many extended two-year deals for the first time.

It’s been a while since opponents of Swansea City used to wake up on match day with a knot in their stomach. Luke Williams wants to bring those days back, but not in the way you probably imagine.

Omer Riza is promising “a fresh approach” with more fight, more energy and hopefully more goals from bottom of the table Cardiff City. Riza is the last man standing from Erol Bulut’s coaching team after Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan pulled the trigger on firing Bulut after last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Leeds United.