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Craig Harrison insists The New Saints remain capable of making the Conference League knockout phase despite suffering a third group defeat. The Welsh champions lost 1-0 to Djurgarden at their temporary Shrewsbury base as their streetwise Swedish opponents called on all their European experience to prevail.

Cardiff City’s weekend fixture at Coventry City has suddently become the focus of most attention in the Championship after their hosts confirmed Frank Lampard as their new manager. The former Chelsea boss – who once had a loan spell as a player at Swansea City - has been appointed on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Luke Williams insists his Swansea City team must learn to win with more comfort if they are going to challenge for the play-off places. The Swans head coach was pleased with his team’s fast start in their 2-1 victory at Derby County which has taken them up to 11th place in the Championship, five points off the top six.

Omer Riza admitted Cardiff City might not have scored had they played all night following his team’s deflating 2-0 home defeat to QPR. The Bluebirds interim manager watched his team struggle against the Championship’s bottom club before Rangers earned a deserved victory.

If you printed out all the reviews currently taking place in Welsh rugby, then you could probably use them as compacted blocks of snow to build a new igloo, inside which WRU officials could shelter themselves from reality. The roof of the current one seems to have finally fallen in on those running the game, with national teams of both genders and all age groups hardly able to win a game.

The United Rugby Championship is back this weekend and for the Welsh regions it means a chance to move the gaze away from Wales’ woes. Not that the foursome have all been awesome themselves, but at least they are gaining the occasional win here and there, unlike the national team.

Phil Parkinson reckons Wrexham were rewarded for going the extra yard to beat stubborn Lincoln 1-0 and maintain their promotion push. Tendayi Darikwa’s 67th-minute own goal settled an evenly-fought contest and gave Parkinson’s side an eighth home league win in nine attempts.

Liam Williams has joined Saracens for a second time, the London club have confirmed – meaning the Wales full-back should be free to return to the national squad for the Six Nations. Williams, 33, has agreed terms until the end of this season, returning to English domestic rugby following a stint with Japanese club Kubota Spears.

Swansea’s St Helen’s is a stadium filled to its vast capacity with the ghosts of sporting occasions past. Wales playing their first ever home international rugby union match way back in 1882.

While the Welsh Rugby Union consider whether to stick with their two highest paid rugby staff – head coach Warren Gatland and director of rugby Nigel Walker – England fans have been left choking over their breakkfasts over the news that RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney is to be paid £1.1m for the last financial year. That comes despite the governing body reporting record losses and making 42 staff redundant.