Dai Sport

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel has laid down the challenge to his players to remain in the top eight of the United Rugby Championship. Peel’s men have held onto to sixth place – but closed the gap between themselves and fifth-placed Cardiff to just two points - after a gritty, hard-earned 30-24 win over Edinburgh that extended their unbeaten run at home to six games.

Cardiff City manager Omer Riza called the result “exactly what we needed” and praised Callum Robinson after the Bluebirds secured a vital 2-1 victory against fellow Championship relegation battlers Derby County. The result sees Cardiff move up to 18th, four points clear of the relegation zone, now occupied by Derby. And Riza acknowledged how vital the result was to his side. “This was a really important game,” Riza said.

Cardiff City will look to Yousef Salech to help drag the club further away from the relegation zone this weekend. The striker scored a last minute equaliser on his debut in midweek - a goal that not only rescued a point for the Bluebirds, but suggested there will be more to come.

The Football Association of Wales have expressed their “disappointment” at the decision of the English FA to crush plans that Welsh clubs could find a route into Europe through a new Welsh cup competition. Hopes of Welsh Football League clubs to get into Europe were dashed, after the FA blocked attempts to allow clubs playing in the EFL to participate in the Welsh League Cup.

At a time when there has not been much to celebrate – or even give a nod of approval towards in Welsh rugby in recent times - then Cardiff deserve some credit. Without much fanfare, they have risen to third in the United Rugby Championship (URC) table, the tournament which returns this weekend after the break for Europe.

Jeremiah Azu is back in Wales and he announced his return with a bang at the Welsh Indoor Athletics Championships. After two years based in Italy, the Olympic 4x100m relay bronze medallist has returned home to Cardiff to be closer to family, friends and coach Helen James.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson admitted he was left frustrated by his team’s inability to eat into Birmingham City’s five-point lead over the Dragons at the top of League One. Parkinson watched his team go 1-0 up at home to the leaders, but Birmingham struck back to claim a 1-1 draw, which leaves Wrexham back in third place in the table.

Aaron Ramsey turned up for training at Cardiff City for the first time in four months this week as he pushes to get back into action after a lengthy hamstring injury. The Wales skipper has been plagued by injury since returning to his home town club in the summer of 2023 and has only managed four appearances this season.

Antoine Dupont can’t wait to get back into action in the Guinness Six Nations and he will return to captain Les Bleus against Wales on Friday 31 January. The Toulouse scrum half missed the 2024 tournament to concentrate on playing Sevens rugby for France at the Olympic Games.

Harlequins insist Adam Jones will only be loaned to Wales on a temporary basis and will return to English club rugby after the Six Nations. The former Wales prop - one of their all-time greats – has been drafted in by the Welsh Rugby Union to help boost their chances of averting another Six Nations whitewash.