Wales have suffered an injury blow ahead of Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations opener against England with Lions hooker Matthew Rees sidelined for the Twickenham clash.

Ospreys 26 Cardiff Blues 0

OSPREYS coach Scott Johnson is keen for his side to get into a positive frame of mind ahead of a month that will shape their season.

Wales will be without two British and Irish Lions scrum-halves for their opening autumn Test against New Zealand on November 7.

CONNACHT hope for a swift reversal in fortune when they return to the Galway Sportsground to host Cardiff this evening.

British & Irish Lion centre Jamie Roberts will make his seasonal debut for Cardiff Blues against Connacht at The Sportsground on Friday.

THERE was a time when Munster was the last place a promising young back-row forward would have looked when it came to forging a career as a professional rugby player.

CARDIFF BLUES will complete a triumphant march into the Heineken Cup quarter-finals tonight, but head coach David Young insists: “There is still work to be done.”

British Lion Dwayne Peel has been left out of the Wales squad for this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.

LOCK Alun-Wyn Jones believes Wales still have plenty of room for improvement despite their 21-18 victory over Australia at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

WALES BOSS Warren Gatland has identified playmaker Matt Giteau as the man his team must stop in their quest for an overdue Tri-Nations scalp.

Wales boss Warren Gatland has retained the team beaten by world champions South Africa for the Millennium Stadium clash against New Zealand.

Injury-hit Wales will face world champions South Africa and one of the most powerful back rows in Test rugby without a specialist open-side flanker.

GLOUCESTER boss Dean Ryan accepts his team will head into “a confrontational environment” when they tackle Heineken Cup hosts Bourgoin tonight.

Gavin Henson has been recalled by Wales to the preliminary squad for their one-off Test against world champions South Africa this month.

Wales expect captain Gareth Thomas to be fit for the World Cup quarter-finals after a scan indicated his rib cartilage injury is not as bad as first feared.

Gareth Thomas will captain Wales at the World Cup next month.

Wales head coach Gareth Jenkins has dropped Brent Cockbain from his World Cup plans - and given a surprise call-up to uncapped Gloucester lock Will James.

Gavin Henson has today been named in the Wales squad for their Test matches against Australia on May 26 and June 2.

IN THE fall-out from Munster’s Heineken Cup defeat to Llanelli Scarlets, it was felt coach Declan Kidney would begin the process of rebuilding for next season by fielding emerging talent from the provincial academy in the remaining Magners Celtic League games.

LEINSTER go to Rodney Parade tonight knowing that their hopes of claiming the Magners League title will be left on the brink if they can’t reverse their disappointing recent form.

ULSTER managed to hang on to a 14-7 interval lead and keep their Magners League hopes very much alive with a curate’s egg performance against the Newport Gwent Dragons at Ravenhill last night.

Stephen Jones has been handed the Wales captaincy through to next year’s World Cup in France.

Mark Jones will make a remarkable return to international rugby against England on Saturday more than two years after last pulling on a Wales jersey.

MUNSTER coach Declan Kidney has applied for three new player licences for his Celtic League squad ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Newport Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park (5.15pm).

Wales coach Mike Ruddock has made one change to his side for Saturday’s Test against Australia with captain Gareth Thomas reverting to full-back and Matthew Watkins coming into the starting line-up at outside-centre.

THE sight of a giant second row with a mop of ginger hair marauding all over the lineout and stealing opposition ball is something the British & Irish Lions are counting on as a major weapon in their armoury during this tour.

Brian O'Driscoll has been confirmed as captain of the Lions squad to tour New Zealand this summer, with 11 Irish players included but no place for England's Jonny Wilkinson.

Wales coach Mike Ruddock has named an unchanged side for his team’s RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam bid against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.

Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio will lead the northern hemisphere team in Saturday’s IRB Rugby Aid tsunami fund-raising game against their southern counterparts at Twickenham.

WALES coach Mike Ruddock last night urged his team to “be bold” in their crunch RBS 6 Nations Championship clash against unbeaten title rivals France on Saturday.

Gavin Henson will continue as Wales’ back-up goalkicker in the RBS 6 Nations Championship – despite his Millennium Stadium heroics against England last weekend.

BLUE prop John Yapp is the only uncapped player in Wales’ 31-man squad for the forthcoming RBS Six Nations.

Wales coach Mike Ruddock has named one uncapped player – Cardiff Blues prop John Yapp – in his squad for this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.

The Neath-Ospreys Ryan Jones will make his debut for Wales in their Test match against Tri-Nations champions South Africa at The Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

SPRINGBOK coach Jake White has warned Wales to prepare for a furious early onslaught on Saturday as the South Africans lay down a marker at the start of their grand slam tour.

Wales coach Mike Ruddock today named two uncapped players in a 29-man squad to prepare for autumn Test matches against South Africa, New Zealand, Romania and Japan in November.

Celtic Warriors 29 Munster 25

Perpignan 6 Wasps34

Wales coach Steve Hansen tonight named six uncapped players in a 47-man preliminary training squad for the RBS Six Nations Championship.

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO goes into England’s World Cup showdown against Wales tomorrow (10am Irish time) planning to banish once and for all the memory of the biggest mistake of his international career.

Wales coach Steve Hansen has made four changes to his starting line-up for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against England at Suncorp Stadium.

Wales coach Steve Hansen sprung two major selection surprises for Saturday's qualification showdown with Italy in Canberra.