Principality Welsh Rugby Union Podcast

How can Welsh rugby clubs return to training, what needs to be done, what sort of rugby might they play, when might competitive rugby return in Wales – questions for WRU community director Geraint John in this week’s Welsh Rugby Union Podcast.

A chance to hear from loosehead prop Rhys Carre, part of the Wales Rugby World Cup squad before a move to Saracens. He’s come back to Wales to re-join the Blues and is getting ready for the restarted season.

Former Wales Under 20s captain Tommy Reffell was the Premiership Rugby Breakthrough Player last/this season, he’s also just committed his future to Leicester and Wales. This time last year he was playing for Wales in the World Rugby U20 Championship, part of the side which beat New Zealand. A chance to hear about returning from lockdown and his plans for the future.

Elite players in Wales have been heading back into training this week, so it’s a chance to look forward as well as back in this week’s Welsh Rugby Union Podcast. There aren’t many Wales players who can describe what it’s like to beat New Zealand, but it’s just over a year since the Wales Under 20s did just that at the Junior World Championships. Their captain was Ospreys and Wales squad hooker Dewi Lake.

We speak to WRU Rugby Enterprise Manager Greg Woods this week. What does the role involve, what are the chances of alternative versions of the game leading the way out of this Coronavirus crisis and how are the teams in the Indigo Group Premiership preparing.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to do for these patients over the last couple of months.” Angharad De Smet, Ospreys and Wales. “Donning PPE to go into ICU with definitely COVID positive patients on ventilators is quite an intense area of work and can be quite terrifying.” Abbie Fleming, Cardiff Blues and Wales. We speak to two NHS workers who also happen to be Wales rugby internationals on this week’s Welsh Rugby Union Podcast.

This week we speak to Phil Bennett on the Welsh Rugby Union Podcast, whose try against Scotland in 1977 has just been voted by Welsh Rugby fans as the best Wales try ever. Quite an accolade, and an opportunity to hear about that game, more 70s memories, who is the player who might have improved even that team, and comparisons with the modern era.

A look at health and mental health through the coronavirus crisis – and the role rugby is still playing in helping, in this week’s Welsh Rugby Union Podcast. Dragons Gateway Community coach Gareth Sullivan explains his role. We’ll also hear from Wales international back Jonah Holmes on why he decided to move to the Dragons.

A chance this week to hear at length about how the top Welsh coaches of the future are being developed. Wales once led the world in coaching development, now there is a concerted effort to get back to the top. We speak to the man running those efforts, WRU performance coach manager Dan Clements.

Two interviews this week. Treharris Pheonix Rugby Club has proved itself at the heart of the community in these difficult times, providing food in the area for those who need it. We speak to club committeeman Huw Evans and club steward Pip Gwynne. Also London Welsh are one of the great names of the game, with a star studded history. But after the professional outfit went bust, the amateur side is rising back up through the ranks under director of rugby Cai Griffiths, the former Ospreys and Wales age grade prop. We hear his story.

How are Welsh rugby clubs coping in the Coronavirus crisis, what should they be doing now and what should they be doing next? This week’s Welsh rugby union podcast is a chance to hear from WRU National Club Development Manager Chris Munro. How are Welsh clubs faring, what’s the advice for what to do next, is this a chance to re-set the way clubs are run for the better – eventually. Plenty of questions, some interesting and informative answers.

A chance to hear at length from Wales national performance referee manager Paul Adams on this week’s Welsh Rugby Union podcast. So what effect is this lockdown having on referees, some were due to be travelling the world this summer from international series to the Olympics. What effect will it have on current referees – and the future development. Plenty of questions for the WRU refereeing department to be looking at.

A chance to hear at length from Wales national coach Wayne Pivac on this week’s Welsh Rugby Union podcast. So what are the Wales players up to during the lockdown, how many have had the symptoms of coronavirus, how will it feel to return to the Principality Stadium after it’s been turned into a hospital at the moment, what about the postponement of the Scotland game, how can rugby use this time to come out stronger – and how long do the players need to be back in training before they could start playing internationals again. A chance to hear the answers to plenty of questions.

Raising money for health charities, while looking after the elite end of the game – we hear at length from WRU performance director Ryan Jones in this week’s Welsh rugby Union Podcast. This weekend he’s attempting his biggest challenge yet. How his own playing career helped prepare him, what effect is the current lock down having on the elite end of the game and how does he look back on this season’s Six Nations for men and women. A chance to hear from one of the top men in Welsh rugby.

How are the players coping in the lock down, does it actually help Wales Women to close the gap on professional opponents? And why do the values of rugby help those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This week we talk to Wales Women’s outside half Elinor Snowsill, with some fascinating thoughts about the rugby side and how rugby helps disadvantaged children.

How will the current lockdown period affect the future development of top Wales rugby players? In this week’s Welsh Rugby Union Podcast we talk in depth with Gareth Williams, head coach of Wales Under 20s and also Transitional Players in their early 20s. The World Rugby Under 20 championship, which was due to be held in Northern Italy, has been cancelled this summer. So that means a very different development profile for many of the best young players in Wales.

How is the Welsh rugby community coping and how will it survive going forward – let’s find out more in this week’s Welsh Rugby Union podcast. A chance this week to hear at length from the WRU’s community director Geraint John, someone at the heart of decisions affecting every rugby club in Wales in these tough times.

A different Welsh Rugby Union podcast for different times. This week it’s a chance to hear at length from WRU national exiles officer Gareth Davies – about all the players, men and women, outside Wales who end up pulling on the red jersey at some level, or just taking part in Exiles events to re-connect. There’s plenty that most people won’t know about this long-running programme.

We will concentrate on the rugby in this week’s Welsh Rugby Union Podcast. Wales Under 20s finished their Six Nations campaign, we hear from coach Gareth Williams, captain Jac Morgan and centre Bradley Roderick. Ollie Phillips. the head of Wales Women’s Sevens, talks about his role, while we also get the chance to find out more about Wales prop Cerys Hale.

Wales U20 trio Jac Morgan, Ellis Bevan and Ioan Lloyd are determined to finish the Six Nations campaign with a win against Scotland at Stadiwm Zip World