Shaun Connor has returned to the Dragons as kicking and skills consultant for the 2026/27 season, joining a new-look coaching team under Filo Tiatia. The former Wales Under-20s and Wales Women coach previously worked as an academy coach and skills coach with the Men of Gwent. Simon Church also returns as senior strength and conditioning coach, while Aled Rees and Shane O’Hanrahan join as senior physiotherapists and Gwern James returns as performance analyst.
Connor's remarkable double with Blaina RFC
Connor led his hometown club Blaina RFC to a remarkable league and cup double last season. He left his role with Sean Lynn's Wales set-up in March, ahead of the current Six Nations campaign.
Wales U20s to face Australia in fifth-place semi-finals
Wales Under-20s will face Australia in the fifth-place semi-finals at the World Rugby Junior Championship after finishing second in their pool behind South Africa. Defeat to the world champions on Tuesday confirmed their position. France, New Zealand, South Africa and England have progressed to the semi-finals after winning their respective pools.
Junior World Championship schedule
The championship semi-finals see France U20 face New Zealand U20 on Monday, July 13 at 15:00 BST, while South Africa U20 take on England U20 at 17:30 BST. The fifth-place semi-finals include Argentina U20 vs Scotland U20 and Australia U20 vs Wales U20 on Sunday, July 12 at 15:00 BST and 17:30 BST respectively. Ninth-place and 13th-place semi-finals are also scheduled.
Maise Davies moves to Exeter Chiefs
Wales prop Maise Davies has moved from Bristol Bears to Exeter Chiefs. The 17-times-capped loosehead, aged 20, was part of Richard Whiffin's last World Cup squad and came through the ranks at Cardiff Met via Llandovery College. Exeter Chiefs Women's assistant coach Oli Bishop said: "Maisie has incredible potential and at 20 she has so much room for growth. She is incredibly talented and also a great person, so I feel certain she will add so much to Chiefs this coming season." Davies added: "I’m really excited to be joining Exeter Chiefs. It felt like the right place for me to take the next step."
Finn Russell expected to return for Scotland
Gregor Townsend expects Finn Russell to return for Scotland in Saturday’s Nations Championship showdown with South Africa in Pretoria. Russell sat out the opening victory over Argentina due to a calf injury but trained fully on Tuesday. Townsend said: "I think he’s definitely over the calf injury. He may have been fit at the weekend. We just felt that he needed more training to really be available for the tough Test matches ahead of us." Northampton prop Elliot Millar Mills has left the Scotland camp after sustaining a calf injury, but Townsend noted depth at tighthead prop means no replacement is needed. Scotland have risen to fifth in the world rankings after four wins in their last five matches.
