News

Wales on four this summer

Published

7 years ago

May 2, 2019

(Pictured: Wales and Dragons lock Cory Hill)

WALES’ Grand Slam winners will be live on Channel 4 when they face England and Ireland at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in the Under Armour Summer Series this August – it was confirmed today.

The reigning 2019 Guinness Six Nations title holders host both fellow Championship opponents in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in September, with the auld enemy in town on Saturday 17th August (14:15hrs) and the Irish arriving on Saturday 31 August (14:30hrs).

Channel 4 showed their first Welsh rugby international last June when Wales beat South Africa in Washington DC, followed by a successful two-Test tour of Argentina.

The partnership will be rekindled for Wales’ Under Armour Summer Series matches, with the England game to be simultaneously shown on Sky, and it has already been announced that Channel 4 will show the final match of the campaign, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, by virtue of their existing deal with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

“We will be delighted to welcome Channel 4 to Cardiff and join their portfolio of rugby programming this summer,” said WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips.

“Our experience working with them during last year’s summer tour in Argentina and for the game against South Africa in USA was hugely positive and, of course, their coverage of Heineken Champions Cup rugby is highly regarded.

“These two matches will not only be the last opportunity to see Wales at Principality Stadium before we leave for the World Cup in Japan, but they are also a final send off for our head coach Warren Gatland.

“We are expecting two incredible occasions, two huge crowds and a fitting spectacle for all those watching on TV screens around the world as we celebrate the most successful coach in the history of our game and send Wales to the World Cup in no doubt that an entire nation is behind them.”

Two away games top and tail the campaign, starting with a showdown at Twickenham on Sunday 11th August (itself shown on Sky) and culminating with a trip to Dublin on 7 September.

The two matches on home soil are a Cardiff curtain call for Gatland who will move on after Japan 2019, after serving 12 years at the helm.

Currently placed second in the World Rugby rankings, Wales will also be looking to extend a record 14-match unbeaten run during their four-game RWC warm-up campaign and Gatland will trim his squad, from 42 to the 31 who will make the plane, following Ireland’s visit to Cardiff.

The Grand Slam and Gatland-factor combined is expected to produce sell-out crowds for the summer after Wales completed a unique Championship-clean-sweep-hat-trick under his tenure, lifting the Guinness Six Nations Championship in 2019 to add to triumphs in 2008 and 2012.

“We’re delighted to be working with the Grand Slam winners once again and look forward to Warren Gatland’s men laying down markers against Ireland and England. It promises to be an intriguing summer of rugby for fans of all nations ahead of the Rugby World Cup,” added Joe Blake-Turner, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor, Sport.

Approaching 100,000 tickets have been snapped up for the UA Series already and both games are expected to sell-out the 73,931 capacity Principality Stadium ground – with remaining tickets priced from £40, (£10 U16s, available across more than half the seats in the ground) still available here www.wru.co.uk/tickets.

Wales’ 2019 Under Armour Summer Series fixtures:
Wales vs England: Principality Stadium, Saturday 17 August 2019 – Kick Off: 14:15hrs. £60 (£10 U16 concession available), *£40 (£10 U16 concession available) – lower and middle tier and AFZ sold-out
Wales vs Ireland: Principality Stadium, Saturday 31 August 2019 – Kick Off: 14:30hrs. £70, £60 (£10 U16 concession available), *£40 (£10 U16 concession available) – lower tier sold-out
*Alcohol Free Zone tickets are also in this category

Wales’ away summer fixtures:
England v Wales (Twickenham) Sunday 11 August
Ireland v Wales (Aviva Stadium) Saturday 7 September

Wales in Japan, RWC 2019:
Wales v Georgia – Toyota City, 23 September, 11:15am (GMT)
Australia v Wales – Tokyo, 29 September, 8:45am (GMT)
Wales v Fiji – Oita, 9 October, 10:45am (GMT)
Wales v Uruguay – Kumamoto City, 13 October, 9:15am (GMT)

Climate

Blue sea creatures wash up on Welsh beaches including Tenby

Published

9 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

VISITORS to Welsh beaches have been warned not to touch unusual blue sea creatures which have washed ashore along parts of the coastline.

Hundreds of velella velella, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors, have been reported on beaches in Anglesey, Gwynedd and Tenby.

The small, bright blue marine creatures are free-floating hydrozoans and are related to Portuguese man o’ war, sea anemones and corals.

They get their name from a small sail-like structure on their body, which catches the wind and carries them across the surface of the sea.

One was spotted on Tenby South Beach on Tuesday (Jun 16), where beachgoer Maxine Allinson described it as “fantastic” and “like a crystal”.

Marine experts say the creatures are often seen after changes in currents or stormy weather, which can push large numbers ashore at the same time.

Although they are much smaller and less dangerous than Portuguese man o’ war, they do have stinging cells.

Their sting is usually mild, but people are being advised not to pick them up, especially as contact with the face, lips or sensitive skin could cause pain or tingling.

Experts also warn that the stinging cells can remain active even after the creatures appear to be dead on the beach.

The advice is to admire them from a safe distance and leave them where they are.

Caption: Maxine Allinson spotted a velella velella on Tenby South beach Tuesday

Local Government

Mayor to hold drop-in session for Haverfordwest residents

Published

9 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST residents will have the chance to raise ideas, concerns and local issues directly with the town’s mayor this week.

Cllr Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner will hold a Talk to Your Mayor session on Thursday, from 12:00pm until 2:00pm.

The initiative is aimed at giving residents an opportunity to speak directly with the mayor about matters affecting the town and wider community.

Cllr Thomas-Turner said communication and engagement were “vital”, adding that the session was about listening to local people, working together, and ensuring every voice had the opportunity to be heard.

Anyone wishing to book an appointment is asked to contact the Haverfordwest Town Council town clerk.

The mayor said: “Together, we can continue building a stronger and more connected community. Together we can make Haverfordwest the best in the west.”

News

Senedd rejects Reform call to end Welsh Government international spending

Published

11 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE SENEDD has rejected a Reform UK motion calling for an end to all Welsh Government international spending, after a heated debate which saw several Members walk out of the chamber.

The motion, tabled by Reform MS Llŷr Powell, was defeated by 48 votes to 37 on Wednesday (Jun 17).

An amended motion, backing Wales’ reputation as an “internationalist, tolerant and outward-looking nation”, was then passed by the same margin.

The debate followed warnings from Hub Cymru Africa and other campaigners that ending international spending would damage Wales’ global reputation and undermine projects linking Welsh communities with partners overseas.

Reform argued that Welsh Government money should be focused on domestic pressures, including the NHS, schools, transport and the cost of living.

Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar backed the Reform motion, saying foreign relations and international development were matters for the UK Government rather than Cardiff Bay.

But Plaid Cymru and Welsh Government speakers rejected that argument, saying Wales’ international work supported trade, public services, education, health partnerships and the country’s reputation abroad.

The debate became heated after comments by Reform MS Joe Martin, who criticised overseas schemes including beekeeping and tree-planting projects in Uganda.

Several MSs left the Siambr during his contribution, with the Llywydd later urging Members to reflect on the tone of the debate.

Hub Cymru Africa had said before the vote that Wales’ international solidarity budget represented a tiny fraction of overall spending and helped deliver work in public health, climate action, women’s empowerment and sustainable development.

The organisation said the vote was an opportunity for the Senedd to reaffirm Wales’ place in the world.