Latest news with #SwanseaRFC
Wales Online
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as ex-Wales coach lands top Welsh club job and WRU pause women's game revamp
Tonight's rugby news as ex-Wales coach lands top Welsh club job and WRU pause women's game revamp The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond Former Wales forward Jonathan Thomas has been appointed head coach of Swansea RFC (Image: Swansea RFC ) Your rugby evening headlines on Saturday, June 28. Former Wales star appointed head coach of SRC club Former Wales forwards Jonathan Thomas has been appointed head coach of Super Rygbi Cymru outfit Swansea RFC. Thomas won 67 caps for Wales and played an integral role in two Six Nations Grand Slam-winning campaigns in 2005 and 2008. The 42-year-old began his playing career at Swansea before joining the Ospreys when the game went regional in 2003. After making 188 appearances for the Ospreys, which included 14 tries, he joined Worcester Warriors in 2013 before retiring in 2015 after getting diagnosed with epilepsy. Thomas has coached at the highest level with Bristol Bears (defence) and Worcester where he was head coach. Article continues below He was also part of Warren Gatland's backroom team with Wales, helping his country reach the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup in 2023 before departing in the December of that year. Thomas has now taken the helm at Swansea and will be tasked with reinvigorating the famous Welsh club who finished bottom of the SRC table last season. 'Swansea RFC has always been close to my heart," said Thomas. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. "It was the club that gave me the opportunity and I'll always be grateful. "It's a big part of who I am and my time with the club at the start of my career really helped shape me as a person and a player. "I'm really excited about taking up this role and helping this historic club move forward. 'Since I first signed for Swansea as a youngster 25 years ago, it's been a relentless journey, always looking forward, and it's only when I've taken the last six months out to recharge have I really been able to appreciate the journey I've been on. "I looked at the team towards the end of last season and they certainly didn't look like a team that should have been at the foot of the table. "I need to get know the players I'm working with and find out more about their character and desire to improve "Yes, there's plenty of work to do, starting straight away, but the foundations of a good side is there and it'll be my responsibility to build on that. "It's exciting for the club and it's exciting for me. "Swansea is a big club with a proud history and I want to do that justice, while understanding our relationship with the Ospreys, where I know Mark Jones really well and expect to work closely with him." WRU postpone revamp of women's game The Welsh Rugby Union has put the brakes on the proposed revamp of the professional women's game in Wales, according to the BBC. Celtic Challenge teams Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder were to be replaced by new teams but this has been postponed. The WRU had initially asked the four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - along with certain universities to bid to form new women's teams. But the BBC report they have seen an internal email between senior WRU officials who have paused the process due to "the ongoing transformation in the men's game." The WRU recently gave two-year notice to the Ospreys and Scarlets who refused to sign the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) due to concerns the governing body had plans to turn Cardiff into a "super region" after it had acquired the capital city club. As it stands there is the very real possibility the WRU could go down to three, if not two, professional men's teams. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free This has had a knock-on effect on plans to further develop the women's game. According to the BBC an email from the WRU's head of women's rugby, Belinda Moore, said: "We have made the decision that Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning will continue to represent Wales in the flagship tournament next season. "We have taken this in the best interest of our players and management teams and believe this is the right way to guarantee a professional elite sporting environment for our players in the necessary timeframe. "It remains central to the WRU's strategy to grow marketable and commercially viable high-performance clubs for our women players in Wales and we will revisit this in the near future. "I would like to thank all parties for the work they have done to date during the tender process, it is not wasted, and we look forward to picking this up again in earnest at the appropriate time." Losing 'exceptional' Williams would be a huge blow for Lions, says former England wing Former British & Irish Lions wing Ugo Monye labelled Tomos Williams' performance as 'exceptional' in the 54-7 victory over the Western Force in Perth. The 30-year-old was outstanding and scored two tries for the Lions before getting forced off the field with a hamstring injury. Lions head coach Andy Farrell said it was too early to judge the seriousness of Williams' injury but he will almost certainly be out of the midweek game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane. This poses a significant problem for the Lions with Jamison Gibson-Park also struggling with injury which would leave Alex Mitchell as the only fit number nine. Article continues below "Tomos Williams has been exceptional," Monye told the BBC. "The worry now for the Lions is with Jamison Gibson-Park struggling with injury and yet to play, and Williams with a possible hamstring problem, is them being left light at scrum-half." If both Gibson-Park and Williams were to be sidelined for a couple of games Farrell would almost certainly have to bring a new nine into the squad. England's Jack van Poortvliet trained with the squad in Portugal while Ben White is currently in New Zealand with Scotland.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Wales back row Thomas becomes Swansea head coach
Former Wales back row Jonathan Thomas has become the new head coach of Swansea RFC. The 42-year-old played 67 times for Wales and won Six Nations Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008, as well as playing in two World Cups. Advertisement Thomas started his playing career at Swansea before joining Ospreys, playing 188 times and scoring 14 tries for the Welsh region. He then joined Worcester in May 2013 but he retired from playing in 2015 on medical advice after being diagnosed with epilepsy. Thomas began his coaching career with Bristol in charge of defence and the forwards, before becoming head coach of former English Premiership side Worcester. He left the Warriors in January 2022 and joined Championship side Ealing Trailfinders as a forwards consultant in September that year, before joining the Wales set-up as contact area coach - leaving that role in December 2023. Swansea begin their 2025-26 Super Rygbi Cymru campaign away to Pontypool on 13 September.
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ex-Wales back row Thomas becomes Swansea head coach
Former Wales back row Jonathan Thomas has become the new head coach of Swansea 42-year-old played 67 times for Wales and won Six Nations Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008, as well as playing in two World started his playing career at Swansea before joining Ospreys, playing 188 times and scoring 14 tries for the Welsh region. He then joined Worcester in May 2013 but he retired from playing in 2015 on medical advice after being diagnosed with began his coaching career with Bristol in charge of defence and the forwards, before becoming head coach of former English Premiership side left the Warriors in January 2022 and joined Championship side Ealing Trailfinders as a forwards consultant in September that year, before joining the Wales set-up as contact area coach - leaving that role in December begin their 2025-26 Super Rygbi Cymru campaign away to Pontypool on 13 September.
BBC News
14-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Glaslyn ospreys reunite in Wales for third year together
A pair of ospreys have reunited for a third year after returning from winter and Elen have both returned to their newly-restored nest near Porthmadog in lovebirds raised two chicks in their first year together and three last majority of UK ospreys migrate to western Africa, more than 3,000 miles away, before returning to the UK in the spring. Aran, named after the Eryri National Park's Yr Aran summit, was previously partnered with Mrs was one of the UK's most successful breeding female ospreys but failed to return from Africa in was devastated, spending much of his time alone on the nest before being partnered up with Elen who took over as the Glaslyn was named after the mountain Yr Elen, which sits in Eryri's Carneddau range. Elen arrived back in Glaslyn Valley three weeks ago on March 22, according to osprey protection group Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn who is celebrating his 11th year at Glaslyn, arrived three weeks later but was surprised to find Elen being courted by a new has had to regain control of his territory since returning by bringing fish to Elen in order to re-establish his suitability as her to the Dyfi Osprey Project there are an estimated 300 pairs of ospreys in the are approximately 270 pairs of ospreys in Scotland, around 25 pairs in England and five pairs in fans will recognise the name as one of the four professional rugby union teams in bird of prey was formerly a symbol on Swansea RFC's jerseys with the current Ospreys logo displaying an image of an osprey mask.
