Posthumous Single for Dolly Parton

Poignant Release as Queen of Country Sings Jolene in Welsh

FEW songs in country music are more instantly recognisable than Jolene.

Now, more than half a century after Dolly Parton first recorded it, the song has acquired an extraordinary new chapter — in Welsh.

A new bilingual version of Jolene, featuring Welsh singer-songwriter Bronwen Lewis, Dolly Parton’s niece Jada Star and Parton herself, has been released today, October 9. It was recorded before Parton’s death in August and is being described as her second posthumous single.

Dolly Parton performing in 2011 Picture credit:: Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The story began not in Nashville, but in Wales.

Neath-born Bronwen Lewis, a Welsh speaker and lifelong Dolly Parton fan, began translating some of her favourite songs into Welsh and sharing them online.

Around two years ago she posted her own Welsh-language version of Jolene.

The video went viral.

And eventually it reached Dolly Parton’s family.

Parton’s niece, singer-songwriter Jada Star, saw the performance after it was circulated among relatives and was so taken with it that she contacted Lewis directly.

That online connection developed into a friendship.

Star travelled from Nashville to Wales, where she and Lewis spent time together and later performed at Pride Cymru.

Star has spoken warmly about that visit, saying she learned more about her family’s Welsh heritage while exploring the country with Lewis.

Then came the idea that turned an internet cover into something much bigger.

Why not record Jolene properly in Welsh?

And why not ask Aunt Dolly?

***

The Queen of Country joins in

Lewis has described the moment she discovered that Parton wanted to take part as almost unbelievable.

Parton recorded her contribution at her studio in Nashville, after being supplied with guidance on the Welsh pronunciation, while Lewis and Star recorded their sections in the UK.

The finished version combines Welsh and English.

More remarkably, BBC Radio 2 has described it as the only time Dolly Parton ever recorded in a foreign language.

For Bronwen Lewis, that makes the collaboration particularly extraordinary.

A Welsh-language cover uploaded to social media ultimately led to one of the biggest names in popular music singing in Cymraeg.

***

A song with an unexpected Welsh journey

The original Jolene was released in 1973 and became one of Parton’s signature compositions.

Its simple but unforgettable plea to another woman not to take her man has since been covered by artists across genres and generations.

But this particular version is about more than simply translating a famous song.

It connects Nashville and Wales through language, friendship and family history.

Parton had spoken previously about Welsh ancestry on her mother’s side of the family, through the Owens line. Her niece’s visit to Wales deepened that connection and became part of the inspiration behind the collaboration.

For Lewis, meanwhile, the project brings together two things that have clearly mattered throughout her career: Welsh-language music and a lifelong admiration for Dolly Parton.

***

A poignant release

The recording was completed before Parton’s death on August 25, 2026.

That gives today’s release an emotional weight nobody involved in the project could originally have intended.

Lewis has spoken publicly about how profoundly Parton influenced her love of singing and songwriting, while Star has described the collaboration as a privilege.

What began as something joyful has therefore also become part of Parton’s musical legacy.

And in Wales, it carries another significance.

For one of the most famous voices in country music to sing in Welsh — however briefly — provides an extraordinary global showcase for the language.

***

From Neath to Nashville

There is something wonderfully unlikely about the route this recording took.

A Welsh singer in Neath translates a Dolly Parton classic.

She uploads it online.

It reaches Nashville.

Dolly Parton’s niece makes contact.

A friendship begins.

A visit to Wales follows.

And eventually Dolly Parton herself is sitting in a Nashville studio learning how to sing in Welsh.

In an age when Welsh-language music can travel instantly around the world, perhaps that journey should not feel quite as surprising as it does.

But it still makes for a remarkable story.

And today, listeners can finally hear the result.

Jolene — in Welsh, English and with Dolly herself joining in.

***

Did Ewe Know?

Dolly Parton is said to have written Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day in 1973 — two songs that went on to become among the most famous compositions of her long career.

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Big Four Ready to Start Over

Back to Business: Wales’ League Clubs Return After Extended International Break

FOR Wales manager Craig Bellamy, the extended international break may have felt like it went on forever.

For Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy, it has been something rather different.

Barry-Murphy has welcomed the rare opportunity to spend an uninterrupted period working with his players, improving fitness levels and concentrating on tactical detail before the Championship resumes.

Domestic League action returns this weekend with Wales’ leading clubs having different ambitions

And that contrast rather neatly sums up where Welsh football finds itself this weekend.

International duties are over.

The domestic game is back.

And Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and Newport County all return to league action on Saturday with very different ambitions.

High-flying Swans dreaming big

First up are Swansea City, who host Norwich City at the Swansea.com Stadium in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.

And suddenly the conversation around the Swans has changed.

Swansea go into the weekend top of the Championship, having responded to their first league defeat of the season with victories over Burnley and Lincoln City.

Vitor Matos’ side also boast the best defensive record in the division and have created the sort of early-season momentum that inevitably starts supporters wondering whether a return to the Premier League might be possible.

It is still very early.

But Swansea have spent long enough outside the Premier League for supporters to be forgiven for dreaming a little.

Norwich arrive in south Wales sitting 17th and having lost three successive matches in all competitions, conceding 13 goals in the process.

The Canaries have also yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

Swansea do have injury concerns of their own.

Stephen Eustaquio suffered a shoulder problem while on international duty, while Josh Key, Cameron Burgess and Ross Stewart are also expected to remain unavailable.

***

Swansea City v Norwich City

Venue: Swansea.com Stadium
Kick-off: 12.30pm, Saturday, October 10
Watch: Sky Sports+, with streaming through Sky Go and NOW.

Bluebirds refreshed after the break

Cardiff City return to Championship action away to Blackburn Rovers.

For Barry-Murphy, the long gap between league games has provided something club managers rarely receive during a busy season — sustained time on the training ground.

He has spoken positively about using that period to improve conditioning and work on tactical ideas before a demanding run of fixtures.

Cardiff will, however, be without Krystian Bielik.

The Poland international has been given a two-match suspension and £10,000 fine by the Football Association after admitting a misconduct charge arising from an incident involving a Portsmouth supporter during Cardiff’s defeat at Fratton Park in September.

Bielik will therefore miss Saturday’s trip to Blackburn as well as Tuesday night’s home game against Watford.

That might have Barry-Murphy with an immediate selection problem at the back were it not for the welcome return to fitness of Wales international Dylan Lawlor and fellow defender Will Fish.

***

Blackburn Rovers v Cardiff City

Venue: Ewood Park
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday, October 10

The match falls within the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout in the UK, so it is not being shown live on Sky Sports.

Cardiff supporters can follow the game through the club’s usual live updates and audio services.

Wrexham boosted – but injury problems remain

Wrexham also return to Championship action on the road, travelling to Derby County.

Phil Parkinson’s side entered the international break on a high after beating Southampton and have now received some encouraging injury news.

Danny Imray and Ollie Rathbone have both returned to training.

Imray had missed the Southampton victory with a hamstring problem, while Rathbone had been absent for two matches because of ankle ligament damage.

Parkinson described both returns as an important boost, particularly highlighting Rathbone’s energy and influence around the training ground.

But the wider injury picture remains difficult.

George Thomason is still recovering from a thigh injury, Max Cleworth remains sidelined with a hamstring problem and Nathan Broadhead is facing a longer spell out following a thigh injury. Liberato Cacace has also continued to struggle with muscle problems.

Even so, Wrexham travel to Pride Park with momentum.

Derby have struggled during the opening months of the campaign, while Parkinson’s team have shown that their rapid journey through the divisions has not removed their appetite to compete at Championship level.

***

Derby County v Wrexham

Venue: Pride Park
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday, October 10

Like Cardiff’s game, this is a Saturday 3pm fixture and is not scheduled for live UK television coverage.

Newport building quietly

Perhaps the least dramatic story of the four comes at Rodney Parade, but Newport County have quietly begun to put together a useful run in League 2.

The Exiles are now five league games unbeaten, with two victories and three draws during that sequence.

Their most recent league outing brought a 0–0 draw at Gillingham, where Newport created enough chances to believe they might have taken all three points.

Next up are Colchester United.

Newport are also trying to encourage another strong Rodney Parade crowd, with season-ticket holders and Supporters’ Trust members able to bring a friend to Saturday’s game for £5.

For a side that started the season slowly, another positive result would continue a quietly encouraging change in direction.

***

Newport County v Colchester United

Venue: Rodney Parade
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday, October 10

The match is not among the EFL’s selected Sky Sports broadcasts for the weekend.

Did Ewe Know?

Swansea City and Norwich City were both promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2010–11 season — Swansea through the play-offs and Norwich automatically. Fifteen years later, the two clubs meet again with the Swans once more beginning to dream about the top flight.

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Noel Pops Back to Cardiff

Popstars Reunited: Hear’Say and Liberty X Bring 25 Years of Nostalgia to Cardiff

IF you remember rushing home to watch Popstars, buying Pure and Simple on CD single or trying to copy the choreography from Just a Little, there is a fair chance this one will make you feel your age.

Hear’Say and Liberty X are going back on the road together in 2027, marking 25 years since the television series that created them helped change the face of British pop.

And Cardiff is on the tour.

Popstars: The Originals arrives at Utilita Arena Cardiff on Wednesday, April 28, 2027, bringing the two groups together on the same stage for the first time.

Doors are currently listed for 6.30pm. Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday, October 16, with presales beginning earlier in the week.

For anyone who lived through the early 2000s, the story needs little introduction.

Popstars followed thousands of hopeful singers auditioning for places in a new pop group.

Eventually five were chosen.

Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster, Myleene Klass and Cardiff-born Noel Sullivan became Hear’Say.

The five finalists who missed out — Michelle Heaton, Jessica Taylor, Kelli Young, Kevin Simm and Tony Lundon — responded by forming their own group, initially called Liberty and later Liberty X.

A quarter of a century later, both groups are heading back into arenas together.

***

Hear’Say make an extraordinary entrance

The scale of Hear’Say’s initial success can easily be forgotten.

Their debut single Pure and Simple sold around 550,000 copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling debut single in UK chart history at the time.

It went straight to Number One and remained there for three weeks.

Follow-up The Way to Your Love also topped the singles chart, while debut album Popstars went to Number One as well.

For a brief period in 2001, Hear’Say were everywhere.

Their success was intense but short-lived.

The original line-up began to change later that year, and by 2002 the group had split.

Yet the songs — and perhaps even more importantly the television phenomenon surrounding them — left a lasting mark on British pop culture.

***

Liberty X write their own ending

The story of Liberty X was rather different.

Being the five people who had not been chosen for Hear’Say could easily have marked the end of their Popstars adventure.

Instead, it became the beginning.

Their first single Thinking It Over reached the UK Top Five, and in 2002 came the song most associated with the group: Just a Little.

It reached Number One and helped establish Liberty X as a successful act in their own right.

Over their career they achieved eight UK Top 10 singles, including Got to Have Your Love, Being Nobody, Song 4 Lovers and A Night to Remember.

There is therefore something rather satisfying about the two groups now sharing a tour.

Twenty-five years ago they represented the winners and runners-up of a television competition.

In 2027, they will simply be two acts celebrating the same extraordinary chapter in British pop.

***

Who is returning?

Hear’Say will reunite with Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster and Noel Sullivan.

Myleene Klass is not taking part in the tour.

Liberty X, meanwhile, return with their complete original line-up of Michelle Heaton, Jessica Taylor, Kelli Young, Kevin Simm and Tony Lundon.

The tour begins in Dublin on April 17 before travelling around major arenas across the UK and Ireland.

Organisers say the shows will feature the hits associated with both groups, alongside a large-scale production designed to recreate some of the energy and nostalgia of the original Popstars era.

***

A Cardiff homecoming for Noel Sullivan

The Cardiff date has an extra Welsh connection.

Noel Sullivan was born in Cardiff and was working as a waiter before his Popstars audition changed his life.

His subsequent career has taken him well beyond Hear’Say.

Sullivan moved into musical theatre and has built an extensive stage career, appearing in major productions including Grease, Rock of Ages, We Will Rock You and School of Rock.

So when Hear’Say walk onto the stage at Utilita Arena next April, one member at least will be enjoying something of a homecoming.

***

The programme that changed television

It is easy now to take television-created pop groups for granted.

But Popstars arrived before Pop Idol, The X Factor and the many talent formats that followed.

Its enormous success demonstrated the appetite for watching performers progress from open auditions to national fame — and helped establish a formula that would dominate Saturday-night television for years.

The tour promoters argue that Hear’Say and Liberty X helped pave the way for later television-created acts including Girls Aloud, One Direction, Little Mix and JLS.

Whether audiences watched for the music, the personalities or simply the drama of the competition, millions followed the story.

And now many of those viewers will have the chance to revisit it.

Twenty-five years ago, viewers were being asked which five singers should become pop stars.

The answer turned out to be slightly more complicated than expected.

Hear’Say got the official victory.

Liberty X proved that losing the competition did not necessarily mean losing the career.

And next April, Cardiff gets both of them.

***

Did Ewe Know?

When Pure and Simple went straight to Number One in 2001, Hear’Say achieved something even more extraordinary a few weeks later: their debut album Popstars also entered at Number One, giving the newly created group a simultaneous UK singles-and-albums chart double.

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Women’s Football: Albania v Wales

Road to Brazil: World Cup Dream Goes Back on the Line

WALES WOMEN return to competitive action today with another piece of history in their sights.

After reaching their first major tournament at Euro 2025, Rhian Wilkinson’s side are now chasing another landmark — qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

wales women football

Their next obstacle is familiar.

Albania host Wales in Shkodër on Friday, October 9, in the first leg of a two-match World Cup play-off.

Wales have already faced Albania twice during qualifying this year, winning 4–0 in Wrexham before grinding out a much tighter 1–0 victory in Elbasan a few days later.

That second game is probably the more relevant warning.

Wilkinson has stressed that Albania made life extremely difficult for Wales away from home, describing them as defensively resilient and capable of punishing any lapse in concentration.

***

What time is Albania v Wales?

Kick-off is at 5pm UK time on Friday, October 9.

The match is being played at the Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodër, which has a capacity of just over 16,000.

***

Where can I watch Albania v Wales?

Supporters in Wales and across the UK have several ways to follow the World Cup play-off live.

The match will be shown live on BBC Wales and BBC iPlayer, with live coverage also available through the BBC Sport website and app.

For those who prefer radio commentary, the game can be followed live on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Sounds.

***

What is at stake?

A place in the World Cup is not decided by this tie alone.

Wales and Albania meet over two legs, with the return match taking place at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli on Tuesday, October 13 at 7.15pm.

If Wales come through that tie, they will then face either Romania or Norway in another two-legged play-off.

Those matches are scheduled for December 1 and December 5, with the winner qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

So Wales are potentially four matches away from a first Women’s World Cup appearance.

***

Wales enter unbeaten

There is good reason for optimism.

Wales head into the play-offs unbeaten in 2026, having won five and drawn three of their last eight matches.

During the qualifying group itself, Wilkinson’s side finished top, three points ahead of Czechia, scoring 17 goals in six matches.

That form followed last summer’s historic qualification for Euro 2025 and suggests that Wales are increasingly becoming accustomed to playing meaningful international football with something major at stake.

The challenge now is to take the next step.

***

Injuries test Welsh depth

Wales do, however, travel with a significantly changed squad.

Hayley Ladd, Ceri Holland, Mia Ross, Ffion Morgan, Laura Hughes, Ella Powell and goalkeeper Olivia Clark are all unavailable through injury.

Together, those players account for close to 300 senior appearances, leaving Wilkinson without a considerable amount of experience.

The absences have also created opportunities.

Six uncapped players are included in the squad, with teenagers Casi Gregson of Newcastle United and Heidi Hills of Tottenham Hotspur receiving their first senior call-ups.

Wilkinson has spoken positively about the chance for younger players to step forward and demonstrate the increasing depth within the Welsh pathway.

Experienced figures such as Sophie Ingle, Angharad James and Rhiannon Roberts remain important to a squad mixing established internationals with the next generation.

***

Albania cannot be underestimated

The 4–0 victory in Wrexham might suggest Wales should be comfortable favourites, but the return qualifier told a different story.

Wales needed a goal from Rhiannon Roberts to secure a narrow 1–0 win, and Wilkinson has openly admitted that Albania caused her team problems.

Her message ahead of the play-off has therefore been straightforward: Wales cannot assume that previous victories will simply be repeated.

A win in Albania would put Wales in a strong position before Tuesday’s second leg, but even returning home with a narrow advantage could prove valuable.

This is a two-match contest rather than a single night.

For Wales, the equation is beginning to look tantalisingly simple.

Beat Albania over two legs.

Win one more play-off against Romania or Norway.

And a team which had never appeared at a major finals before 2025 would suddenly find itself preparing for a World Cup in Brazil.

There is still plenty of work to do.

But the road to Brazil now runs through Shkodër.

***

Did Ewe Know?

If Wales reach the final play-off round and face Norway, it would bring them up against former Wales head coach Gemma Grainger, who is now in charge of the Norwegian national team.

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Cardiff Music City Festival

Dafydd Owain Wins Welsh Music Prize After Remarkable Year for Ymarfer Byw

A YEAR that was already becoming special for Dafydd Owain has just become even better.

The Welsh singer-songwriter has won the 2026 Welsh Music Prize for his second album, Ymarfer Byw, collecting the £10,000 award at a ceremony at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

The win crowns a remarkable few months for an album that had already been named Welsh Language Album of the Year at the National Eisteddfod earlier this summer.

For Owain, the award also represented something far more personal than simply another trophy.

Ymarfer Byw emerged from what he has described as an emotionally intense period in his life, with the record bringing together thoughts, feelings and experiences he was trying to make sense of at the time. Despite some darker themes, the album also finds room for humour, warmth and beauty.

That combination has now earned it one of the most important prizes in Welsh music.

Owain faced formidable competition.

The 15-strong shortlist included established and emerging names such as Gruff Rhys, Skindred, Cerys Hafana, Gwenifer Raymond and The Royston Club, underlining the depth and variety of the current Welsh music scene.

After receiving the award, Owain said he hoped the recognition would allow him to continue making more music, while describing it as a privilege to win in such strong company.

There was another important Welsh music story on the night too.

Mary Hopkin received the Welsh Music Inspiration Award, recognising a career which took her from Pontardawe to international fame.

Hopkin became one of the first artists signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records and achieved worldwide success with Those Were the Days in 1968. Her daughter, Jessica Lee Morgan, accepted the award on her behalf and performed a medley of her mother’s songs during the ceremony.

The evening also provided a platform for the next generation.

Mwsog, Casual Smart and Betsan were presented with the Triskel Award, which is designed to support emerging artists with their career development.

The Welsh Music Prize ceremony formed part of Cardiff Music City Festival, providing a neat link between one of Wales’ most important music awards and the wider celebration of live music taking place across the capital.

For Dafydd Owain, though, this was the night his name moved firmly to the front of the Welsh music conversation.

And there is little time for him to sit back and enjoy the moment. Tonight, Friday, October 9, at Theatre Grand, Swansea, and tomorrow, Saturday, October 10, at Theatr Mwldan in Cardigan, he will perform Ymarfer Byw in two special live shows.

The shows present the album in an immersive live setting, bringing to the stage the same intensely personal material that has now earned two major prizes.

It means that, just days after collecting one of the biggest honours in Welsh music, Owain will be back where the story matters most — performing the songs themselves in front of audiences.

Winning both Welsh Language Album of the Year and the Welsh Music Prize in the same year undoubtedly gives Ymarfer Byw a particularly strong place in the story of Welsh music in 2026.

And perhaps just as importantly, it demonstrates once again that Welsh-language music is not a niche sitting outside the wider industry.

It is part of the main story.

***

Did Ewe Know?

The Welsh Music Prize was created to celebrate the best new music made in Wales or by Welsh people around the world, and the event has grown into one of the key annual showcases for the breadth of the country’s music scene.

MUSIC CARDIFF FESTIVAL

WELSH MUSIC INFLUENCERS

MARY HOPKIN

WALES, LAND OF SONG

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Another Derby Showdown

Dragons v Ospreys Kicks Off a Big Welsh Rugby Weekend

WELSH rugby heads into another important weekend with a derby under the Friday-night lights, followed by two very different challenges for Scarlets and Cardiff.

First up, Dragons host Ospreys at Rodney Parade on Friday evening in Round Three of the United Rugby Championship.

For the Dragons, the early-season picture is an encouraging one.

They remain unbeaten after opening with a 19–19 draw away to Benetton before producing a stirring 38–26 victory over Scarlets in Newport last weekend. Six tries, a noisy Rodney Parade crowd and a strong second-half performance gave Filo Tiatia’s side their first win of the campaign.

Tiatia has made no secret of how important he believes home form can be this season.

He has spoken about using the energy of the Rodney Parade crowd as a genuine advantage and has described the Ospreys as a side that will “scrap and fight” after their opening two matches in South Africa.

The Ospreys arrive back in Wales after a demanding opening to the season.

They began with a trip to Durban to face the Sharks before moving on to Johannesburg to play the Lions, meaning Friday’s derby offers their first opportunity of the URC campaign to play back in Wales.

That alone gives the fixture a slightly different edge.

The Dragons want to build on momentum.

The Ospreys want to bring something home from a difficult opening road trip and have former Australia wing Marika Koroibete making his debut.

And both know that Welsh derbies have a habit of becoming contests that bear little resemblance to the form book.

***

What time is Dragons v Ospreys?

Kick-off is at 7.45pm on Friday, October 9.

The match is being played at Rodney Parade, Newport.

***

Where can I watch Dragons v Ospreys?

The game will be shown live on S4C, with streaming also available through S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

Welsh and English-language commentary options are available through S4C’s coverage.

The match is also being carried by Premier Sports, while international options include SuperSport, FloRugby and URC.tv.

***

A quick rematch to come

One of the quirks of this season’s schedule is that the same two teams will meet again very soon.

The return fixture takes place at St Helen’s, Swansea, on October 24, giving the redeveloped stadium its first competitive Ospreys home game of the season against Welsh opposition.

That should add a little extra spice to Friday night.

Any score to settle in Newport will not have long to wait.

***

Scarlets look for first win

On Saturday, attention switches west as Scarlets host Benetton at Parc y Scarlets.

Kick-off is at 5.30pm.

Scarlets are still looking for their first URC win of the season and have made three changes to the starting side, with Joe Hawkins making his first start of the campaign.

Henry Thomas and Will Evans also return to the pack, while Hawkins resumes his Wales midfield partnership with Eddie James.

There is an added personal element to the fixture.

Former Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac returns as part of the Benetton set-up, while Rhys Patchell is also on the Italian club’s coaching staff.

The match forms part of a wider celebration of Welshness at Parc y Scarlets, with live music and Welsh-language activities helping turn the afternoon into more than simply a rugby fixture.

The game is being shown on Premier Sports.

***

Cardiff face the biggest test yet

Cardiff then travel to Dublin to face Leinster on Saturday evening, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

They could hardly arrive in better early-season shape.

Cardiff have won both of their opening URC matches and now face what Josh McNally has described as a chance to measure how far the side has progressed.

There are seven changes to the team. Taulupe Faletau returns to action for the first time since January, while Aled Davies is also back and Matty Young is handed his URC debut. Mason Grady has been passed fit to start on the wing.

Cardiff also have a recent reminder that Leinster are not untouchable. They beat the Irish province 8–7 at the Arms Park in February, one of the standout results of last season.

Repeating that feat in Dublin would be another matter entirely.

***

Welsh URC fixtures this weekend

Friday, October 9: Dragons v Ospreys (Rodney Parade, 7.45pm)
Live: S4C, S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Premier Sports

Saturday, October 10: Scarlets v Benetton (Parc y Scarlets, 5.30pm
Live: Premier Sports

Leinster v Cardiff (Laya Arena, Dublin, 7.45pm)

Super Rygbi Cymru continues

The professional game is not the only Welsh rugby on offer this weekend.

Super Rygbi Cymru began its latest round on Thursday night, when Bridgend Ravens beat Aberavon 24–19 at the Electric Brewery Field.

The result gave Bridgend a measure of revenge after Aberavon had beaten them on the opening weekend of the season and added another close chapter to one of the competition’s familiar local rivalries.

Four more fixtures follow on Saturday.

Cardiff host Carmarthen Quins at the Arms Park, while Llandovery entertain Pontypool at Church Bank.

In North Wales, RGC welcome Newport, while perhaps the most eye-catching fixture comes at St Helen’s, where Swansea face Ebbw Vale.

The Swansea game carries added significance as the first competitive rugby fixture at the redeveloped St Helen’s, bringing league rugby back to one of the most historic grounds in the Welsh game.

***

Super Rygbi Cymru – Saturday

Cardiff v Carmarthen Quins
Llandovery v Pontypool
RGC v Newport
Swansea v Ebbw Vale

Did Ewe Know?

The Dragons and Ospreys will meet twice in just over two weeks. After Friday’s derby at Rodney Parade, they face each other again at the redeveloped St Helen’s in Swansea on October 24 — an unusually quick return fixture and one which will help mark the beginning of a new chapter for rugby at the historic Swansea ground.

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Novira Cymru Premier

Friday Night Belongs to the New-look Cymru Premier

INTERNATIONAL football may have dominated the headlines recently, but on Friday night attention turns back towards the domestic game — and there is plenty happening across Wales.

Seven Novira Cymru Premier matches kick off at 7.45pm on Friday, October 9, with the eighth game of Matchday 13 following on Saturday when Flint Town United entertain Colwyn Bay in front of the Sgorio cameras.

It provides the perfect opportunity to shine a little more light on a competition which has undergone one of the biggest changes in its recent history.

At the top, The New Saints continue to set the pace.

The champions have won 11 consecutive league games and sit six points clear after the opening 12 matches. Their latest victory was an emphatic 9–0 win over Cambrian United.

On Friday they travel to Holywell Town, where the contrast could hardly be greater. Holywell sit at the foot of the table and have already conceded 38 goals.

But one of the most intriguing games takes place further south.

Penybont host Barry Town United in a meeting between third and fourth at the M&P 3G Stadium.

Penybont had been unbeaten until last weekend, when a 1–0 defeat by Connah’s Quay allowed the Nomads to climb above them into second place. Barry therefore arrive in Bridgend with both clubs firmly involved in the early battle behind TNS.

Elsewhere, Cambrian United face Ammanford, who finally recorded their first ever Cymru Premier victory last weekend when they defeated Holywell 2–1, an important moment for one of the clubs adjusting to life in the expanded top flight.

Cambrian, meanwhile, will be hoping to rediscover the form they have shown at home after suffering two extraordinary heavy away defeats in recent weeks — 9–1 at Caernarfon and 9–0 against TNS.

There is another attractive contest at Haverfordwest County, where Caernarfon Town are the visitors, while Briton Ferry Llansawel host Connah’s Quay Nomads.

Connah’s Quay arrive on a high after becoming the first side this season to beat Penybont, while Briton Ferry produced an eye-catching result of their own last weekend by defeating in-form Colwyn Bay despite playing part of the game with 10 men.

Friday’s other fixtures see Cardiff Met host Trefelin and Llandudno face Airbus UK Broughton.

Then there is one more game to come.

***

Saturday night football live on TV

Flint Town United v Colwyn Bay has been moved to Saturday, October 10, with a 5.15pm kick-off and live coverage through Sgorio on S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

It is another game with an interesting story attached.

Flint had gone 16 matches without a win in all competitions before appointing Danny Holmes as manager at the end of September.

He has started with two victories from two — 3–0 against Ammanford followed by a 1–0 success at Haverfordwest — and Flint have yet to concede under him.

Colwyn Bay, meanwhile, had won four successive league matches before last weekend’s defeat to Briton Ferry. Their home record has been perfect, but their form away from home has been considerably less impressive.

Cymru Premier fixtures

Friday, October 9 – 7.45pm

Briton Ferry Llansawel v Connah’s Quay Nomads
Cambrian United v Ammanford
Cardiff Met v Trefelin
Haverfordwest County v Caernarfon Town
Holywell Town v The New Saints
Llandudno v Airbus UK Broughton
Penybont v Barry Town United

Saturday, October 10 – 5.15pm

Flint Town United v Colwyn Bay

The expanded Cymru Premier means there are more clubs, more communities and more stories competing at the highest level of the domestic game in Wales.

This weekend provides a particularly good snapshot.

From title contenders and newly promoted clubs to managerial changes, local rivalries and teams attempting to establish themselves at a new level, there should be plenty happening long after Friday evening’s floodlights are switched on.

Did Ewe Know?

The Cymru Premier expanded from 12 to 16 clubs for the 2026–27 season, bringing four additional teams into Wales’ top division and producing an unusually neat geographical balance — eight clubs from the north and eight from the south.

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Welsh Racing Festival

Three Days, No Fences, but Festival Highlight is Ready for the Off at Chepstow

ONE of the biggest weekends in Welsh horse racing gets under way at Chepstow Racecourse on Friday — although this year’s festival will look a little different.

The DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival runs from Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 11, bringing three days of National Hunt racing to Monmouthshire.

But following one of the driest periods in recent memory, there will be no steeplechasing at all.

The British Horseracing Authority confirmed that Chepstow’s chase course could not be prepared to an appropriate standard in time for the meeting, despite considerable work by the racecourse team.

As a result, the entire festival has been converted into all-hurdle racing, with the scheduled chase races transferred to Worcester and Ffos Las.

It is an unusual twist for a meeting traditionally regarded as one of the occasions when the jump season begins to gather serious momentum.

The important thing, however, is that the festival’s principal hurdle races remain firmly in place.

And Friday provides an especially strong opening.

A remarkable 96 horses have been declared across an eight-race card, headed by the £80,000 Grade 2 DragonBet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle.

The race has an impressive history.

Previous winners include horses such as Silviniaco Conti, Thyme Hill and Reve de Sivola, while last year’s contest went to Sticktotheplan for trainer Olly Murphy.

Eleven runners are declared this time around.

Friday also features another race carrying considerable Welsh prestige — the DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle.

Usually staged on the Sunday of the festival, it moves to the opening day this year. Last season’s winner Celtic Dino gave owner Dai Walters successive victories in the race.

Then comes Saturday’s centrepiece.

The Wasdell Group Silver Trophy is a fiercely competitive handicap hurdle first run in 1989, with former winners including Bradbury Star and future Grand National winner Don’t Push It.

Last year’s race was won by Rambo T, trained by Olly Murphy and ridden by Welsh jockey Sean Bowen, and the horse is being aimed at another crack at the prize this weekend.

The race has also received an important status boost for 2026, having been upgraded by the British Horseracing Authority to become a Premier Handicap.

Sunday then brings the festival to a close with another seven-race hurdle card and a more family-orientated finale.

Children aged 17 and under can attend free when accompanied by an adult, while live music and hospitality are also part of the three-day programme.

***

Extra day in the Welsh racing spotlight

In fact, the spotlight on Chepstow begins before the first race.

The Welsh Horse Racing Awards take place at the racecourse on Thursday evening, recognising leading jockeys, trainers, owners and other figures within the sport.

That means Chepstow effectively becomes the centre of Welsh racing for four consecutive days.

The timing is particularly appropriate because Chepstow Racecourse is celebrating its centenary in 2026.

Racing began at the course 100 years ago and the venue has subsequently become synonymous with some of Welsh racing’s biggest occasions, most notably the Welsh Grand National.

This weekend therefore combines past and present.

The weather may have forced organisers to rethink the programme and temporarily remove the fences, but the quality races remain, Welsh riders and racing connections will be prominent, and one of the country’s most historic racecourses is preparing for another significant weekend.

Perhaps the best description of the 2026 Welsh Racing Festival is therefore a fairly simple one:

Three days. Plenty of jumping. Just no fences.

***

Did Ewe Know?

The Persian War Novices’ Hurdle takes its name from one of the greatest hurdlers of all time. Persian War won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham three years running, from 1968 to 1970, and the Chepstow race bearing his name has subsequently produced numerous horses who went on to compete at the very highest level.

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Fans Go Crazy for Fury-Joshua Clash

Tickets Priced up to £13,000 for Cardiff’s All-British Showdown All Gone in One Hour

IF there were any doubts about the appetite for Fury versus Joshua, today’s ticket sale appears to have answered them.

Around 80,000 tickets for the Principality Stadium showdown sold out within an hour of going on general sale, with more than 500,000 people reportedly joining the online queue.

Prices ranged from £88.50 to an extraordinary £13,128 including booking fees, yet demand still massively outstripped the number of seats available.

Resale listings began appearing almost immediately, some at dramatically inflated prices.

It means that more than two months before fight night, Cardiff’s huge December heavyweight showdown is already effectively a sell-out — despite the planned 1am ring walks and the licensing application still required to accommodate the unusually late finish.

Cardiff has hosted some memorable nights of boxing, but Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua could turn out to be unlike anything the Welsh capital has experienced before.

Details surrounding the heavyweight showdown at Principality Stadium revealed that organisers are planning for the two fighters to make their ring walks at around 1am, with the stadium potentially remaining open until 3.30am.

There is, however, one important hurdle still to clear.

Millennium Stadium Plc has submitted an application to Cardiff Council seeking a temporary variation to the stadium’s premises licence specifically for the fight.

The application asks for permitted hours for boxing and wrestling, live and recorded music, alcohol sales and late-night refreshment to be extended until 3am for what is described as a very limited, one-off occasion.

The proposed schedule would see a short live music performance immediately before the fighters enter the arena at around 1am, while spectators could remain inside the stadium until approximately 3.30am. The roof is also expected to remain closed throughout the event.

It means that although the event is officially being staged on Friday, December 11, the punches in the main event will actually be thrown during the early hours of Saturday morning.

The unusual timing reflects the enormous international interest in a contest British boxing supporters have waited more than a decade to see.

Fury and Joshua have both been heavyweight world champions and have dominated the British boxing landscape for much of the past decade, yet somehow their paths have never crossed in a professional ring.

Now Cardiff will finally provide the stage.

The Principality Stadium has confirmed that a full evening of boxing will precede the headline contest, although details of the undercard have still to be announced, with Netflix carrying the event live around the world. The stadium’s maximum capacity for major events is around 80,000, making the fight one of the biggest boxing occasions ever staged in Wales.

The 1am timing should also make the contest much more attractive to viewers in North America, placing one of British boxing’s biggest-ever fights in a favourable evening television slot across the Atlantic.

But it also creates an extraordinary prospect for Cardiff.

Tens of thousands of spectators could be emerging from Principality Stadium at two, three or even later in the morning, turning the city centre into something approaching an overnight sporting festival.

Transport, policing, stewarding, hospitality and the movement of such a large crowd through central Cardiff will inevitably require considerable planning.

The licence application remains subject to the normal consultation process, with representations accepted until November 3. If no relevant objections are received, the council must grant the application; if representations are made, the matter can proceed to a licensing hearing.

So the proposed 1am ring walk should currently be regarded as the plan rather than an unconditional certainty.

What is certain is that interest in the fight has moved up another level.

Demand was through the roof when tickets and hospitality packages went on sale at 12 noon today, Friday, October 9, through the official Principality Stadium channels.

Cardiff has already staged major Joshua fights, while the stadium’s retractable roof and city-centre location have made it particularly suited to huge winter boxing occasions.

This one, however, promises something different again.

Fury against Joshua has spent years appearing to be the fight that British boxing might never actually get.

Now not only is it heading for Wales, but Cardiff could find itself staging the climax of the contest long after most of the rest of the country has gone to bed.

For one night at least, the Welsh capital looks set to become the centre of the boxing world — after midnight.

***

Did Ewe Know?

The Principality Stadium has an impressive heavyweight history of its own. Anthony Joshua has already fought there twice, defeating Carlos Takam in 2017 and Joseph Parker in 2018, while the former National Stadium on the same Cardiff site hosted Lennox Lewis against Frank Bruno in their famous 1993 heavyweight title fight.

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Lots Occurin’ For Ruth

Ruth Jones Opens a New Chapter after Gavin & Stacey

FOR many viewers, Ruth Jones will probably always be Nessa.

The black bob, the leather waistcoat, the cigarette, the extraordinary stories and that unmistakable “what’s occurring?” helped make Gavin & Stacey one of the best-loved British comedies of its generation.

But anyone wondering what Jones would do once the final chapter of Barry and Billericay had been written now has an answer.

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

The Welsh actor, writer and producer currently has three very different television projects either on screen or in development, ranging from a dark Netflix thriller to a new comedy rooted firmly in Wales and, most recently, a major reunion with James Corden.

Ruth Jones and James Corden at a BBC Radio Wales roadshow Photo: Ben Salter/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The newest announcement is The Choir, an eight-part comedy-drama created by Jones and Corden for Apple TV. It is their first project together since Gavin & Stacey: The Finale and is already in production ahead of a planned global release in 2027.

This time there will be no Smithy and Nessa.

Corden and Jones play estranged brother and sister Ben and Lisa. Ben has been living abroad before circumstances force him to return to the small English town — and the family — he left behind. Somehow, a struggling local choir becomes part of the attempt to repair their fractured relationship.

And the cast suggests Apple has considerable ambitions for the series.

Tom Davis, Jason Watkins, David Harewood and Welsh actor Alexandria Riley are among the ensemble, while Hannah Waddingham, James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent will appear as guest stars. Jones and Corden are also executive producers.

It is an intriguing next move for a writing partnership inevitably associated with one enormous television success.

Rather than attempting Gavin & Stacey Mark II, the pair appear to have gone somewhere different — although family relationships, friendship, community and music hardly feel alien to the world in which their earlier success thrived.

Jones has already been showing another side of herself during 2026.

In Netflix thriller Run Away, based on the Harlan Coben novel, she appears alongside James Nesbitt as private investigator Elena Ravenscroft, an ex-police officer who becomes caught up in a missing-person investigation linked to a series of murders.

For viewers accustomed to seeing Jones primarily in comedy, it is a strikingly different role.

Jones described Elena as unlike anyone she had played before: difficult to read, unpredictable, highly intelligent, but also warm and empathetic.

And then there is perhaps the most Welsh of her current projects.

Better Later reunites Jones with fellow Welsh actor and writer Steve Speirs, with the pair both writing and starring in the new six-part BBC comedy.

It centres on two strangers who meet at a knee trauma clinic. Speirs plays Clive, a widowed retired teacher, while Jones plays Shelley Anne, an environmental health officer going through a difficult divorce. Their unlikely friendship becomes the heart of the story.

The programme is being filmed around south Wales, including Bannau Brycheiniog, and is set in the fictional Welsh village of Brynfach. Jones has described it as a project “35 years in the making”, dating back to when she first met Speirs.

That long friendship adds another dimension.

Jones and Speirs worked together on Stella and have also appeared together more recently in factual television. Now they are creating something built around friendship in middle age — a very different proposition from both Run Away and The Choir.

Taken together, the three projects illustrate just how broad Jones’s career has become.

There is the actor stepping into darker territory with Netflix. There is the Welsh writer returning to south Wales for a home-grown BBC comedy. And there is the internationally successful creative partnership with James Corden embarking on something completely new for Apple.

It also underlines something that can occasionally be obscured by the sheer popularity of Nessa. Ruth Jones has never simply been a performer in Gavin & Stacey. She co-created and co-wrote it, created and starred in Stella, has written novels and established herself as one of Wales’ most recognisable television writers as well as actors.

In May, that wider career was recognised when she received a Lifetime Achievement award at the RTS Cymru Wales Awards.

The remarkable thing is that it hardly looks like a career winding down. Quite the opposite.

With Run Away demonstrating a very different acting range, Better Later bringing her creative work firmly back to Wales, and The Choir reuniting one of British television’s most successful writing partnerships for a worldwide audience, Ruth Jones appears to be entering one of the busiest periods of her career.

Nessa may have finally found her ending.

Ruth Jones clearly has plenty more stories to tell.

***

Did Ewe Know?

Better Later has effectively been gestating for more than three decades. Ruth Jones first met Steve Speirs around 35 years ago, long before either became familiar television faces, and she has jokingly pointed out that it is not because they are particularly slow writers — they have simply been rather busy in the meantime.

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