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Many Wales hopefuls have a chance to do the same in the Six Nations, but their strong performances against European opposition at club level could be of benefit.

Over the weekend, Dragons and Cardiff and Ospreys qualified for the Challenge Cup’s final 16 spots.

However, it was the last opportunity for Wales boss Steve Tandy to impress him before naming his first Six Nations squad on Tuesday, in addition to attempting to reach the knockout stages and earning home advantage.

Warren Gatland resisted Rio Dyer’s inclusion for the previous year’s Six Nations despite having played regularly since his 2022 debut.

Tandy recalled The Dragons wing for the fall series, which featured South Africa, and the group has since been excellent.

His four tries and five assists totaled with his double against the Newcastle Red Bulls.

The 26-year-old is gaining back control and is consistently winning against defenders, running strong lines, and performing hunting work.

The 24-cap wing could be made up if Tandy follows Bristol’s lead by moving Louis Rees-Zammit to full-back.

Rio has the X factor, and when he is confident, he means business, according to Dragons captain Angus O’Brien.

“We need to beat people in one v one and light things up,” he said.

O’Brien is currently in excellent form, but at 31 he might not have made it to the international team.

In addition to Ryan Woodman and Che Hope, the Dragons also have two promising prospects.

In the opening game of the Six Nations last year in Paris, Watkins broke his knee ligaments after 10 months out.

The 29-year-old has played for Ospreys’ 12 and 13 seasons, and Max Llewellyn is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones praised Owen for being “really good on both sides of the ball.”

He scored a nice try against Montpellier, and he has one of the best defensive lines and line speed in the URC.

He “makes a lot of good work of sharing his knowledge with young players and makes a big difference to our team.”

After spending time in France with Brive last summer, Moriarty made his return to Wales, and he has the potential to be a physical, abrasive, and experienced choice. Tandy has a strong case for him.

The 31-year-old has not yet resisted playing for Wales despite winning the most recent of his 54 caps in March 2022.

Kane James, who may have won the World Rugby U20 Championship with England but is still on Tandy’s radar, suffered a cruel injury in the Exeter Chiefs’ eighth-ranked player.

The 20-year-old from Haverfordwest participated in junior rugby at Cardiff with St Peters.

He was mentioned as a potential bolter for the Six Nations, but he injured his ankle just before the Cardiff Challenge Cup match.

James’ chances of being invited to the Six Nations may depend on a scan, but Exeter coach Haydn Thomas thinks the back-rower has it.

He has an exceptional talent, according to Thomas, and Kane has many qualities.

The key is to enjoy his rugby and play the best rugby possible for Exeter, foremost because what happens with the Chiefs will determine how well he plays with the Chiefs.

Jake Ball, 34, has been predicted to add physicality to the Wales pack once he returns to Scarlets.

The lock was forced to leave the Northampton Saints starting eleven with a head injury, which was a blow to the club and country.

Ball may not yet be granted the all-clear, but his teammates, particularly flanker Josh Macleod, who was sidelined before the autumn series, hooker Elias and wing Ellis Mee, put on a battling display at Franklin’s Gardens.

Given that Joe Hawkins and Ben Thomas from Cardiff can fill the 10 spots, it is still to be seen how many specialist fly-halves Tandy will pick.

The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Bears in the NFL play-off game to advance to the Conference Championships in a nail-biting victory over the Bears in Chicago.

After leading the Bears to a total of comeback victories this year, quarterback Caleb Williams had a chance to claim another victory with a stunning touchdown pass that put overtime in the Divisional Round game on Sunday.

However, the 2024 draft pick had an interception thrown, and Harrison Mevis’ field goal on the Rams’ subsequent drive secured a 20-17 victory in Illinois’ freezing conditions.

The Patriots defeated the haughty Houston Texans defense and the snow to defeat the Patriots in Massachusetts, extending their lead to one win.

The Patriots’ Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford, the quarterback in Los Angeles, are the top contenders for the NFL’s title decider.

Next Sunday for the NFC Championship game, the Rams must travel to divisional rival Seattle, and New England will face the Denver Broncos in the AFC equivalent.

Los Angeles, who finished the regular season with a better record and is led by MVP frontrunner Stafford, were the NFC’s second seed, but fifth-ranked Los Angeles were favorite to win at Soldier Field.

The 37-year-old helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2022, but he has never won the prestigious MVP award, and his offense struggled to get going in Chicago, where the wind chill was -13C and the temperature dropped to -8C.

The Rams took the lead in the fourth quarter when Kyren Williams ran for a touchdown from five yards and had a chance to be 10-10 at half-time.

The Bears, however, have won a total of seven games this year with a 2-0 lead. With 18 seconds left, Williams was unfazed before making a hopeful pass in the end zone that tight end Cole Kmet seized with a 40-yard gain.

On the first possession of overtime, Chicago’s defense finally came to an end, but Williams, who has been dubbed “the Iceman” for his ability to deliver under pressure, was intercepted for the third time in the match on Sunday.

Mevis’ 42-yard touchdown pass at the other end of the field sealed a thrilling season for the long-suffering Bears fans, which included the team’s first play-off victory in 15 years last week.

In their first year as head coaches, Williams and Ben Johnson helped Chicago improve from a 5-12 record in 2024 to an 11-6 record this year.

With Mike Vrabel and Maye taking them from bottom to top of their division, New England has also made an unexpected play-off appearance this year.

With a 10-win winning streak, the Patriots’ 4-13 record and 4-13 record helped them clinch the AFC’s second seed.

Tom Brady’s final two seasons in New England (2018) and 2019 marked the first time the Patriots have captured the AFC East division title and advanced to the AFC Championship game.

The Patriots have finally found Brady’s long-term replacement in Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Maye once more showed maturity on Sunday, this time surpassing his previous year of dominance when he won his first NFL championship in 2002, age 23.

Due to the windy conditions, both he and opposite number CJ Stroud struggled, resulting in three turnovers, two of them fumbled and one interception. Additionally, he was sacked five times.

However, he also delivered three touchdown passes, two of which helped give Kayshon Boutte, who had a superb one-handed grab to seal the victory, to give him a 21-10 lead at half-time.

In addition, third-year quarterback Stroud of Houston gave up four picks in the first half alone, with one of them being returned for a touchdown by Marcus Jones after throwing just eight interceptions in 14 games during the regular season.

Despite having the NFL’s top-ranked defense this year and winning ten straight games as a result, the Texans were exiting the playoffs for the third time in a row.

Ironically, Maye will face Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship game from next week, a team that was initially thought to be Brady’s replacement after he wasdrafted by the Patriots in 2019 and acted as his backup that year.

bracketed conference seed, all kick-off times GMT.

Sunday, January 25th,