Category News

Wales fly-half Dan Edwards has signed a new deal with Ospreys.

The 22-year-old, who started all four of Wales’ autumn internationals, had been linked with Leicester, but he has opted to stay with Mark Jones’ side.

Uncertainty in Welsh professional rugby led to Wales captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan announcing summer exits from Ospreys to Gloucester.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) plan to cut from four men’s clubs to three – one in Cardiff, one in the east and one in the west.

Ospreys’ squad have rallied despite fears over their futures to make a perfect start in the Challenge Cup and be in the mix for the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs.

“When you have players like him that want to sign a new deal, despite some trying times in Welsh rugby, it speaks volumes about what the club means to the people that are from here,” said head coach Jones.

“We see Dan as an instrumental figure for us over the coming seasons. His ability to block out the noise, quarterback our play and his decisiveness as a ball carrier have all been catalytic to us evolving our attack and scoring more tries over the last 12 months.

“His rugby IQ and his dedication to improving are both second to none and we see him being a player that will continue to thrive on both the club and international stage for many years to come.

Edwards would have been ineligible for Wales had he left to play in England because he has only played seven Tests.

The current WRU selection policy deems that individuals who sign for clubs outside Wales must have 25 caps to continue playing for their country.

Edwards, who started out at Cwmafan RFC, is poised to pull the strings for Steve Tandy’s side in the Six Nations after committing to Ospreys.

“Like a lot of the boys here, I grew up supporting this club and it was always a dream for me to pull on the black jersey,” said the fly-half, who will make his 43rd appearance for the club at Zebre in the Challenge Cup on .

“There’s a quality group of boys here. We’ve got a young core that play above their years and some experienced boys that bring it all together for us.

“We’ve shown that when we’re on our game, we can go toe-to-toe with anyone on our day.

“The staff and players here all want the Ospreys to be back where we should be, competing with the top teams and challenging for silverware. So if I can play a part in that, that is something that I will strive to do.”

Nonetheless, Ospreys’ future remains uncertain amid rumours that owners Y11 Sports and Media are in talks to buy WRU-owned Cardiff.

Liam Rosenior says he will be his own man at Chelsea and ignore the “noise” around his appointment as manager.

The 41-year-old signed a contract until 2032 on Tuesday following the departure of Enzo Maresca.

Holding his first news conference as Blues boss before taking charge of Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton, Rosenior said he felt the club’s potential was “limitless”.

It is a first job in the Premier League for the London-born former player, who managed Championship club Hull City between 2022 and 2024, before a two-year spell in France with Strasbourg.

“When I went in at Strasbourg I was a joke in the media and they said that my team would finish last,” said Rosenior.

“I was a nobody from England and we finished three points off the Champions League places. The noise is just noise.

Rosenior achieved a seventh-placed finish with Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last season, securing European football.

The French side are part of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo multi-club ownership group that also controls Chelsea – but he rejected suggestions he has been hired to toe the line of his superiors.

“I don’t think it is possible to be in this job and not be your own man,” added Rosenior.

“I understand, I am not an alien and I know what is being said in the press, but there is no way you can be a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.”

Rosenior takes over a Chelsea team which is eighth in the Premier League after a five-match winless run, but still in three other cup competitions this season.

Italian Maresca left less than six months after he won the Fifa Club World Cup at the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge, departing amid internal tensions with the club’s hierarchy and ownership.

“At a club of this stature, the fans want success and they have every right to want success,” said Rosenior.

“To win over the fans, I have to win games of football, build a team that represents them. We are trying to build things in a different way.

Rosenior will hope for a positive start to his tenure away to Championship opposition Charlton, before aiming to keep Chelsea on course for League Cup success when they host Arsenal in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.

In a demanding first month at the helm, the Blues face nine games across four different competitions over the next 29 days.

“The pressure is there from day one and if I wasn’t willing to take on that pressure and privilege I wouldn’t be here,” added Rosenior.

“I am looking forward to it. I can’t wait for tomorrow night. The players and staff have been nothing but supportive and made me feel at home.

“If you are scared or fearful there is no point being a coach. I am going to work 24 hours a day. I am going to push them to try to be successful.

“I’ve said to the players, focus on winning the next game. That’s how we go on a run.

Liam Rosenior says he will be his own man at Chelsea and ignore the “noise” around his appointment as manager.

The 41-year-old signed a contract until 2032 on Tuesday following the departure of Enzo Maresca.

Holding his first news conference as Blues boss before taking charge of Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton, Rosenior said he felt the club’s potential was “limitless”.

It is a first job in the Premier League for the London-born former player, who managed Championship club Hull City between 2022 and 2024, before a two-year spell in France with Strasbourg.

“When I went in at Strasbourg I was a joke in the media and they said that my team would finish last,” said Rosenior.

“I was a nobody from England and we finished three points off the Champions League places. The noise is just noise.

Rosenior achieved a seventh-placed finish with Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last season, securing European football.

The French side are part of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo multi-club ownership group that also controls Chelsea – but he rejected suggestions he has been hired to toe the line of his superiors.

“I don’t think it is possible to be in this job and not be your own man,” added Rosenior.

“I understand, I am not an alien and I know what is being said in the press, but there is no way you can be a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.”

Rosenior takes over a Chelsea team which is eighth in the Premier League after a five-match winless run, but still in three other cup competitions this season.

Italian Maresca left less than six months after he won the Fifa Club World Cup at the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge, departing amid internal tensions with the club’s hierarchy and ownership.

“At a club of this stature, the fans want success and they have every right to want success,” said Rosenior.

“To win over the fans, I have to win games of football, build a team that represents them. We are trying to build things in a different way.

Rosenior will hope for a positive start to his tenure away to Championship opposition Charlton, before aiming to keep Chelsea on course for League Cup success when they host Arsenal in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.

In a demanding first month at the helm, the Blues face nine games across four different competitions over the next 29 days.

“The pressure is there from day one and if I wasn’t willing to take on that pressure and privilege I wouldn’t be here,” added Rosenior.

“I am looking forward to it. I can’t wait for tomorrow night. The players and staff have been nothing but supportive and made me feel at home.

“If you are scared or fearful there is no point being a coach. I am going to work 24 hours a day. I am going to push them to try to be successful.

“I’ve said to the players, focus on winning the next game. That’s how we go on a run.

Bukayo Saka has agreed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.

It is understood the new contract will see the 24-year-old become one of the club’s highest paid players.

The agreement is the latest example of Arsenal tying down their key players to long-term contracts as they look to keep their title-chasing squad together.

William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly all signed new long-term contracts in the summer.

England international Saka has become a key player for the Gunners since he made his debut in 2018, having come through the club’s Hale End academy.

Last season Saka produced 12 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances, despite being sidelined for three months with a hamstring injury that required surgery in December 2024.

Saka has been a consistent figure for Arsenal. The 2023-24 season saw him step up as captain for the first time and finish as the club’s top scorer with 20 goals.

This season he has again impressed with seven goals and six assists in 27 appearances so far.

The agreement with Saka is more important than the £250m outlay Arsenal made to bring in eight new players in the summer.

Saka’s importance on the pitch alongside his bond with supporters and his journey from the academy make his position impossible to replicate.

His new deal will see him stay at the club into the peak years of his career and – after several seasons with numbers that match elite wingers across the game – Arsenal will benefit from the progression he could still achieve.

This season is set to be crucial for Saka as he looks to help Arsenal lift a major trophy for the first time since the FA Cup in 2020.

Mikel Arteta can rely on him and he is one of the reasons why the majority of Arsenal’s attacking play goes down the right – the side Saka plays on.

The winger is also set for an important summer with Thomas Tuchel’s England at the World Cup.