Gareth Francis

@philsteele1 @NewportRFC @cardiffmet @ChristColBrecon Looks like a good night 👍🏻

Great to meet up with these lads again last night for our quarterly Peroni + Negroni Night. All of us played for @NewportRFC , 3 attended @cardiffmet and 3 attended @ChristColBrecon . What a lovely Venn Diagram we make. 😁 🍺🍻🍾🍷🥃

@PeterMooreUSA @Graham_Thomas Thank God we, in Wales decided to boycott the World Cup by deliberately missing those penalties! 😳. FIFA are corrupt to the core; shall give this one a miss!

This has been weighing heavily on me, and I can’t stay quiet about it any longer. I am 71 years old. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend five World Cups, starting in 1986. Those tournaments weren’t just events to me, they were life chapters. They were about connection, about culture, about standing shoulder to shoulder with people from every corner of the world, united by the game we love. But what I’m seeing now breaks my heart. The current dynamic pricing strategy for the upcoming World Cup feels completely detached from the very soul of football. Yes, this tournament is being played mostly in the United States, and yes, it’s a premium market. But football was never meant to be a luxury product reserved for the highest bidder. It belongs to the people. Always has. I looked back fondly at USA 94 and everything we did then to fill stadiums and bring the game to life for Americans who were just dipping their toes into the water of the beautiful game. Right now, it feels like the average, passionate supporter, the ones who save for years, who travel across continents, who bring the color, the noise, the spirit, are being pushed out. Replaced by a model that prioritizes revenue over reality. That’s a dangerous road because once you lose the authentic fan, you lose the essence of what makes the World Cup special. I say this not just as a fan, but as someone who has spent a lifetime in and around the game. During my time at EA SPORTS, we stood shoulder to shoulder with FIFA when they needed it most. Our game kept millions of fans connected to football and to the World Cup when trust in the organization was at its lowest. We helped carry the flame. Which is why this moment feels even more disappointing. This may well be one of the last World Cups I have the chance to attend and I find myself wondering if the game I’ve loved all my life is slowly drifting away from people like me, and far more importantly, from the next generation who deserve to feel what I felt in 1986. The World Cup should unite the world. Not divide it by price. Football deserves better. And so do the fans. Come on @FIFAcom , sort this out… It’s not too late.

All three Welsh teams gave really good accounts of themselves on the road in the Challenge Cup last 16, with Cardiff and the Ospreys coming tantalising close to winning and the Dragons pulling off a thrilling victory in Paris. Hats off to them all.

My take on the contentious forward pass call is that it has to be clear and obvious to overturn the referee’s on-field decision. I didn’t feel it was clear and obvious. The TMO obviously disagreed and it’s his call at the end of the day.

ℍ𝔸𝕃𝔽 𝕋𝕀𝕄𝔼 💙🏉 @YstradRFC 3 @BeddauRFC 28 @AllWalesSport

Huge policing operation for these games - still bizarre that adults cannot attend a game without being separated by police. 🤷‍♂️

France flanker Oscar Jegou given 4 weeks for gouging Scotland's Ewan Ashman: a tacit admission that he ought to have been sent-off. No explanation as yet from the Six Nations as to how the TMO, the referee, both assistant referees all missed an incident seen by millions on tv.

How has the TMO not intervened for the blatant eye gouge from France just before the try? Clearest red card you've ever seen. #SCOvFRA #SixNationsRugby

@PaulAbbandonato @CardiffCityFC Will definitely learn from this. Don’t think BBM got it right today to play a very well organised Lincoln side. To be fair he doesn’t get it wrong often. Onwards and upwards

Didn’t see that result coming I must say! @CardiffCityFC struggled to break down resilient well organised Lincoln who’ve not lost since Nov. Just lacked fizz, tempo, didn’t win 50-50s, poor defending. V disappointing given the huge crowd. But have to park it, move on to Barnsley

@InspGadgetBlogs It is unbelievable! I cannot believe that this guy gets to go home tonight! Shocking state of affairs! 😡

Suspended sentence? Unbelievable. This country is so weak. Zero consequences. metro.co.uk/2026/02/26/roa…

@scottbaldwin2 Good analysis here @miskinmatt . James more comfortable at 12 and has a lot on his plate defending the 13 channel. Will definitely improve with experience no doubt. Thought he played well

Too tight in general, but this is what the clips show. First clip, a good visual of Hawkins (12) high and forcing the pass early, which allows Josh (11) a much easier read out the back. The next two clips show Eddie (13) sitting behind the line, which gives France the ability to play on his edge and get the pass away with time on the ball. He scrambles well and shows good pace, mind. Big difference between dictating the decision and reacting to it.

@YGampLawn @miskinmatt 👀 @9smiler

Cymru v Ffrainc 1994 yng Nghaerdydd Am ddiwrnod ac am foment 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇫🇷

@irh0108 @enders1 @stephenjones9 Ye. You could be right. Feel Wales are now being reffd like Italy were reffd for years! Can expect collapsed scrums and untidy breakdowns etc. to go against us for the foreseeable! Not so much a lack of discipline rather being outclassed and under powered.

@enders1 @stephenjones9 The problem Wales have is many refs will subconsciously consider them inferior, so they have to be squeaky clean, and we’re just not. Game’s are gone by 20mins in.

I’ve had 24 hours to stew on this. BUT whilst the Ref was right technically to issue the first two yellows. should he have thought more about the context of the game and that by taking such punitive action he was essentially ending the game as a contest? #ENGWAL @stephenjones9

“Today the jury said they were unable to reach a verdict on that GBH allegation” This is why me and my colleagues across all three emergency services are increasingly subjected to verbal and physical violence with no repercussions. He hit her with a sledgehammer ffs!

@ZackPolanski This was not 'protest' - you don't take sledgehammers to a protest & you definitely don't use them ! Luckily you will never be anywhere near government.

I want to publicly ask Mr Infantino: What led him to make such a statement at this moment? And why, after four years of war, has he not once come to Ukraine to see with his own eyes what is happening here?

Llandaff Cathedral packed to the rafters, English and Welsh greats united in homage to a much-loved cricketer gone far too soon. From fly half for Aberavon to opening for England at Lord's, 3 Ashes victories as MD, Hugh Morris shall forever be revered by everyone who knew him.

One of Wales' greatest ever cricketers, Hugh Morris, has died at the age of 62. Here is a look at Morris' finest moments during his stellar career 🏏

@JackoRugby Great words Peter. What a lovely man! He will be sorely missed !

The cricketing world far beyond Wales will be in sorrow at this tragic news. Hugh Morris helped England square the 1991 WIndies series, then beat Sri Lanka at Lord's. His time there running English cricket spanned 2 winning Ashes series. A nicer man would be hard to find.🙏

Excellent words & important clarification here. One picture is not the full story - shame on all the accounts who have criticised this officer & called for her to be sacked. 😡