![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_JS360605408.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe latest rugby stories in Wales and further afield on Friday, January 30.<\/p>\n
Gareth Thomas has been released from the Wales squad for this weekend’s match between Ospreys and Dragons <\/p>\n
The rugby stories making headlines in Wales and around the world on Friday, January 30.<\/p>\n
Wales release duo for derbies<\/p>\n
Wales have released Ospreys<\/a> duo Reuben Morgan-Williams and Gareth Thomas for their Welsh derby date with the Dragons this weekend.<\/p>\n The scrum-half and loose-head prop will feature at the Brewery Field against the Men of Gwent then head back to Steve Tandy’s training camp.<\/p>\n Morgan-Williams’ return to the ranks is a particular boost for head coach Mark Jones, who was forced to bring in an emergency signing at number nine this week in the shape of Leinster’s Cormac Foley.<\/a><\/p>\n JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest news, analysis and much more<\/a><\/p>\n Thomas, meanwhile, hasn’t featured since December due to injury.<\/p>\n “Gareth has not been a million miles away from a return,” said Jones.<\/p>\n “Ourselves, Gareth and Steve felt that some minutes for him would be good, so he will get some this weekend.<\/p>\n “Reuben hasn’t played much due to a shoulder injury so Wales have given us the opportunity to get game time into him.<\/p>\n “They know us very well so have slotted back in and we look forward to them being available.”<\/p>\n The news comes on the day Tandy added Ospreys’ Rhys Davies to his Six Nations squad.<\/p>\n England international backs player strike<\/p>\n Former England and Lions winger Anthony Watson has backed Ospreys players to strike as the future of their club remains shrouded in mystery.<\/p>\n With Ospreys owners Y11 now in talks to buy rivals Cardiff<\/a> and the WRU adamant that they need to reduce the number of professional clubs in Wales from four to three, the future for the Swansea-based club looks bleak.<\/p>\n Watson feels the players need to do what’s right for them and believes they have been “an afterthought” for too long, adding that if strike action is what is needed, then “that’s the right thing to do”.<\/p>\n “It is not ideal,” he said, speaking to Grosvenor Sport<\/a>. “The last thing you want going into the Six Nations is all the Ospreys players worried about what happens when they go back to their club instead of focusing on rebuilding this Wales team. Steve Tandy is a brilliant coach, and I think that he’s got a hell of a job on his hands to try and keep the focus on rugby.<\/p>\n “At the end of the day as well, I think the players have got to do what’s right for them because I think for far too many years the players have been the afterthought and they’ve just gone with the flow. So, I think that if striking for the Ospreys boys is what’s necessary, I think that’s the right thing to do.<\/p>\n “On the international front, I think they’re starting to see a few young boys putting up their hands. Ellis Mee looks really good on the wing for instance.<\/p>\n “They’ve got talent in a few different positions, but it’s putting it all together which is tough when you\u2019ve been on the receiving end of some of those results. That game against South Africa was a joke and a risk. It’s a shame because against the All Blacks they looked a much more assured team in themselves.”<\/p>\n MacLeod: Hard work paying off<\/p>\n Dragons coach Dale MacLeod says the Men of Gwent are beginning to see results from their endeavours.<\/p>\n A win on the road still evades Filo Tiatia’s men and they went close against Munster last weekend before they narrowly lost out to the Irish province.<\/p>\n They’ll have another opportunity to cure their travel sickness when they head to Bridgend<\/a> to face the Ospreys on Saturday night.<\/p>\n MacLeod feels they are close now.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we get an outcome this weekend (at Ospreys), I\u2019d say it\u2019s been a successful block for us,\u201d stated MacLeod.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely grown as a group. It would have been great to get a result last week (at Munster), but you can\u2019t fault the intent of the boys.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to getting down to Ospreys and the Brewery Field and showing what we\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n \u201cThe boys have been working hard on their game and sometimes it doesn\u2019t always show straight away. Just because you work on it today, doesn\u2019t mean it will work on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot of good work, and I can\u2019t fault the intent or coachability of the boys. They\u2019ve worked very hard and we\u2019ve had some just about wins. We\u2019ve got to keep growing our game. We\u2018ve still have a long way to go, don\u2019t get me wrong, but we\u2019re starting to see the fruits of our labour.\u201d<\/p>\n Welsh rugby starlet gets call-up<\/p>\n Scarlets<\/a> academy youngster Callum Woolley has been called up to make his Great Britain sevens debut in this weekend\u2019s HSBC SVNS event in Singapore.<\/p>\n