Here are the latest Welsh rugby headlines on Wednesday, June 28.
Ospreys statement
The Ospreys have promised fans 'exciting announcements' are coming as they hope to make next season the best in the region's 20-year history.
The statement is part of an explanation to supporters on why the region's 2023/24 season memberships are still not available to purchase.
Those questions, of course, come amid the backdrop of reports of talks between the Ospreys' owners, Y11 Sport, and Cardiff bosses, with suggestions of a potential merger on the table.
However, just days after anonymous sources defiantly stated the region is going nowhere, they have now issued the following statement to fans.
"We know you’ve been asking about our 23/24 season memberships, and the good news is, they’re just around the corner.
"We’ve got some new, exciting announcements coming to the Ospreys for our 20th anniversary season which has unfortunately delayed our season member launch. This is for good reason as we want to ensure the upcoming season is the best yet. Trust us, it’s worth it!
"Season tickets will be on sale by the end of July 2023, with the final date to be confirmed soon.
"Thank you for your ongoing support. We can’t wait to have you back at Swansea.com Stadium.
"As our 20th anniversary season approaches, we’re committed to celebrating the past, present and future of our club. We’re Together, As One and we can’t wait to see you all again soon."
Prior to the recent merger stories, the Ospreys have been exploring redevelopment opportunities at St Helen's, which you can read about here.
Carter's Rugby World Cup verdict
Rugby legend Dan Carter believes this year's Rugby World Cup is too hard to call and will be one of the closest in history.
Carter believes there are a dozen teams capable of beating each other on any given day, with six of those equipped to win the title.
He said: “This is one of the most closely contested World Cups of all time,” Carter said. “There are probably half a dozen teams that could go on to win this World Cup, and there are probably 12 teams that could all beat those top half a dozen teams as well.
“Obviously, the All Blacks won’t go in as favourites, but I don’t think that really matters. Very rarely do the favourites win the Rugby World Cup anyway.
“That’ won’t change any of the planning going into this World Cup.
“They’ll have a really clear direction of how they want to play and grow their game throughout the World Cup and leave all of the external pressures out of the equation and focus on what they need to do as a team.”
Welsh star Joyce makes Olympics
Great Britain's women's rugby sevens team won gold at the European Games in Poland to clinch a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The GB women, who included Welsh star Jasmine Joyce in the team, scored five tries to beat Poland 33-0 in Tuesday's final.
The team missed out on a sevens medal at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, losing t to Fiji in the bronze match, but will have another opportunity after securing qualification for Paris.
Co-captain Meg Jones said: "I'm so happy that our journey worked out, it's a huge sense of relief that everything went to plan.
"We've been pushing the boundaries all year and we definitely pushed them there. I'm so buzzing for the girls - to have this experience and go out there and achieve what we just did is just a stepping stone in the right direction.
"Paris qualification is exactly what we came for and we're leaving with it."
No split allegiance for Varney
Wales-born Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney has confessed he had no split allegiances when the men in blue produced a shock win over Wales at the Principality Stadium during the 2022 Six Nations.
Stephen Lorenzo Varney, to give him his full name, was born and raised in Pembrokeshire but qualifies to represent the Azzurri through his mother Valeria.
Italy beat Wales 22-21 last season in Cardiff to end a 36-game losing streak in the tournament.
Asked if Italy's win was tinged because of his Welsh roots, Varney told the Fratelli d'Rugby podcast: "No not at all. It was amazing.
"Unfortunately I was injured so I wasn't playing but I was pitchside there. Honestly, I couldn't believe it. There were so many emotions, and good emotions, I was so happy for Italian rugby, the squad, it was just an amazing day. I think it was the start of where we're going."
Later that summer, Italy were beaten 28-19 by Georgia.
"We're such a young squad, we're learning each game and we probably need to be in those sorts of situations where we are favourites and not the underdog, as we're used to, and it's how we handle that pressure and how we learn to close out games like that.
"You could say the same with Wales potentially this year, they were probably the underdogs coming into that game and we were the favourites. It probably slightly got into our heads a bit where we probably didn't perform as we should, a lack of execution in some areas. It's a learning curve for us. Now we've been in those situations, we need to actually go out and win games."
