:00:28. > :00:34.Good evening. And so the good times roll on for a Welsh sport. Nathan
:00:34. > :00:39.Cleverly is still a world champion and our two Conference teams battle
:00:39. > :00:47.for the last place to return to the Football League. Stay with us for
:00:47. > :00:52.another action-packed Sport Wales. We have access all areas with
:00:52. > :00:58.Nathan Cleverly as he prepared to fight Robin Krasniqi. I am prepared
:00:58. > :01:03.to fight fire with fire. As Michel Platini helps look to the future,
:01:03. > :01:09.how long will the current boss be in charge? If they find the right
:01:10. > :01:14.man for the job for the next qualifying campaign, great. And we
:01:15. > :01:21.asked Jeremy Guscott for his captain for the Lions squad. I do
:01:21. > :01:25.nothing Sam is ready to be the captain. We will begin with boxing
:01:25. > :01:31.and last weekend's Nathan Cleverly fought his 5th defence of his WBO
:01:31. > :01:38.light-heavyweight title against Robin Krasniqi. We had behind the
:01:38. > :01:45.scenes access with him for the fight at Wembley Arena. The team
:01:46. > :01:50.was calm and relaxed ahead of defence No. 5 of the world title.
:01:50. > :01:58.With Nathan supporting -- sporting a nice little black number in the
:01:58. > :02:04.way in. We were meant to fight each other last year, then I pulled out,
:02:04. > :02:11.so he thinks I am running scared. So he gave me a skirt saying Nathan
:02:12. > :02:18.Cleverly, the Princess. I wanted to show it had no impact on me. It was
:02:18. > :02:22.good fun. I will make him pay on Friday night. It is a hostile
:02:22. > :02:27.environment sometimes. The press conferences can get heated, there
:02:27. > :02:32.is a lot of intensity and there can be a lot of pressure, but you have
:02:32. > :02:38.to deal with it as a champion. After the chaos of the way in,
:02:38. > :02:46.Nathan Cleverly finds solitude in the hotel car park. Whenever anyone
:02:46. > :02:51.sees that belt, they want to give it 120%. All the challengers are
:02:51. > :02:57.targeting year. So there is pressure. You have to keep fighting
:02:57. > :03:02.these hungry fighters. preparations begin at Wembley Arena
:03:02. > :03:07.the champion's hard work has already been done. I had a nice
:03:07. > :03:15.sleep and I listen to a bit of music in my room. The calm before
:03:15. > :03:22.the storm. Make sure you do not get the adrenalin pumping too early.
:03:22. > :03:27.Get it right for tonight. When he is in the ring he will realise what
:03:27. > :03:32.he is in with. They have trained hard and they have confidence, but
:03:32. > :03:42.when they are in the ring with me, they realised the champion I am and
:03:42. > :03:46.
:03:46. > :03:51.I take them down. I will take this one down as well. Right, all set. I
:03:51. > :04:01.am prepared to fight fire with fire. If that means going to war, then we
:04:01. > :04:01.
:04:01. > :04:05.will. If he wants to box and try and be smart and clever, then maybe
:04:05. > :04:12.I will have to put it on him and bake him work, but as long as I am
:04:12. > :04:18.winning the rounds, whether that is boxing or fighting, I will hit what
:04:18. > :04:27.I see and 10 times out of 10 it gets you the result. I anticipate a
:04:27. > :04:31.clean fight. The rules of boxing dictate a member of each camp
:04:31. > :04:39.oversees the bandaging of the opponent's hand. Despite Nathan
:04:39. > :04:46.Cleverly being signed off by the authorities, Robin Krasniqi's
:04:46. > :04:54.representative refuses to move until he puts his gloves on. We do
:04:54. > :04:59.not want you here. You have done what you are supposed to do. We are
:04:59. > :05:06.asking you politely to leave and you are saying, no, we are not. I
:05:06. > :05:13.will have he removed. Security are forced to step in. There is just
:05:13. > :05:16.one hour to go and tell the first bell. First thing you have got to
:05:16. > :05:26.have his natural ability and the second his heart and he has got
:05:26. > :05:28.
:05:28. > :05:34.bags of that. He is a really good boxer. I think he is going to go
:05:34. > :05:43.places and I am confident he will do the job tonight. A have you got
:05:43. > :05:51.the shield? Ladies and gentlemen, this is the main event of the
:05:51. > :06:01.evening. Please welcome into the ring that WP a light heavyweight
:06:01. > :06:19.
:06:19. > :06:27.champion of the world, Nathan From the first round, Nathan
:06:27. > :06:32.Cleverly dominates. That was a brilliant right hand over the top.
:06:32. > :06:40.Robin Krasniqi has not moved from the ropes. He is in pretty much the
:06:40. > :06:45.same position. He gets another left hook through. That is the best of
:06:45. > :06:52.the fight so far. Robin Krasniqi is looking disturb for the first time
:06:52. > :06:58.in the contest. He tries to fight back, but he is pinned on the ropes.
:06:58. > :07:06.The stubborn Kosovo and does his best to keep the champion in check.
:07:06. > :07:12.A right hand over the top from Robin Krasniqi. When you are
:07:12. > :07:19.walking away from him, I do not do nothing. Walk away from him and
:07:19. > :07:29.snap, snap. However, the fight ends as it started, with the Welshman
:07:29. > :07:36.
:07:36. > :07:45.The more accurate work of Nathan Cleverly gets through. Champion of
:07:45. > :07:52.the world, Nathan Cleverly! Great hit him a few times at the finish
:07:52. > :08:01.and he could not get that finish. It was quite tough. He was gutsy. I
:08:02. > :08:06.am pleased with it. I think he could have stopped impossibly
:08:06. > :08:16.sometimes, but it is his first fight after a long time. The guy
:08:16. > :08:17.
:08:17. > :08:23.was tough, he was not a walk over, so I'm happy. The next fight could
:08:23. > :08:30.be with a German. I want to challenge myself against the very
:08:30. > :08:35.best, so I am looking forward to that. Football now and the two
:08:35. > :08:39.Welsh teams competing in the Blue Square Conference plate of semi-
:08:39. > :08:45.finals. Newport and Wrexham are both just one game away from
:08:45. > :08:50.possibly facing each other in the final at Wembley. Ian Hunter looks
:08:50. > :08:56.ahead to Sunday's second leg matches. It is the biggest game of
:08:56. > :09:05.the season and will be the biggest game in the club's history. We want
:09:05. > :09:10.to get there again. We are there now and we want to make sure we get
:09:10. > :09:18.there for sure. Five years outside the Football
:09:18. > :09:28.League, two successive play-off semi-final defeats against little
:09:28. > :09:38.
:09:38. > :09:41.town -- Luton Town. Did these goals When we turn up everybody in this
:09:41. > :09:47.league knows they are in for a tough encounter on whatever Derry
:09:47. > :09:57.it is. We know we have to turn up the same way and give Kidderminster
:09:57. > :10:03.as tough a day as we did in the first leg. We have gone into it as
:10:03. > :10:08.underdogs this time. We have to make sure we are up for it again on
:10:08. > :10:14.Sunday. Few would have thought it possible Newport County could be on
:10:14. > :10:20.the brink of League football since -- for the first time since 1988.
:10:20. > :10:26.Last year they avoided relegation. But they finished third in the
:10:26. > :10:32.league and they have won for it in Wembley and after their first game
:10:33. > :10:37.against Grimsby. I think it is going to be a fantastic occasion.
:10:37. > :10:43.It will be one we have not seen and I am looking forward to it on
:10:43. > :10:48.Sunday because it is going to be hostile in the right way. It will
:10:48. > :10:51.give some players a lift and you cannot walk not want to play for
:10:51. > :10:56.those fans. They will play their part on Sunday, no doubt about that.
:10:56. > :11:03.It is the biggest game of the season and probably the biggest
:11:03. > :11:10.game in the club's history for 25 years. We know what is at stake.
:11:10. > :11:15.The way we dealt with the game on Wednesday and the way we went about
:11:16. > :11:22.our business is all that could be asked for. They know their way
:11:22. > :11:28.around Wembley. Last month, Wrexham won the FA Trophy. The county had
:11:28. > :11:32.to settle for loser's medals in the final of last year's competition.
:11:32. > :11:38.We want to get there again because that means we are in with a chance
:11:38. > :11:43.of going to the Football League. know what Sunday means. It gives us
:11:43. > :11:49.a step closer to that promised land and what a fairy-tale end to the
:11:49. > :11:53.season it could be. But we have to focus solely on the second leg
:11:53. > :11:59.because Grimsby are going to give a good account of themselves and it
:11:59. > :12:06.will be a tough encounter. I am joined now by an absolute legend at
:12:06. > :12:12.the racecourse, former Wales international Mickey Thomas. Who is
:12:12. > :12:19.happier going into the second leg? Justin Edinburgh getting that one
:12:19. > :12:25.goal away from home. Newport have got passionate fans. I think they
:12:25. > :12:28.are favourites to get to Wembley for sure. Wrexham have got an
:12:28. > :12:33.advantage, but they have to go to Kidderminster who have got a very
:12:33. > :12:39.powerful strike force and they are in form. I think Wrexham and
:12:39. > :12:43.Newport are going to Wembley. deserves it most? Newport have been
:12:43. > :12:48.outstanding in the league and they have got a good strength force as
:12:48. > :12:54.well. They have gone to a new stadium. Their pitch has not been
:12:54. > :13:02.conducive to good football. I think Andy has done well. To get to this
:13:02. > :13:08.position again after last season his incredible. Newport probably
:13:08. > :13:12.shaded at the moment. Who is under the most pressure, Andy Morrell or
:13:12. > :13:19.Justin Edinburgh? I think the pressure is on Andy and the simple
:13:19. > :13:23.reason is because he has spent a few bob. Welsh football has
:13:23. > :13:31.blossomed this season with Cardiff and Newport and Swansea and Wrexham.
:13:31. > :13:34.We will be back for some predictions vary sharply. Next week
:13:34. > :13:40.Warren Gatland will announce his long awaited selection for the
:13:40. > :13:47.Lions tour this summer. So, we spoke to some Lions legends to find
:13:47. > :13:52.out who they think should be on the plane. The Six Nations was the
:13:52. > :13:57.final chance for Lions hopefuls to press their claims in the Test
:13:57. > :14:02.arena. With four days to go and tell Warren Gatland reveals his tan,
:14:02. > :14:09.you can bet there will be chewed fingernails and sleepless nights.
:14:09. > :14:15.wrote down a few names and I got to 85 names. It is staggering. He has
:14:15. > :14:21.got to reduce that to 37. I would not like to be a player in the back
:14:21. > :14:28.row with days to go and you could be counting every time you missed a
:14:28. > :14:33.tackle. Could I have made a tackle? What happened in Scotland? All the
:14:33. > :14:39.doubts will start going through the player's mind. Perhaps the biggest
:14:39. > :14:43.decision of all is that of the captaincy. A number of bookies have
:14:43. > :14:50.stopped taking bets on Sam Warburton. But there are a number
:14:50. > :14:58.of leading contenders. I do not think he is ready to be the captain
:14:58. > :15:07.of the Lions. He has proved beyond doubt he can captain Wales. Winning
:15:08. > :15:13.the Grand Slam, and some of them have done it a few times, but there
:15:13. > :15:18.is a doubt over his selection as a Lions captain. The stand-out
:15:18. > :15:27.candidate is Brian O'Driscoll. He has world respect. The breakdown
:15:27. > :15:32.will be one of the key contests Down Under. There are a raft of
:15:32. > :15:36.quality open sides to fill the breach. If I am Warren Gatland I am
:15:36. > :15:45.not thinking too much about Australia, I am thinking about our
:15:45. > :15:51.game. No. 7 has been the best so far. But Warren Gatland might have
:15:51. > :15:54.a different game plan and strategy. He may think, let's just smash them
:15:54. > :16:02.out of the park every time we play them and it does not matter who
:16:02. > :16:11.plays No. 7. If you are demolishing them, you do not need somebody to
:16:11. > :16:21.do the fetching. Sam Warburton will come in there, take Australia on.
:16:21. > :16:22.
:16:22. > :16:32.And Robshaw will come into it as well. Who do you think over these
:16:32. > :16:33.
:16:33. > :16:38.next few days will be biting their fingers the most? Maybe Alex
:16:38. > :16:48.Cuthbert. His first game against Ireland was not particularly
:16:48. > :16:50.
:16:50. > :16:56.brilliant. Chris Robshaw. He played brilliantly for Harlequins and did
:16:56. > :17:03.well as England captain. Tom Wood was the last name I put on my list
:17:03. > :17:09.and how could I miss a player like Tom Wood. He was one of a number of
:17:09. > :17:19.players whose reputation suffered when the red rose was trampled upon
:17:19. > :17:36.
:17:36. > :17:45.replicate that. I don't think it will be dominated by the Welsh side.
:17:45. > :17:55.After that. That is four play players guaranteed. North?Oh, yeah,
:17:55. > :18:21.
:18:21. > :18:28.Remember the time for a small period of my life I was proud of. Wales are
:18:28. > :18:36.expected to make up the bulk of this squad. Is that how you see it? Do
:18:36. > :18:40.you expect most of this squad to be Welsh? They certainly saved their
:18:40. > :18:46.best performance to last. You need to be in a winning environment to
:18:46. > :18:51.produce the best form in the British and Lions campaign. If they win the
:18:51. > :18:55.first two, it's very difficult to pick yourself up to get the
:18:55. > :19:05.whitewash. If I look at the talent available for Gatland to pick, we
:19:05. > :19:08.can play them off the park. It's gelling it altogether, yeah, 2-1.
:19:08. > :19:11.More football now and a true legend of the world game, Michel Platini,
:19:11. > :19:13.has been speaking to Sport Wales about the chances of Wales hosting
:19:13. > :19:23.major European games in the future,but first Chris Coleman on
:19:23. > :19:26.
:19:27. > :19:31.his future as manager of the national football centre, a
:19:31. > :19:40.permanent base for Wales and they hope a football factory to produce a
:19:40. > :19:45.conveyer belt for the next Gareth Bale's and Aaron Ramsey's. What
:19:45. > :19:50.about the future of Welsh current figurehead, will Chris Coleman be
:19:50. > :19:53.around to benefit? I will sit down with the powers that be and discuss
:19:54. > :19:59.the best way forward. The most important thing is that Wales
:19:59. > :20:04.qualify one day. If I'm the right man for the job for the next
:20:04. > :20:08.qualifying campaign, great. If I'm not, then if that decision is made
:20:08. > :20:14.by someone else so, be it. The laths six months I am heapier with the way
:20:14. > :20:19.things have gone and more settled. I think the players now, the team are
:20:19. > :20:29.grasping what we are trying to do. I'm not a quitter. I knew it was
:20:29. > :20:35.
:20:35. > :20:41.going to be tough. I also knew when we losing it I'm breaking up one
:20:41. > :20:45.else's legacy. If I win I'm carry on someone's legacy. I wanted the
:20:46. > :20:51.honour of doing the job, not under the circumstances under which I got
:20:51. > :20:57.it. It is what it it is. Are signs of growth after a stagnant start to
:20:58. > :21:04.Coleman's re Gill n. Three wins from the last five game and the Welsh F A
:21:04. > :21:07.have been urged to extend his contract and lead him into the next
:21:07. > :21:10.campaign. There are many conversations still to be had. I'm
:21:10. > :21:15.sure Chris would want to have a conversation with us. We have four
:21:15. > :21:19.matches to go, Ireland at home, friendly. Great, great friendly
:21:19. > :21:23.match against Republic of Ireland we have four more qualifiers. Let us
:21:23. > :21:27.not jump to the guns too soon. Everybody is thinking we are doing
:21:28. > :21:33.the right thing now. Everybody is behind Chris Coleman. Qualifying for
:21:33. > :21:43.a major tournament nothing ranks higher. Welsh F A have lofty
:21:43. > :21:46.ambitions. Platini poured cold water on European matches saying the
:21:46. > :21:49.infrastructure isn't good enough. It's the question of the players,
:21:49. > :21:54.it's the question of the airport. There are a lot of questions. When
:21:54. > :21:59.you bring 60,000 to 80,000 people in the game for the same game, you have
:21:59. > :22:04.the big games we have that. It's different to have 30,000 and 60,000.
:22:04. > :22:09.You need rooms, airports, you need planes. Everything. That is more
:22:09. > :22:19.complicated. No problem endorsing Dragon Park the new centre in
:22:19. > :22:20.
:22:20. > :22:26.Newport that is modelled on similar HQs in France and England. All the
:22:26. > :22:29.teams under one roof nurturing Welsh talent. You are waiting for
:22:29. > :22:33.generations and generations. They have to work somewhere. That could
:22:33. > :22:38.be important, interesting, then you need good educators and good
:22:38. > :22:42.players. If you want to winsome games you don't need a centre, you
:22:42. > :22:45.need good players. This centre can help to good players. Are trying to
:22:45. > :22:54.catch up with most of the countries around Europe who have something
:22:54. > :22:57.like this in place. You can see the players that France have produced.
:22:58. > :23:02.We have to try and keep up with everybody else and produce good
:23:02. > :23:07.players. A place like this is ideal. The important thing for me or
:23:07. > :23:11.whoever my successor is in the future, Welsh football will be here.
:23:11. > :23:21.How best we look after that and how much we invest in it. This is a
:23:21. > :23:23.
:23:23. > :23:26.strike forward. Back to rugby now and a look at how
:23:26. > :23:28.Cardiff City's rise into the Premier League might impact on their capital
:23:28. > :23:31.neighbours, The Blues. Ian Hunt assesses the challenges
:23:31. > :23:35.facing the rugby team in a capital city that's preparing to host some
:23:35. > :23:39.of the biggest sporting sides in the world. The football landscape is
:23:40. > :23:44.about to change in Cardiff. Promotion to the Premier League for
:23:44. > :23:48.the Bluebirds in a few short months some of the world's biggest teams
:23:48. > :23:51.and biggest stars will be on the doorstep. Best football theatre
:23:51. > :23:57.around as Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and the rest
:23:57. > :24:02.descend on the capital city. How might that affect the Cardiff Blues.
:24:02. > :24:08.It's not a worry. It will force us to be Bert at what we do. It will
:24:08. > :24:12.force us to reanalyse our marketing strategies and be Bert and
:24:12. > :24:16.competition in my mind can only be a healthy thing. We have to engage
:24:16. > :24:26.with our community and develop the Blues as a region. Their optimism
:24:26. > :24:27.
:24:27. > :24:35.isn't shared by everyone. Former Wales captain, Mike Hal, raised big
:24:35. > :24:39.fears. For me a league which is dying on it is feet. The Blues have
:24:39. > :24:49.worked hard to engage with all the clubs in their region covering not
:24:49. > :24:51.
:24:51. > :24:56.only Cardiff but Merthyr and taking a session to Christ College. Winning
:24:56. > :24:59.back hearts and minds seems more important. The kids will want to see
:24:59. > :25:03.Manchester United, Liverpool etc. They want to see Leigh Halfpenny's.
:25:03. > :25:07.There will be individuals who support rugby and those who want to
:25:07. > :25:10.support football. When you get the individuals to the ground to see the
:25:10. > :25:14.product you are providing, it has to be right. If it is right, they will
:25:14. > :25:20.continue to come back. You need a successful side. The Blues have
:25:20. > :25:25.played in front of 30,000 a couple of years ago in the Heineken Cup,
:25:25. > :25:29.where have the spectators gone? The product has dipped. The team's
:25:29. > :25:34.performance have dipped. People have drifted away. The average attendance
:25:34. > :25:39.has been under 8,000. 14,000 less than Cardiff City averaged in the
:25:39. > :25:44.Championship. Swansea have averaged 20,000 at the Liberty Stadium,
:25:44. > :25:50.double what the ospreys average. How have they Combed having the Swans in
:25:50. > :25:55.the Premier League for the last two seasons? Has it changed things, no.
:25:55. > :26:04.Have we to sharpen our focus on where we are and what we are doing,
:26:04. > :26:09.yes, it does. There is a distinct rugby crowd in Swansea and a
:26:09. > :26:13.distinct soccer crowd. It made us sharpen up a bit. The latest
:26:13. > :26:18.development to break the deadlock between the union and the regions
:26:18. > :26:28.over the governance of the game saw the Chairman meet with the board of
:26:28. > :26:32.the Welsh Rugby Union last night. With the benefactors set to walk
:26:32. > :26:39.away things could go from bad to worse. They operate under one of the
:26:39. > :26:41.lowest salary caps in the world. Leading Wales stars like Jamie
:26:42. > :26:47.Roberts have said goodbye to the Blues, there is concerned that the
:26:47. > :26:53.trickle could turn into a flood. They want to see the George North
:26:53. > :26:57.and Goth Berths and Leigh Halfpennies. They need to be kept in
:26:57. > :27:01.Welsh rugby. There is a big job ahead. They have to get it right.
:27:01. > :27:06.Certain people will always watch rugby, certain people will watch
:27:06. > :27:11.rugby. It's form have both cases showcased. To have two premier
:27:11. > :27:18.sporting teams in Cardiff is fantastic. Conservative estimate is
:27:18. > :27:23.a million fans coming through the football stadiums next season. The
:27:23. > :27:26.role moodels of a new generation of supporters rather than Leigh
:27:26. > :27:33.Halfpenny or Ryan Jones. Sport, more than ever, is about the experience
:27:33. > :27:42.for the fans. No place then for substandard pitches. The facility we
:27:42. > :27:46.moved back and we, if the truth be non -- known we were in a rush to
:27:46. > :27:53.get it down. We are looking to improve the pitch and facilities for
:27:53. > :28:00.the fans. The Blues or the Bluebirds or maybe both. It's up to the fans
:28:00. > :28:07.to decide. It is back to football. Who is going into the football
:28:07. > :28:12.league next season? Wrexham. Newport have done well. I have to go for
:28:12. > :28:16.Wrexham. I have played for them. I have a love for them. They gave me
:28:16. > :28:21.an opportunity to play professional. I will go for Wrexham. Midfield will
:28:21. > :28:29.win them the game. Sorry about that. Thank you very much for joining us.
:28:29. > :28:32.Thank you. That's it for tonight.
:28:32. > :28:36.We're back next Friday, but don't forget that you can hear full
:28:36. > :28:39.commentary of both games this Sunday on BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru,
:28:39. > :28:41.but next week hopefully with a preview of two Welsh teams about to