The worldwide buzz is far from the norm, and certainly a far cry from the most recent league meeting between the duo on 22 March, 2002 – when goals from Scott Young, Peter Thorne and Danny Gabbidon earned the Bluebirds a 3-2 victory over the Red Dragons.
Just shy of 16,000 supporters were at Ninian Park on that occasion, and nearly double that amount will be in attendance at Cardiff City Stadium this time around, such is the anticipation for the fixture.
The game will also be beamed to fans around the world, particularly in North America where Wrexham have become a household name, thanks largely to the success of their Welcome to Wrexham documentary.
But current Cardiff head coach Barry-Murphy has zero interest in the fanfare brought to the party by the likes of Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
Barry-Murphy’s focus lies solely on satisfying the demands of those wearing blue in the Welsh capital, along with those of the club’s Malaysian owner Vincent Tan.
“The people in North America aren’t relevant to me,” said the Irishman.
“With all due respect, the people of Cardiff are the only ones that matter to us.
“And obviously the people in Malaysia are your boss, so we’re trying to impress him always and play for the supporters.”
Wrexham’s growth, however, has been nigh-on impossible to ignore.
Denis Smith – Wrexham boss for that 3-2 loss in the Welsh capital more than two decades ago – says having a team of the Red Dragons’ stature in the north of the country is vital.
“I understand the feeling for football in and around that area,” the 78-year-old said on BBC Radio Wales Sport.
“I had a great time there. I was there for five years. While I was there, we won things and got promotion, but we also had the problems.
“I was daft enough to go on the board so it cost me a lot of money, but it’s a great football club.
“The area wants football, Wales needs a club of Wrexham’s size in north Wales.”
After a comfortable 15-run win against London Spirit at Sophia Gardens, Michael Klinger’s side finished fifth in the women’s overall standings.
They looked a much improved outfit compared to last season but three defeats in their first four games – alongside the loss of captain Sophie Devine, The Hundred’s joint most expensive signing – extinguished any hopes of a spot in Friday’s knockout match.
Replacement skipper Georgia Wareham led the side to three wins from four as they finished on a high and insists she has enjoyed her time in the Welsh capital, despite the ultimate lack of success.
“I’ve really enjoyed Cardiff, I’ve loved it here,” Wareham said.
“I’ve loved every minute with the team and the support staff. It’s been incredible.
“The fans, they’ve been awesome as well, they’ve been turning out every game. Even on the final game, despite us being out of the competition, they’ve showed up.
“It’s been a little bit hectic the last few days,” Salt told BBC Sport.
“Birmingham, back to Cardiff, up here. It’s a lot to be honest with you in five days and managing bodies through.
“From a player’s point of view I’d like this competition to be probably a week longer.”
The Hundred group stage takes place over 23 days with teams playing eight games in that period.
In comparison, Indian Premier League sides each play 14 group games in a 56-day period, while in last season’s men’s Big Bash League in Australia teams played 10 group games each in a 36-day window.
Since its introduction in 2021, The Hundred has further complicated a packed English summer schedule, with the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) continuing to raise concerns about the impact on player welfare.
In their response to the 2026 schedule, which saw the T20 Blast reduced by two matches, PCA chief executive Daryl Mitchell said, external the unchanged County Championship season “does raise concerns with player burnout with mental and physical dangers attached to an overly intense end to the season following the conclusion of The Hundred”.
Salt acknowledged the difficulties of finding more time in the schedule, while noting the impact the current scheduling had on his squad.
“We import the best stars in the game for this. We’ve got on our side [the 6ft 8in tall] Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson,” he added.
“They’ve done a lot of time on the bus in the last three days! A bus that’s not built for lads that size.
“I’d like a bit more time in between to be honest with you, but I understand we’re working with a pretty tight schedule already as it is.
“I’m not the man for the answer on the schedule, I just like to magic another week of the year somewhere!”
Welsh Fire return to action at Headingley on Sunday (14:30 BST) against Sunrisers Leeds, before playing their final group game at home to London Spirit next Wednesday.
WRU chiefs have said the process to decide the framework for the final decision will begin in December and finish before the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Daniels believes there is scope to continue with four Welsh regions, and would like the WRU to explain their rationale for removing a team in the west.
“From a club perspective, we feel that the decision, and the justification, for moving from four [clubs] to three needs more work,” Daniels added.
“I understand that there is data which has been used to come up with this decision. It hasn’t been shared. We will really call for transparency in that discussion.
“These are decisions that are going to have a long-lasting effect, not just on rugby, but on communities in west Wales. I think that needs a proper airing publicly.”
He added: “Our position is that before you can come out and make statements which have such an impact on people in Wales, I still feel there is a discussion and justification needed for the move to reduce the number of teams.
“Welsh rugby should be able to accommodate four teams, just as they do in Ireland and other countries.
“If there is data and evidence that we can’t, then let’s have the discussion about how you reduce the number of teams.
“Even then, I think we would struggle to see how that should be isolated to the west and not be a broader Welsh rugby challenge to face.”
Daniels says it is Scarlets’ duty to ensure the uncertainty surrounding them does not creep into their on-field performance.
Instead, he feels the WRU’s current stance should unite Scarlets and wants to see everyone, players, supporters and staff, fighting for their future.
Ireland international Orla Prendergast took 4-18 as Welsh Fire beat Manchester Super Giants by three wickets at Old Trafford.
Playing only her second Hundred match after arriving as an injury replacement for Sophie Devine, the seamer tore through the Super Giants’ top-order as the hosts slipped to 24-4.
Prendergast bowled Super Giants captain Meg Lanning for a golden duck, had Mady Villiers caught for five and then trapped Kathryn Bryce (4) lbw, before Heather Graham had Paige Scholfield (5) stumped.
India’s Smriti Mandhana made 15 before she was run-out after being called through for a risky single, while Sophie Ecclestone (9) became Graham’s second stumping victim.
Richa Ghosh was Prendergast’s fourth wicket, caught in the covers for 11, but Ryana MacDonald-Gay top-scored from number nine, hitting an unbeaten 18 to help her side reach 85-9.
Fire reached 27 in their reply, before losing Sarah Bryce, caught and bowled by Bex Tyson for 16, while fellow opener Georgia Voll reached the same score before skying a catch off Villiers.
Ecclestone removed Freya Kemp (6) and Prendergast with successive balls, having her England team-mate clip to Lanning at short mid-on and then bowling the Ireland all-rounder. She also had Georgia Wareham caught well by Lanning for 17 in her figures of 3-14.
Graham guided Fire to a nervy victory, losing two further partners but hitting an unbeaten 16, including the winning runs as her side reached 88-7 with nine balls to spare.
The win moved Fire above Leeds Sunrisers into fourth place and two points behind Super Giants who remain third.
Welsh Fire claim their fourth win in five matches in this season’s Hundred as a well-crafted half-century from Matt Short helps them defeat Southern Brave by six wickets in Cardiff.
Ellyse Perry and Alice Capsey starred as Birmingham Phoenix picked up their first win of the women’s Hundred with a nail-biting seven-wicket victory over Welsh Fire.
Chasing 145 in front of minority shareholder and England midfielder Jude Bellingham at Edgbaston, Capsey, who had earlier picked up two wickets, hit 51 (29) and Perry an unbeaten 68 (46) to help Phoenix home with one ball to spare.
Opener Davina Perrin fell just five balls into Phoenix’s chase while Tammy Beaumont couldn’t capitalise on being dropped on 10, picking out Heather Graham for 14, before Capsey and Perry came together for a match-changing 86-run third-wicket stand.
Capsey’s dismissal, caught cheaply at deep mid-wicket by Graham off the 82nd delivery, nearly proved the turning point, with Phoenix faltering from 24 runs required from 19 balls to needing 12 runs off the final set.
But captain Perry held her nerve, trading singles with Annerie Dercksen before dispatching Graham for a six and a four to see her side over the line.
The victory – only their third in 12 matches since the beginning of the 2025 edition – moves Phoenix off the foot of the table and into fifth place after four matches. Welsh Fire slip down to seventh, with one win and three defeats.
Earlier, the tournament’s leading run-scorer Georgia Voll struck a half-century for Fire against her former side, hitting nine fours and two sixes as she top-scored with 78 (55).
The Australian put on 58 for the first wicket with Ella McCaughan and a further 35 with Sophie Devine, who hit a flurry of late boundaries in her unbeaten 35 (19), but Fire were left to rue their lethargic powerplay, posting a run-a-ball 25-0.
Capsey collected 2-24 but Lauren Filer was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 15 runs from her 20 deliveries.
Welsh Fire put on a dominant display in Cardiff to make light work of MI London, as captain Sophie Devine’s excellent all-round performance leads her side to a 60-run victory. The result leaves the visitors winless in their opening two matches of The Hundred.
An impressive Welsh Fire earned their first win of the women’s Hundred with a 60-run thrashing of MI London in Cardiff.
Fire suffered a poor defeat by Southern Brave in their opener but bounced back to post 177-4, comfortably the highest total of this year’s tournament and the third-highest in the tournament’s history.
After openers Ella McCaughan and Georgia Voll added 49, captain Sophie Devine and all-rounder Georgia Wareham added 79 from just 35 balls for the fourth wicket as MI London’s bowlers wilted.
Devine was stumped from the penultimate ball for 52 from just 29 balls including four sixes, one of which was smacked out of the ground, while Wareham finished unbeaten on 43 from 20.
To conclude the entertaining innings, Em Arlott came out with one ball to face and launched it for six, as Fire’s performance provided some much-needed entertainment for the women’s tournament where the previous-highest team total so far was just 126.
In reply, MI London – despite a batting line-up stacked with international quality – crumbled to 117 all out and suffered their second successive defeat.
Fire seamer Grace Potts dominated the powerplay with figures of 3-24 as MI London crumbled under the run-rate pressure. Potts accounted for MI London’s powerful top three of Hayley Matthews for 10, Danni Wyatt-Hodge for 12 and Kira Chathli for two.
Devine backed up her knock with figures of 2-15, including the wicket of Chinelle Henry who was MI London’s top-scorer with 30, while Welsh left-arm spinner Sophia Smale chipped in with 2-17.
MI London will take on unbeaten Southern Brave on Monday as they search for their first win, while Fire face Trent Rockets on Wednesday.
Captain Phil Salt led from the front as he finished unbeaten on 47 to guide Welsh Fire to a six-wicket victory against Southern Brave in a low-scoring match in Southampton.
Welsh rider Zoe Backstedt has retained the 2026 Baloise Ladies Tour title a year after becoming the youngest winner of the race.
The 21-year-old’s performance included a time trial win on stage 3A on Saturday, and she finished with a provisional overall time of 11 hours, 27.08 minutes.
Only one second overall separated the Netherlands’ Nienke Veenhoven – who won the final stage – and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden of Australia. They finished 22 and 23 seconds respectively behind Backstedt.
English competitor Millie Couzens finished fifth behind the Netherlands’ Charlotte Kool.
THE Prince and Princess Of Wales have paid tribute to singer Bonnie Tyler, describing her as a “proud Welsh icon” following her death aged 75.
Bonnie died on Wednesday night, months after being treated in intensive care and being placed in an induced coma following emergency intestinal surgery.
Bonnie Tyler was given an MBE by the Prince of Wales at Windsor CastleCredit: PAThe singer died on Wednesday night aged 75Credit: PA
A post on William and Kate’s joint Kensington Palace account said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bonnie Tyler.
“A proud Welsh icon, her extraordinary voice and unforgettable music touched millions around the world and will continue to inspire generations to come.
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“Our thoughts are with her husband, family, friends and all who loved her. Diolch am y gerddoriaeth (thank you for the music).”
Bonnie was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Prince Of Wales in 2023 for services to music.
It comes after Chicago star Catherine Zeta-Jones said her “heart is broken” after the Total Eclipse Of The Heart singer’s death.
Catherine, 56, said Bonnie was a big part of her life after marrying her cousin Robert Sullivan and paid a heartfelt tribute to the Welsh singer, real name Gaynor Hopkins.
The actress shared a photograph of the pair together on Instagram which was taken the night before her wedding.
She said: “An extraordinary woman with vocals to match. A one of kind artist, who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met.
“Thank you Bonnie for the joy you brought so many. Sleep tight beautiful lady. We shall forever ‘Keep A Welcome In The Hillsides’ of Wales for you. Sending my love to Robert and the family.”
A statement on the singer’s official website said her family and team were “heartbroken” after she “unexpectedly passed away” on Wednesday night in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated near her home in Faro.
Catherine was among the stars who paid tribute to the singer including Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Rod Stewart and rockstar Bryan Adams.
Sir Cliff, who sang a duet with Tyler on the 2019 song Taking Control, said she was a “wonderful friend gone too soon” in a post shared on Facebook.
He added: “Bonnie’s infectious zest for life entertained so many around the world, and to be a good friend to all, including me.
“It is shocking news to wake up to this morning and I send my love to her family at this very sad time.”
Bonnie was due to perform at the Sunshine Festival in Worcester this summer, along with a number of European dates, and was also booked to perform at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on December 17.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to the singer, who he described as “one of Britain’s greatest recording artists”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “An iconic figure, she leaves behind a catalogue of music – from Total Eclipse Of The Heart to Holding Out For A Hero – which continues to touch lives, flood dance floors and fill karaoke booths.”
He added: “The Prime Minister’s thoughts are very much with her friends and family.”
The singer achieved international fame in the 1980s with the release of Total Eclipse Of The Heart, which shot to the top of the charts in the UK and the US.
Faster Than The Speed of Night, the album which featured the smash-hit track, was also a chart-topping success and landed the singer her only UK number one album.
Recognisable for her husky voice, Bonnie released many other hit songs over the years including Holding Out For A Hero, It’s A Heartache and If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man).
Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth led tributes on Thursday and said Wales had “lost a true icon”.
He posted: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Bonnie Tyler.
“Wales has lost a true icon, whose music brought joy to so many.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and fans across the world.”
She represented the UK in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song Believe In Me finishing in 19th place.
Welsh broadcaster Carol Vorderman also paid tribute, writing: “I’m so very sorry to hear this. As a Welsh woman Bonnie and her music represented so much to us, it was about fighting and power and living life without apology.
“May you rest in Musical Glory Bonnie.”
The star, who was born in Neath in South Wales, continued to make music and perform until her death, having released her 18th studio album The Best Is Yet To Come in 2021.
Despite being a widely acclaimed and globally-renowned star, Bonnie never received a Grammy Award during her decades-long career but did receive three nominations.
Bonnie’s official website appears to have crashed since the news of her death was announced.
North will link up with the Barbarians squad in London next week after the invitational side have played South Africa on Saturday.
The Wales and Barbarians occasion in Twickenham will be a double-header with the men’s game at 14:00 BST followed by the women’s game at 17:00 BST.
On the previous occasion that Wales men faced the Barbarians, after the 2023 World Cup, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric were given a farewell to the Welsh crowd when they lined up for the invitational side at the Principality Stadium.
This time North will be one of the headline acts.
“I have been privileged to enjoy the career I have had, and I have so many unforgettable memories from Wales and friendships to last a lifetime,” said North.
“So to go out against my country, with some of my friends and team-mates playing is so special.
“To also be able to play alongside some of the best and most exciting players in the world, and to enjoy that famous Barbarians spirit is something I couldn’t turn down.
“I can’t wait to link up with the boys next week and hopefully we can do something special.”
The Barbarians fixture is a warm-up for Wales’ Nations Championship Tests against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa in July.
Wales faced Slovakia in their first match at Euro 2016 on 11 June a decade ago and – 10 years on – then Wales boss Chris Coleman relives that day in Bordeaux.
In an interview with Nathan Blake for the new documentary series Iconic: The Summer that Changed Welsh Football, Coleman recalls the scenes that greeted the squad as they left their hotel .
