Welsh

Cardiff have plenty of firepower in the backs but need to provide a platform if they are to make the next step.

The Blue and Blacks qualified for the play-offs last season by finishing sixth but were comprehensively beaten by Stormers in the quarter-finals.

“It is obvious, our set-piece needs to improve,” said flanker Dan Thomas in the immediate aftermath of the Cape Town loss.

“The Stormers were dominant and we didn’t cope. We knew it was coming and still couldn’t stop it.”

Loose-head prop Scott Sio, who won 74 caps for Australia, arrives from Exeter charged with helping to drive improvement in that department.

“One of the biggest things Cardiff want to pride themselves on is that set-piece,” said the 34-year-old.

“Hopefully I can be a good cog in the wheel there and provide some experience.”

Sio made the last of his 86 appearances for Chiefs in June’s Prem final at Twickenham and still harbours ambitions of reaching a third World Cup, now with Samoa.

“He is very experienced and wants to look after the boys around him in the changing room, in the gym, on the pitch,” said head coach Corniel van Zyl.

CHARLOTTE Church shot to fame aged just 11 and went on to make over £25m as a child star.

Her debut album Voice Of An Angel followed a year later, launching a career that saw her sell more than ten million records worldwide.

But after admitting she does not have “a lot of money” left, the singer has now put her character-filled Welsh cottage on the market for under £700,000.

The period property is packed with character, featuring exposed wooden beams, brick walls and plenty of greenery throughout.

The sale comes two years after Charlotte admitted to Closer magazine in 2024 that she no longer had millions in the bank while discussing her decision to sell her former six-bedroom mansion, The Spinney.

“I am not a millionaire anymore,” she said. “What mattered to me when I bought The Spinney is it was absolutely beautiful and close to the forest and it was a big mansion house.”

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Previously, Charlotte transformed the 15th-century Rhydoldog House in Powys, Mid Wales, into a hippie wellness retreat.

She previously admitted sinking “pretty much” her entire life savings into the property, which she bought for £1.5million in 2021.

Charlotte was able to access her millions when she turned 18 after spending six years performing around the world.

Her famous audiences included US President Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II, the late Queen and King Charles.

She even told reporters she planned to buy a £1million ruby-encrusted bra to celebrate her 18th birthday.

Charlotte later admitted her spending habits meant she would need to continue working.

She told Stylist: “I haven’t got a lot of money. I’ve got enough to be comfortable if I was reasonable for the rest of my life.

“But I’m not reasonable, so I will have to find a way to sustain my lifestyle.”

Charlotte Church has been approached for comment.