Erol Bulut wants to hit the January sales and look for items that move Cardiff City from pretenders to contenders for promotion. Cardiff host Norwich City on Saturday with the club looking to maintain their promotion challenge against rivals many thought would be better placed in the Championship at this stage than 17th.

Morgan Morris insists he is unconcerned that his consistent form for the Ospreys has yet to earn him a place in the Wales squad. The back row forward has been a stand-out performer for his region over the past couple of seasons with his tireless carrying and work over the ball.

Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear are set to become Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally champions for a record-equalling third time as they take an unassailable lead into the final round of the all-gravel series, the Wyedean Stages Rally on Saturday. The defending champions have led the series since the beginning of the season, winning the opening four rounds in their Delta Salvage/Witham Group Ford Fiesta R5.

Just a couple of months ago, there seemed next to no chance of Willis Halaholo becoming a Cardiff Rugby centurion. It looked as though his seven-year stay at the Arms Park was over, with no new contract having been put in place, leaving him stranded on 97 appearances.

Dewi Griffiths will hope for home support when he carries the flag for Wales into Saturday’s 26th edition of the Cardiff Cross Challenge at Llandaff Fields. Griffiths will use the race as preparation for his spring marathon campaign and the Olympic hopeful intends to bring the form that has taken the Swansea Harrier to eight domestic cross-country titles.

Brennan Johnson is benefiting from the “extreme” demands placed on him by Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou and proving himself to be an elite player, says his Wales manager Rob Page. Johnson has taken time to settle at Spurs following his £47.5million move from Nottingham Forest during the closing minutes of the summer transfer window.

Lauren Williams has still not got over her Olympic heartbreak in Tokyo. Photos show a smiling Williams posing with her taekwondo silver medal and a victory bouquet shortly after her narrow defeat to Matea Jelic at the women’s -67kg final at the Makuhari Messe Convention Centre in 2021.

Steve Phillips was given a near £500,000 pay off when he quit the Welsh Rugby Union earlier this year. But that was only a quarter of the £1.9m shelled out to former employees who left over a chaotic 12-month period, including former Wales coach Wayne Pivac and his assistants.

Rob Page says he has cleared the air with Football Association of Wales chief Noel Mooney after their public spat last month. Mooney put Page’s future in the spotlight four days before the Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed if Wales did not qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.

Wales fly-half Sam Costelow is expected to be sidelined until January after suffering shoulder and hamstring injuries. Scarlets playmaker Costelow was hurt during Wales’ 49-26 victory over the Barbarians on Saturday and went off at half-time.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed plans for an independent football regulator to safeguard the future of Welsh and English clubs in his King’s Speech on Tuesday. The Independent Regulator for Football (IREF) will have the power to step in to address cash flow and other systemic issues within clubs, many of which are financially vulnerable.

A 36-13 win at Bridgend may have taken reigning Indigo Premiership champions Llandovery back to the top of the table, but head coach Euros Evans is preparing for the pressure to be turned up this month. Pontypool head to Church Bank on Saturday and are bang in form having won seven matches in a row, while Newport are the visitors a fortnight later.

Gareth Davies believes the Scarlets can continue the repair job on their URC season after their victory over Cardiff. The Wales scrum-half is likely to be a key figure again for his region when they host South African side, the Lions on Saturday.

Stuart Manley has revealed it means everything to him to have reclaimed his place on the DP World Tour – formerly called the European Tour – at the age of 44. The Welsh golfer snatched back his tour card after enduring a nerve-wracking three-and-a-half-hour wait to confirm his position among the Challenge Tour’s graduates at the weekend.

Wales head coach Tom Brindle insisted he was proud of his team despite Wales’ 60-0 defeat to England in a women’s rugby league international at Headingley. Two tries apiece from Amy Hardcastle and Tara-Jane Stanley set England on their way as they scored 11 tries in a ruthless victory at the weekend.

Zoe Backstedt continued to prove her versatility as well as her huge potential when she won the Under 23 Women’s title at the European Cyclo-cross Championships in France. Backstedt added a second European jersey to her 2023 collection at the weekend, after winning the race in sensational style under tough conditions.

Warren Gatland has underlined the importance of patience as he nurtures a new generation of Wales international players. Welsh rugby bid farewell to three of its biggest names – Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny – in a tribute game that saw Wales beat Principality Stadium opponents the Barbarians 49-26.

Joe Cordina has admitted he was below par in defence of his world title, but still too good for Edward Vazquez. Cordina retained his IBF super-featherweight title with a majority decision win over Vazquez in Monte Carlo.

Erol Bulut has praised his Cardiff City players for their progress but urged them to extend their run of clean sheets. The Bluebirds manager was pleased his team were able to keep their opponents scoreless for a third successive match, although they had to settle for a goalless draw at the weekend at Stoke City.

Michael Duff has warned Swansea City’s loan star Charlie Patino he could pay for his red card by losing his place in the team. The Swans midfielder – on a season-long deal from Arsenal – was dismissed for two yellow card offences after half an hour of his team’s 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland. The 10-men dug in and managed to take a draw, but while Duff was full of praise for Patino’s recent contributions, he believes the 20-year-old will have a fight on his hands to regain his place after his automatic one-match ban.