Former Wales forward Andrew Coombs has said he has been diagnosed with dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the age of 39. Coombs is one of the 295 retired rugby union players who have brought a legal claim against three of the sport’s governing bodies alleging they sustained brain injuries during their careers.

Wales fly-half contender Ioan Lloyd produced a “box office” display in the Scarlets’ 29-23 bonus point victory over Cardiff Rugby at a packed Arms Park. The No 10 spot in the Six Nations is very much up for grabs with Dan Biggar having retired from international rugby and Gareth Anscombe unavailable following his move to Japan, while Sam Costelow is currently out injured.

Dwayne Peel believes his Scarlets teams have answered questions over their character with their victory at Cardiff – although he knows there are tougher examinations to come. The head coach saw his team gain a bonus point 29-23 win at the Arms Park, where home flanker Ellis Jenkins was sent off for a dangerous tackle after 28 minutes. It’s a result that bunches three of the Welsh regions together in the lower mid-reaches of the United Rugby Championship (URC) table with the Ospreys in 11th, Cardiff in 12th and the Scarlets 13th.

Wales’ World Cup scrum-halves Gareth Davies and Tomos Williams will go head-to-head in a mouth-watering individual battle at the Arms Park on Saturday when Cardiff host the Scarlets. They are likely to be the frontrunners once again for the No 9 jersey in the Six Nations, so it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in this derby clash.

Former Wales stars Gavin Henson and Colin Charvis, plus ex- England captain Phil Vickery are among more than 200 retired rugby players to bring a legal claim against three of the sport’s governing bodies alleging they suffered brain injuries during their careers. Vickery, 47, a member of England’s World Cup-winning team in 2003, and Henson, 41, who won Six Nations Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008, were named for the first time on Friday after they waved their anonymity in their claims against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.

Rob Baxter has urged football’s lawmakers to be careful after they agreed sin-bins should be trialled at higher levels of the sport. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) – that includes a member from the Football Association of Wales – has supported the move following a successful implementation in the grassroots game, backing temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and specific tactical fouls its annual business meeting.

One of the most unique collection of rugby jerseys, gathered by one of Wales’ greatest sporting heroes, is due to go under the hammer at Rogers Jones Auctioneers on Thursday, December 7. Charlie Pritchard gathered shirts from opponents he met during his six-year, 14-cap career and almost 120 years on they are being offered for sale by his family.

Keiran Williams has been set the target of forcing his way into Wales’ Guinness Six Nations squad, having put the hangover from World Cup rejection behind him. The 25-year-old Ospreys centre missed the cut for France after making his Test debut in the warm-up defeat to England at Twickenham in August.

Bedwas produced their best performance of the season so far to record a stunning 46-17 victory over Ystrad Rhondda at the Bridge Field – and consign the Admiral Championship East league leaders to only their second defeat of the campaign so far. Adam Williams ran in two tries while there was one apiece from Lloyd Wilkins, James Dixon and Aaron Billingham, with a penalty try also on the scoresheet. Dixon added four conversions and two penalties.

Wales World Cup wing Mason Grady claims there is a new “brotherhood” of local talent ready to take Cardiff Rugby out of the doldrums and push them up the URC table. Speaking in the wake of his man of the match performance in his side’s dramatic 31-24 home win over the Stormers, the 21-year-old said the region’s investment in young, home-grown talent is reaping rewards.

Dwayne Peel has admitted his sinking Scarlets were second rate in a one-sided derby defeat to the Ospreys in Swansea. The Scarlets coach watched his team suffer a crushing 31-9 humbling at the Swansea.com Stadium at the hands of their fiercest rivals.

Matt Sherratt admitted he could hardly watch as his Cardiff team held their nerve late on to earn a dramatic 31-24 victory over the Stormers in a Friday night thriller at the Arms Park. The Cardiff head coach saw his team fall behind early on, but reveal plenty of character as they came surging back to snatch the win.

Toby Booth says staying calm in the pressure cooker will be crucial in Sunday’s west Wales derby between the Ospreys and the Scarlets. It’s a game that always has a bit extra on it and that will be no different in this weekend’s United Rugby Championship showdown at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Dragons lock Ben Carter is facing a race against time to be fit for consideration for Warren Gatland’s Guinness Six Nations squad in the New Year after being ruled out for up to four months with a severe hamstring tear. The 22-year-old picked up the injury in his side’s first win of the season last weekend, the 20-5 home triumph over Ospreys, and is due to see a specialist in London next week.

The Ospreys have been dealt a cruel blow ahead of their massive west Wales derby with Scarlets on Sunday with skipper Justin Tipuric being ruled out of action for up to two months. The 93-times capped triple British & Irish Lions tourist broke his thumb in the defeat to Dragons at Rodney Parade last weekend and will undergo surgery next week.

Ystrad Rhondda are marching on at the top of Admiral Championship East. They have opened up a 10-point gap at the top of the table, although both Newbridge and Bargoed have games in hand.

Pontypridd full-back Josh Phillips has praised his 13-man team as their recovery continues in the Indigo Group Premiership. Ponty delivered a backs-to-the-wall defensive display as they secured four welcome points at Aberavon at the weekend to make it back-to-back wins.

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan has urged his team to keep their winning form when they travel to South Africa, following their landmark win against the Ospreys. The Rodney Parade club had not won in front of their own fans for over a year, but finally broke that awful sequence with a 20-5 victory on Saturday night. Dragons head of performance Dan Baugh could be in trouble with United Rugby Championship (URC) officials after a dispute with referee Ben Whitehouse but Flanagan will demand the success is not a one-off flash in the pan.

It’s been a very eventful year in the life of Cai Evans as his rugby dreams have come true. The young utility back was a bolter selection in Wales’ World Cup training squad and then went on to make a surprise start against South Africa in August, winning his first cap, figuring once more versus the Barbarians earlier this month.

Dai Sport contributor Simon Thomas explains the background to his new book ‘Rugby Lives’. It all started with a question that kept on popping up in my head: “I wonder what happened to so and so?” Now the identity of “so and so” would change from week to week and month to month, but there was a common thread.