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.

Having spent a World Cup campaign of highs and lows vying with Elliot Dee and Ryan Elias for the Wales hooking berth, Dewi Lake is now ready to resume battle with his rivals on the URC stage. This Saturday, he travels to Rodney Parade with the Ospreys for a derby clash against Dee’s Dragons and then, eight days later, it will be a home encounter with Elias’ Scarlets.

The great debate about who should be in at No 10 for Wales is raging once again following the retirement of Dan Biggar. Not only that, Gareth Anscombe is unavailable to Warren Gatland for the Six Nations because of his club commitments in Japan, Sam Costelow and Owen Williams are both currently injured and Jarrod Evans is ineligible following his switch to Harlequins.

The Welsh Rugby Union was an “unforgiving, even vindictive” environment to work in for some of its employees. Witnesses interviewed as part of Dame Anne Rafferty’s review of the union reported feelings of powerlessness and fear, with the WRU described in the review’s report as an organisation which was “unsure on its feet”.

The Welsh Rugby Union have pledged to let someone else mark their homework as a result of disastrous failings in the governing body. Of the 36 recommendations made in a damning independent report – all of which the WRU says they will implement – the most significant is the agreement to hand over ultimate judgement on how it operates to an independent body.

The Dragons have confirmed that former head coach Paul Turner will be returning to the region in a consultancy capacity to work alongside Dai Flanagan and his coaching team. Turner – who previously worked at the club between 2005 and 2011 – is joining the ‘Men of Gwent’ on a part-time basis.