JAMIE REDKNAPP: For a while, we thought Traore was all pace and no end product. He is a different player these days, and Nuno Espirito Santo deserves great credit for this transformation.

ADAM LANIGAN AT THE BET365 STADIUM: Sam Clucas settled a personal score against the club he joined for £16.5m before their Premier League relegation and helped to extend Stoke's fine run.

Renato Sanches must have truly felt on top of the world after Portugal lifted the Euro 2016 trophy. But an assent to the lofty heights of the game can often be followed by a plummet to the bottom.

Bruno Fernandes has been backed to thrive in the Premier League by one of his most influential coaches, former Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin.

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Spanish forward Borja Baston on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

On loan Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster had an eventful afternoon on Saturday as Swansea drew 1-1 at Preston. He had fans in fits of laughter when he showed the referee a yellow card.

Ryan Giggs has backed Manchester United youngster Dan James amid growing concerns that the winger is suffering from burnout this season after a dip in form over the past few months.

Renato Sanches has lifted the lift on his disastrous loan spell at Swansea during the 2017/18 season and revealed he did not want to join the club in the first place.

When your father has left Cardiff City to become Liverpool's centre forward and managed the great Real Madrid twice, it's fair to say taking on a challenge is in your blood.

He is currently on loan at Swansea where he had kick-started his career, before football's coronavirus-enforced suspension, after a serious ankle injury that kept him out for 16 months.

Warren Gatland's side were trailing the Springboks 6-9 when the Ospreys player pulled up in the 40th minute with half-time looming.

Retired scrum-half Mike Phillips admits he felt for Wales after they missed out on the Rugby World Cup final with a 19-16 defeat by South Africa.

Eddie Jones went undercover in Yokohoma - disguising himself as a fan of the NFL's Houston Texans as he scouted Rugby World Cup final opponents South Africa against Wales. 

CHRIS FOY AT THE YOKOHAMA STADIUM: Some time soon, Welsh rugby will realise what it has had and what it has lost. Not this World Cup campaign, but their coach and captain.

WILL KELLEHER IN TOKYO: The Boks might be boring, but their boss Rassie Erasmus does not care. South Africa have faced criticism for their limited, combative style at the World Cup.

WILL KELLEHER IN TOKYO: The Wales and Saracens star would have stayed in Japan if Wales had made the final, but flew back on Monday and has since undergone surgery on the injury.

WILL KELLEHER IN TOKYO: Tom Curry is England's only representative on the World Rugby Player of the Year shortlist - as Maro Itoje and George Ford were snubbed.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE TOKYO STADIUM: Gatland will depart having won three Six Nations Grand Slams and got to two World Cup semi-finals and he hopes his work will not be wasted.

NIK SIMON - THE GAINLINE: Justin Tipuric is weighing up a £500,000-a-year offer from Bristol - but some of France's biggest clubs are also keen on the Wales flanker.

Back from his World Cup duties with Wales, Biggar landed six penalties and converted Rory Hutchinson's try as Saints beat Lyon 25-14 at Franklin's Gardens.

EXCLUSIVE BY WILL KELLEHER: Gatland confirmed the Lions have been to date knocked back in their attempts to convince the Premiership to move their final in 2021 by a week.

The Exeter Chiefs tight-head, 27, dislocated his shoulder against South Africa in the semi-final and is now out for four months.

WILL KELLEHER: The Welsh Rugby Union have been leading an investigation into the former attack coach's conduct since he was jettisoned from Japan on September 17.

Williams' Saracens deal runs out in the summer and he faces a stark choice. With 62 caps now he could earn huge sums in France and still play for Wales.

Dan Biggar held his nerve to kick a match-winning 85th minute penalty as Northampton produced a stunning Champions Cup fightback to beat Benetton 35-32 in Italy.

The BBC unveiled their six-strong shortlist for this year's Sports Personality of the Year on Monday. The public will vote on December 15 with the winner crowned in Aberdeen that night.

The 56-year-old finished after the Rugby World Cup and was succeeded by his fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac, who will take charge of Wales for the first time against Gatland's Barbarians.

OLIVER HOLT: Ben Stokes stopped the sporting world last year with two magical moments. There are six credible SPOTY candidates, but Stokes would get my vote.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: The new New Zealander in charge of Wales won his first match, as his predecessor did, but this was a far less significant victory.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: Warren Gatland bid a final farewell to Wales with a special send-off match with his former flame.

Dan Biggar has always been up for the fight. When the Wales fly-half signed for Northampton Saints in the autumn of 2017, the East Midlands club were spiralling down the Premiership.

RORY KEANE AT THE AVIVA STADIUM: It took an entire game to ship 43 points to Leinster last weekend. On Saturday night, the Saints had conceded the same total after 48 minutes

Sportsmail sensationally revealed that Howley had been sent home from Japan on the eve of the World Cup after a bookmaker, Betway, alerted the WRU of a rule breach.

The 28-year-old has been at English and European champions Saracens since 2017, but in 2020 the full back will rejoin the Scarlets where he will earn in the region of £400,000 a year.

MARCUS TOWNEND AT CHEPSTOW: Davies is currently sidelined having undergone knee surgery after being injured while playing Fiji in the World Cup.

CHRIS FOY AT THE RICHOH ARENA: Northampton's lucky 13 stunned Wasps on Sunday as Dan Biggar and the man they call 'Big T' propelled the title-chasing Saints to victory.

Wales have responded to a chronic shortage of available centres by launching a cross-border raid for another of England's uncapped junior world champions - Nick Tompkins.

If last week was hellish, Northampton were far more saintly in Lyon on Saturday - winning with a bonus-point to do all they could to make the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The Six Nations powerbrokers are largely content with the existing deal, which is worth £90m a year between the BBC and ITV and is delivering record viewing figures.

The bookies fancy England after their run to the World Cup final but a new Six Nations era could spring a few surprises after some tough talking at the tournament launch on Wednesday morning.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The 2020 Six Nations campaign will begin on Saturday, February 1 with a number of teams eyeing glory in this year's competition.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: George North has started to notice something on those occasions when he cannot hide from the inevitable.

George North looks likely to line up at outside centre in Wayne Pivac's new-look Wales team to face Italy as Rhys Webb is set for a recall.

Louis Rees-Zammit missed out on his Welsh debut this week as he has hardly been able to train due to his English exile, according to coach Wayne Pivac. The teen isn't in the Wales squad to play Italy.

With post-World Cup fallouts always bringing about change, there are plenty of new faces set to burst onto the scene. Here, Sportsmail runs through 10 uncapped stars to watch...

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The 2020 Six Nations campaign, which gets underway this weekend, promises to be a closely-fought affair with several teams eyeing the title.

WILL KELLEHER IN CARDIFF: Wales often overachieved, pulled performances from nowhere... galvanised by Gatland they showed heart and fire. Now they face life after him with Pivac.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: PC Pivac's first job on the Welsh beat went without a hitch as the former copper's new side thrashed Italy easily in Cardiff.

BY WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: Wales will be ready for a rude awakening in Dublin on Saturday - aware that Ireland will not walk on to their punches as Italy did.

ROUND-UP: The Six Nations kicked-off this weekend with a thrilling round of fixtures, as Ireland, France and Wales got off to the perfect start, as our team of the filled up with French players.