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.

Former Swansea forward Wilfried Bony has ended his exile from football after signing for Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, six months after he was released by Swansea City.

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.

Wales ensured they kept their distance from the haka in the build-up to their Rugby World third-place play off against New Zealand.

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 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.

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.

CHRIS FOY'S WORLD OF RUGBY: Wayne Pivac has to pick him. How can he resist? Wales' head coach must decide in the next 48 hours if he believes 'if you're good enough, you're old enough.'

Teen sensation Louis Rees-Zammit re-confirmed his desire to play for Wales after agreeing a new contract at Gloucester.

The 18-year-old Gloucester winger, who has been in phenomenal form for his club scoring nine times in 10 matches this season, could make his debut against Italy the day after his 19th birthday.

Teen star Rees-Zammit can have an instant impact for Wales in the Six Nations according to new coach Wayne Pivac, who included the 18-year-old as one of five uncapped players in his squad.

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.

SPECIAL REPORT: On the Welsh beat Wayne Pivac, the ex-Auckland copper on the streets in the 1980s, is unlikely to feel the pressure his old day-job brought against Italy.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY WILL KELLEHER: Leigh Halfpenny is a nervy interviewee at the best of times. After the 18 months he has endured, it is understandable that his self-assurance is low.

Louis Rees-Zammit can be the new George North for Wales in the Six Nations, according to his more senior team-mates. The 18-year-old Gloucester winger could make his Test debut on Saturday.

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 England firing bombs at their Championship rivals each week, and Scotland responding with talk of 'hate', Wales coach Wayne Pivac is finding the pre-match mudslinging all a bit unnecessary.

SPECIAL REPORT BY WILL KELLEHER: No player has run out in a Test match at Wales' Principality Stadium having been born after the ground was built. Rees-Zammit could change that fact.

Les Bleus are unbeaten in the tournament so far after wins against England and Italy at home but Wales lock Jake Ball has warned they are ready to make the most of a 'hostile' atmosphere in Cardiff.

WILL KELLEHER AT PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: And so the fortress has fallen. After 10 years of being out-gunned in Cardiff, the French revolution is well and truly alive.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: Wayne Pivac was left livid with two decisions costing Wales a win over France as they lost at home in the Six Nations for the first time in three years.

Wales will be hopeful Dan Biggar does not spark a backline injury crisis ahead of their Six Nations match against England after going off early for Northampton on Saturday against Saracens.

Sky are in line to secure a £300million agreement to screen the competition from 2021, leaving terrestrial channels BBC and ITV on the margins with potentially huge implications for the sport.

Alun Wyn Jones moved to ease fears that Dan Biggar is not fit for Wales' trip to Twickenham by saying he will play against England on Saturday despite suffering a knee injury for Northampton.

England could find themselves in treble trouble after Eddie Jones slammed the 'rubbish' refereeing at Twickenham and Joe Marler grabbed Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones by his genitals.

All around him, others were losing their heads, but this time Kyle Sinckler did not. The pantomime villain of last year's England defeat in Cardiff proved on Saturday how much he has changed.

NIK SIMON FOR THE DAILY MAIL: Danny Care issued a staunch defence of Harlequins team-mate Joe Marler ahead of today's disciplinary hearing in Dublin.

Joe Marler has been banned until June 8 for grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones's groin during England's 33-30 Six Nations win over their neighbours at Twickenham last Saturday.

In a shambolic development on Friday afternoon the final match of the Championship was officially postponed while Scotland were warming up for their captain's run ahead of Saturday's game.

Joe Marler's 10-week ban for his fondling of Alun Wyn Jones' genitals has left Harlequins fuming. The England prop's club are angry at what they feel is an overly-severe punishment.

The former Wales international Jamie Roberts had been playing for Super Rugby side Stormers in South Africa but flew home to the UK to help after the rugby season was put on hold.

EXCLUSIVE BY ALEX BYWATER: Hadleigh Parkes and Owen Williams are to end their Wales careers after they turning down offers in regional rugby in favour of big money moves to Japan.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has revealed that 'two or three' of his squad have tested positive for coronavirus. The pandemic saw the Six Nations brought to a halt before it could finish.

England forward Joe Marler will be free to play rugby when sport returns after the coronavirus shutdown - despite being handed a 10-week ban for squeezing Alun Wyn Jones' genitals.

EXCLUSIVE BY WILL KELLEHER: Wayne Pivac's side were due to play Japan in Shizuoka on June 27 before jetting down to New Zealand for a two-Test series shortly afterwards.

What is the point of saving? That's the question we posed after it emerged that National Savings and Investments is to slash interest rates for millions of savers from May.

Panic over coronavirus has badly shaken the world's financial markets, culminating, on Monday, in the FTSE 100 suffering its sharpest one-day fall since the height of the 2008 crash.

My partner Chris and I live in a first-floor flat, so when our neighbour sent us a message out of the blue insisting we use her front garden to enjoy the sunshine on Sunday, I could have kissed her.

England have mounted the start of recovery against Australia with Joe Root and Rory Burns sharing a century partnership on day three of the  fourth Test at Old Trafford.

BUMBLE AT THE TEST: Josh Hazlewood has put Australia in complete control of the fourth Ashes Test after grabbing three quick wickets late on during the third day at Old Trafford.

MARTIN SAMUEL AT OLD TRAFFORD: Late in the day, England digging in, Australia bowling well but increasingly frustrated, Nathan Lyon decided he might mess with a few minds.

Australian cricketer David Warner has given a quick thinking response to a fan after being sledged in England during the Ashes test. 

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Some time around 2012, an internet movie geek unearthed what was quickly tagged the worst death scene in cinema history.

Jimmy Anderson will consider changing his diet in a bid to prolong his Test career after the disappointment of missing the Ashes through injury - and has looked at the possibility of going vegan.

Steve Smith's glorious Ashes has raised calls from some fans and pundits for his restoration to the Australia captaincy but incumbent Tim Paine has no plans to hand over the reins quietly.

PAUL NEWMAN AT THE OVAL: Root wore the tired, almost haunted, look of many an England captain coming to the end of the road as he tried to summon up one last effort on Wednesday.

IAN HERBERT AT THE OVAL: The Australians have demonstrated in recent years the art of salvaging pride when the long shadows of late summer are falling across The Oval.

NASSER HUSSAIN AT THE OVAL: England fans may be entitled to ask where Sam Curran has been all this series after a very impressive effort with the ball.