night other areas might turn drier with a lot of cloud overnight and a bit of a wind, too, so mild double figure temperatures by the morning. there is more rain to come tomorrow, the focus of it will be across south wales where we have this amber rain warning from the met office, flooding likely, travel disruption, by the end of the day four inches of rain over the hills of south wales. also getting some heavy rain threatening flooding in the south—west of england, it marches northwards across wales, northern ireland, and getting better in scotland. probably not much rain for the east midlands, east anglia and the east midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england but it will be a windy day with gales likely in the south—west and is a southerly wind so it is unusually mild for this time of year, 13—14. the rain is the story which continues into the evening pushing eastwards, clearing away in time for the weekend where we will have a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers. the last of the rain clears east anglia and the south—east early on saturday then it is sunshine and showers, rattling into western scotland, wales, western england, heavy and thundery, some showers elsewhere but further east, dry largely. not quite as mild on saturday, it is still windy. it stays windy into sunday, more showers in the same sort of areas so again further east in more sheltered places, more likely to be dry with sunshine. windy on sunday and a little bit cooler. george. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello, and welcome to sportsday — i'm chetan pathak. coming up on the programme... adding their names — more former rugby union players come forward to join those like steve thompson suing the sport's authorities for alleged negligence. permanent concussion substitutions will be allowed in the premier league, as clubs agree to trial it from next month. cut in half — russia's four year ban from all major sporting events for doping is reduced to two years — they'll still miss the tokyo games and the next world cup. also coming up on the programme... the action from adelaide — as india's captain virat kohli's run out after a mix up on the opening day of the first test against australia. and you'll also hear later from marcus rashford's mum — on why tackling food poverty means so much to her son. welcome to the programme, thanks forjoining us. today more former rugby union players have come forward to sue the game's authorities for alleged negligence. it means there are now nine players taking action against the rfu, wales rugby union and world rugby, saying they've suffered brain damage — though the law firm representing them says more than 100 players are affected. a letter of claim was delivered to the sport's governing bodies today. chris mclaughlin reports. concussion in rugby, the story that's dominating sports, and that's because some who used to play the game say that what they did on the field has left them with permanent brain damage. today, pre—legal letter representing nine former players was sent to the rfq, w are you and world rugby. it's claiming that the governing bodies should have done more to protect players who are now struggling. three men have so far told their stories publicly, former england star steve thompson and michael lichtman, and alex who played 33 times for wales. imight try alex who played 33 times for wales. i might try and move this a bit closer to me. this is another, a former england under 21 back row who also played for gloucester. i have become and had mood swings, depression, anxiety, and at times, some suicidal thoughts. i've depression, anxiety, and at times, some suicidalthoughts. i've heard depression, anxiety, and at times, some suicidal thoughts. i've heard a few former players saying, "look, we knew what we were signing up for, we all knew that there were dangers." what was your reaction to that when you heard those comments?‘ what was your reaction to that when you heard those comments? a little bit saddens, really. i wouldn't say we we re bit saddens, really. i wouldn't say we were signing up to feel like this. if i knew i was signing up to feel like i do now, i wouldn't have signed up to it. thoughts echoed by many more from a sport now very much under the spotlight. on top of those nine, we've got 110 other players from around the rugby world who have got symptoms and would ultimately like to add themselves to what we are doing. today, the bodies responded. they said they were deeply saddened by the stories and added... 30 more concerned players have now come forward in the past week alone, all fearing they have symptoms brought on by rugby, a question that could now be settled in the courts. chris mclaughlin, bbc news. concerns around concussion and brain damage remain an ongoing discussion in football too. today premier league clubs voted to allow permanent substitutions to be made if a player suffers a head injury, even if all replacements have already been used. it'll be trialled from next month and comes a day after football's lawmakers ifab approved the rule change — with the fa cup and women's super league putting it in practice too. natalie pirks has more. this has been a big story in football, head injuries and the effects, the long—term effects on the brain. ever since a landmark study last year found that footballers were three times more likely to suffer from dementia. now we don't yet know the exact reason for that, but concussion could be a pa rt for that, but concussion could be a part of it. so, today, the pair merely because agreed that from next month, it will bring in trials of two permanent head injury substitutes, one—for—one team who has suffered the player getting the head injury, and an additional substitute for the other team as well, regardless of how money substitutes they've already made. it's got its critics, though, brain injury charity group, headway, has told the bbc it's mere window dressing and that what it would really like to see come in is what they've got in rugby union, which is temporary concussion substitutes which gives the doctor time to properly assess and diagnose the concussion. the governing body said though yesterday, the lawmakers of football, that they are concussion experts reckon that this is the best option that a permanent substitute is best for player welfare and it also wanted a rule that could easily be implement it right down from the premier league down to the hackney marches where there are no medics. —— pick site. —— pitch site. other are looking to do this and do trials and give as much feedback as possible to the body to review making this law, if it goes well early in 2022. it was also decided today that they would stick with three subs instead of five, but they would bring in more on the bench. so instead of seven, you will be allowed nine subs on the bench. natalie perks there. time now for a quick look at some of the days other stories and more sporting events in england won't have fans attending from saturday. it's after large areas in the south—east and east of england were moved into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions following a rise in infections. manchester united striker edinson cavani could be banned for up to three games after being charged with misconduct by the fa. it relates to a message on social media which contained an offensive spanish racial term. cavani deleted the message and apologised when the potential meaning of the post was pointed out to him. and a court in argentina has ruled that the body of football legend diego maradona "must be conserved" pending a paternity case. responding to a lawsuit filed by a woman who says maradona could be her father, the court said a dna sample of the footballer must be submitted. he's back — again — sam allardyce has been officially unveiled as west brom's new manager. he's taken training and held his first press conference after agreeing to take over from slavan bilic — who yesterday became the first premier league manager to lose his job this season. the baggies are second from bottom in the premier league with just one win but can big sam save them from the drop? joe lynskey reports. deepin deep in trouble at the bottom, west brom have turned to big sam. he's one of the tried and trusted ways to premier league survival. this is their 12 job premier league survival. this is their 12job in full—time management, he has still not been relegated, but is now spent more than two years out of the game, so does he still have the knack? i've never been so refreshed, never been so never been so refreshed, never been so ready and eager to come back, because sometimes this job can wear you down. after you realise how many yea rs you down. after you realise how many years i've been sat there as a manager through all them divisions trying to get to the top and just how much it takes ottavio, and you realise that when you actually get a break, but this break went on so long, andi break, but this break went on so long, and i had so much pent up energy come i needed to expend it as quick as i could come and this is where i could expend all the energy i've got reserved ready for this battle. he made his name taking bolton to the top. he had spells with newcastle and blackburn, keeping sunderland up earned him the biggestjob, but he was england's managerforjust a biggestjob, but he was england's manager for just a single biggestjob, but he was england's manager forjust a single match. on my behalf and i paid the consequences. now on my behalf and i paid the consequences. now there is a sense big sam is back with his roots, he was born in dudley and his first coaching job was at west brom. he was sacked as their assistant in the 80s. it was a devastating blow for me because i didn't know where or when i'd actually get back into football 01’ i'd actually get back into football or if i'd actually get back into football orifi i'd actually get back into football or if i get back into football ever again. which ultimately took me on the journey of all journeys, again. which ultimately took me on the journey of alljourneys, worked my way through every league in this country to get to where i am now. here i am again back in the premier league, so i'm looking forward to it. he has a challenge, west brom have just one win and seven points, there newly promoted and favourites to go down. what we have got to do is manage our to go down. what we have got to do is manage oui’ way to go down. what we have got to do is manage our way through this amount of games over christmas and new year, cope with the pandemic and me trying to learn the player's strength and weaknesses as quickly as possible and work in a way to give the players an opportunity to win as many football matches as possible as quickly as i possibly can. in this unique season, he will have to fight to keep his record, but for the man who went from the bottom to the top, no job is too big. joe lynskey, bbc news. their first theirfirst game their first game with him and charges on sunday against aston villa. there are two games in the premier league tonight, with one of them underway at villa park, where it is goalless. good wins last timeout, burnley against arsenal, goal is for the moment, sheffield united, manchester united kicks off at 8pm. manchester united with the chance to go, sheffield united routed to the bottom of course at the moment. russia's doping ban from all major sporting events has been cut to two years by the court of arbitration for sport today. but that still means you won't see this russia flag flying at the tokyo olympics and paralympics and football's 2022 world cup. they'll still be at next year's euro 2020 because the ban doesn't apply to uefa tournaments. and russian athletes who can prove they're untainted by the doping scandal will be able to compete anywhere under a neutral flag. i've been speaking to our sports news correspondent alex capstick who's followed the story from the start. russia had been made noncompliant after evidence was produced of a widespread state run doping conspiracy which corrupted the winter games and indeed the london 2012 olympics, so russia was made noncompliance from other permits carried on competing internationally, but then was given extra power, so when russia was reinstated on the condition that it had to hand over the data from the moscow lab within a certain period of time, and it failed to do the outcome and when he handed it over, that data had been manipulative, positive tests had been covered up. they had the power to ban russia from international competition, so they gave him a four—year ban, russia appealed, that's the court of arbitration for sports came into the affair. its decision today has ruled that the four year ban that they wa nted that the four year ban that they wanted has been reduced to two yea rs. wanted has been reduced to two years. that includes the tokyo limbic some of the beijing winter games in 2022 and the qatar world cup leader in that year. what was the reason, alex and cutting this man took four years to two? well, during the case, as i understand it, the four—day hearing, which took place in september in lausanne, russia didn't really defend the fact that they were guilty of covering up this data or providing fake evidence in these documents which they handed to wada earlier this year, but they argued that the sanction was unfair on clean athletes who were innocent victims in all of this, athletes who wanted to represent their country at an olympic games. and the panel felt it was not proportionate, the four—year ban was too harsh. although, they said in the statement that it should no way validate the conduct of the russian authorities. so they reduced it to two years, which for a lot of people, won't be enough. a lot of people wanted it to be four years. wada said they were disappointed by this, and in the nitty—gritty of the detail of the judgment, if you look at it, russian