Danny Wilson has admitted he could understand Nigel Owens’ decision to red card Taufa’ao Filise – but still felt the decision was harsh. The Cardiff Blues coach has paid tribute to his team’s tenacity after they lost 40-16 at Glasgow on Friday night, where they played all but the opening half hour with 14 men. They were reduced to 13 when flanker Olly Robinson was sent to the sin bin, but it was the dismissal of Filise for a high tackle that proved the real turning point.

George North is returning to Wales and all four regions are keen to sign him up. But with Wales the priority, Peter Jackson wonders what value they will get from a player who has so often been kept on the sidelines through injury. George North arrived at Franklin’s Gardens from West Wales one year after Chris Ashton left for North London. The Welsh colossus reported for duty in the summer of 2013 fresh from some famous deeds for the Lions in Australia and eager to help Northampton continue to lord it over the rest as newly-crowned champions of England. They had won the title, what’s more, at the expense of the opponent they love to beat more than any other, Saracens – and Ashton to boot.

George North will conduct “interviews” with all four of the Welsh regions before deciding which one to play for next season. The Wales wing – currently out of action with a knee injury – is to leave Northampton at the end of this campaign and return to Wales on a dual contract. But whilst 60 per cent of his salary will be paid for by the Welsh Rugby Union, the contributor of the remaining 40 per cent has yet to be determined with the Scarlets, the Ospreys, the Cardiff Blues and the Dragons all keen to add North to their squad.

George North will leave Northampton at the end of this season and return to Wales on a national dual contract, with the Dragons believing they can tempt him to Rodney Parade. The Lions wing, who has won 69 Wales caps and scored 30 tries, has agreed a deal from next term, the Welsh Rugby Union have announced. North has been one of the biggest names in the European game over recent years and his tally of caps means he could have chosen to stay in English rugby, or moved to France, and still have been eligible for Wales selection as he is comfortably above the new 60-cap threshold.

Seb Davies admits he has no role models as a No.8, but would be happy to base his game on Taulupe Faletau – the player Warren Gatland hopes he will one day challenge. Davies makes his first home Test appearance for Wales against Georgia on Saturday, but not in the role Cardiff Blues fans have seen him catch the eye as a ball-handling second row this season. Instead, the 21-year-old – who won his first two caps on tour against Tonga and Samoa this summer – will pack down at No.8.

Cardiff Blues coach Danny Wilson paid tribute to Gethin Jenkins as his Wales prop helped inspire a 37-8 thrashing of Zebre at the Arms Park on Saturday night. It was skipper Jenkins’ first game since injuring his knee in the Blues’ Judgement Day win over the Ospreys at the Principality Stadium on April 15. The Lions prop – who will turn 37 this month – played for 56 minutes and looked as though he had never been away.

Gethin Jenkins will return to captain Cardiff Blues as one of 10 changes to face Zebre in the Guinness Pro14 on Saturday. The Wales front-row forward has been side-lined since April with knee and calf muscle injuries, but leads an experienced pack against a rejuvenated Zebre side. Jenkins packs down alongside Matthew Rees and Taufa’ao Filise in the front-row while Macauley Cook and Damian Welch form the second-row and Josh Turnbull starts at blindside flanker.

Last weekend’s Welsh derbies in the Guinness Pro14 attracted attendances that could best be described as modest. Geraint Powell traces the decline in crowds and says the problems are deep-rooted. The issue of crowds at the regions – or, rather, the consistent lack thereof – has returned towards the top of the domestic rugby agenda. Even before the “Welsh derby” matches, Brendan Gallagher of The Rugby Paper, and a 1980s veteran of the Western Mail Championship/Whitbread Merit Table circuit from his time with the South Wales Echo, had tweeted about how big rugby spectator bases had been “brazenly abandoned” and “never returned” in South Wales.

USA Eagles wing Blaine Scully has said he wants to help the Cardiff Blues reach their potential after re-signing with the region. Scully has signed a new contract of unspecified length, but it is thought to see him committed to the Arms Park until 2019. The 29-year-old joins Seb Davies, Josh Turnbull, Rhun Williams and Corey Domachowski in agreeing a new deal, although a large number of Blues players remain in the final months of their existing contracts.

Cardiff Blues have made five changes for their return to Guinness Pro14 action against the Scarlets on Saturday night. The Blues go into the Welsh derby at Parc y Scarlets on the back of consecutive European Challenge Cup victories against Lyon and Toulouse. Kristian Dacey continues to skipper the team and four of the changes come in the pack. Brad Thyer and Dillon Lewis complete the front-row, while Seb Davies and Olly Robinson step up from the bench at lock and flanker respectively.

It has been quite a week for rising second row star Seb Davies with a new contract at Cardiff Blues being followed by a call-up for the Welsh squad for next month’s Under Armour Series. Despite being courted by a number of clubs, the Cardiff-born and bred lock has committed his long-term future to the Blues by signing his first senior contract. His signature follows those of two other Wales Under 20 caps, Rhun Williams and Corey Domachowski. “I’m really happy to have signed a senior contract with Cardiff Blues. They are my home team and I have come through the system here,” said the 21-year-old former Ysgol Glantaf and Coleg Y Cymoedd product.

Danny Wilson believes his young Cardiff Blues side are starting to add guts to youthful gusto after their impressive win in Toulouse on Friday night. The Blues made it two wins from two games in the European Challenge Cup with a courageous 17-15 victory over the French giants at the Stade Ernest Wallon. Toulouse – who beat Cardiff in the very first European Cup final back in 1996 – had won 14 of their previous 15 home matches against Welsh opposition in the premier European tournament.