Danny Wilson has praised his Cardiff Blues team for their old-fashioned wet weather know-how that has put them on course for European success. The Blues head coach said it was his team’s tactical approach and shrewd play in tough conditions that enabled them to beat Bath 28-3 at the Arms Park on Saturday.

In his first column for Dai Sport former Wales and Lions captain Phil Bennett looks at the European action for the four Welsh regions at the weekend and says the Scarlets can cause a major surprise. Whisper it quietly, but Toulon are not the force of old and I’m backing the Scarlets to beat them on Saturday.

Cardiff Blues coach Danny Wilson has admitted his team’s season is turning sour after so much seemed sweetness and light just a few weeks ago. The Blues have now lost five of their last six Guinness Pro 12 matches after their crisis deepened with a 35-22 home thrashing against Ulster who scored five tries at the Arms Park on Saturday.

Nicky Robinson’s comeback at the Cardiff Blues has been put into sharper focus after they revealed Gareth Anscombe has been ruled out for six weeks. Wales fly-half Anscombe is to have surgery on a groin injury, meaning Robinson will come straight onto the bench for Saturday’s home Guinness Pro12 match against Ulster.

Former Wales outside-half Nicky Robinson has revealed he felt he was unable to turn down an SOS from the Cardiff Blues. Robinson has come out of retirement after being approached by his home town club due to an injury crisis.

Wayne Pivac has revealed his Scarlets teams were driven by the fear factor in their 26-15 bonus-point victory over the Cardiff Blues on Friday night. The New Zealander admitted that losing to the Blues at home last season was “an embarrassment” and they were determined to make amends.

Cardiff Blues coach Danny Wilson has opted against a derby day debut for Willis Halaholo. The New Zealander arrived in Wales this week, fresh from a Super Rugby title winning season with the Hurricanes.

Sam Warburton is set to enter the autumn international series without having played a game since undergoing surgery three weeks ago. The Wales captain has been ruled out of Friday’s Cardiff Blues game at home to Pau in the Challenge Cup with a stiff neck.

The Ospreys hammered the Cardiff Blues 46-24 in the first of the Guinness Pro12 Welsh derby matches. But it is not only on the pitch where there is a marked difference between the two regions, argues Geraint Powell. The Pro12 derby match between the Ospreys and the Blues is so much more than a rugby match, not merely a clash of East v West but, a clash between entirely opposing regional rugby cultures and philosophies. The neutrals mostly drawn towards Ospreylia.

Danny Wilson has ripped into his Cardiff Blues players – and his own coaching – after their derby night hammering by the Ospreys. The Blues coach watched his team lose 46-24 at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night, a scoreline that deceivingly suggests the visitors were half as good as the hosts. They weren’t.

Gareth Anscombe has conceded the Cardiff Blues are heavily in debt to the Ospreys ahead of Friday night’s Guinness Pro 12 derby. The Blues outside-half – who has been denied a head-to-head with his Wales rival Dan Biggar by the Ospreys’ decision to pick Sam Davies – admits the one-sided nature of recent clashes means a Blues win is long overdue.

Danny Wilson has told his Cardiff Blues they must become more ruthless if they are to beat the best in the Guinness Pro12. The Blues lost for the first time this season when they went down 16-13 to Leinster at the Arms Park on Saturday night.