The Ospreys completed a miserable weekend for the Welsh regions in Europe as they conceded six tries in a 38-5 defeat to Montpellier in the EPCR Challenge Cup. All four Welsh regions lost in Europe, leaving them with a collective record of two victories from their opening eight matches. Last season Toby Booth’s Ospreys side completed a notable double over the then French champions in the Champions Cup, but they were no match for the home side in Round 2 of this season’s second tier tournament against the bottom placed side in the Top 14.

George North has agreed a two-year deal to join second-tier French side Provence from the Ospreys at the end of the season North was part of the Wales side that lost in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals to Argentina and can still play for his country as he has many more than the 25 caps needed to play outside of Wales, with 119.

The Ospreys have been dealt a cruel blow ahead of their massive west Wales derby with Scarlets on Sunday with skipper Justin Tipuric being ruled out of action for up to two months. The 93-times capped triple British & Irish Lions tourist broke his thumb in the defeat to Dragons at Rodney Parade last weekend and will undergo surgery next week.

Warren Gatland has underlined the importance of patience as he nurtures a new generation of Wales international players. Welsh rugby bid farewell to three of its biggest names – Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny – in a tribute game that saw Wales beat Principality Stadium opponents the Barbarians 49-26.

Wales skipper Jac Morgan is expecting a few tugs on his jersey, a bit of niggle and a few harsh words when he finds himself playing against his Ospreys club captain Justin Tipuric in the game against the Barbarians. But while many see the non-capped match as being a bit of a jamboree, Morgan is going to impress upon his players that they will be representing their country – just as they did in France during the recent World Cup.

Leigh Halfpenny looks set to continue his rugby career in the southern hemisphere after he makes a final Wales appearance on Saturday. The Wales full-back, who has won 101 caps, will bow out of international rugby following the Barbarians’ Principality Stadium visit.

Shane Williams believes the Scarlets will be the strongest performing Welsh team in the BKT United Rugby Championship this season. The former Wales wing also feels there will be an opportunity for a number of talented youngsters to break through across the four regions.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has named a squad of 23 to take on former captain Alun Wyn Jones and the Barbarians in Cardiff on Nov. 4, with 16 retained players from their Rugby World Cup campaign in France. Gatland, though, will be without a significant number of his leading players through injury and the inability to call on those contracted to clubs in England, France and Japan as the fixture falls outside of the international window.

The Wales squad have arrived home from France and it turns out there are different ways of reacting to losing a Rugby World Cup quarter-final. You did not need to know the results, or have watched the games, the faces of Wales, Ireland and France players gave it away.

March 27th, 2010. It was a clear, bright South Wales afternoon and the most galactic of ‘Galacticos’ Ospreys sides had arrived in Newport to take on the Dragons. The starting XV reads like a fantasy draft: a Jerry Collins-Marty Holah-Ryan Jones back-row; Jonathan Thomas and Ian Evans in the second-row boiler room; a Welsh international front-row of Paul James, Huw Bennett and Adam Jones; and behind the scrum, the likes of Mike Phillips, Tommy Bowe, James Hook and Lee Byrne.

George North will make Welsh rugby history on Saturday when he plays in his fourth Rugby World Cup quarter-final. At 31 – and almost 13 years after he made his Test debut – North will complete an outstanding personal achievement.

Jonathan Humphreys says that Wales “cannot afford to go off-script” when they tackle Rugby World Cup opponents Georgia in Nantes on Saturday. Wales need a point from their Pool C finale to win the group, having already secured a quarter-final place through beating Australia by a record 40-6 scoreline nine days ago.