Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt has described the Irish teams as “slow poison” after another weekend when the Welsh regions were all left feeling sick. All four of them lost in the United Rugby Championship – with the Scarlets, the Dragons and Cardiff all being beaten by opponents from Ireland. The Scarlets lost 26-10 to Connacht, the Dragons went down 49-26 against Ulster, and Cardiff were beaten 33-20 at home to Leinster.

Warren Gatland has stood firm on his critique of Welsh regional rugby – but insisted he has no issue with the coaches. The Wales coach has attempted to steer a fine line between repeating his call for changes, whilst at the same time trying to stay onside with those on the sharp receiving end of huge cuts in finances.

Cardiff have confirmed the signing of Wales outside half Callum Sheedy on a long-term deal that will begin at the start of next season. The 28-year-old will be returning to the city in which he was born and raised after opting to end his 10-year association with Bristol Bears. He won his first representative honours for Cardiff Schools U15 and Cardiff South U16.

Cardiff Rugby bowed out of the Investec Champions Cup staying true to the style that has won them plenty of pats on the back this season, yet has failed to earn them a victory. Their 48-26 defeat to Top14 leaders Racing 92 at La Defense Arena in Paris was full of flair, effort and tries but in the end it was a chance lost to reach either the Round of 16 in the Champions Cup or Challenge Cup. Outscored by seven tries to four, Cardiff ended bottom of their pool with a -113 points difference having conceded 28 tries in their four fixtures.

Warren Gatland will receive reports on his long list of injured players on Monday before he finalises selection decisions for the Wales Six Nations squad. The head coach is due to announce his group for the tournament on Tuesday lunchtime, but has a raft of players he would like to pick currently unfit.

Former Cardiff coach Danny Wilson was polite and complimentary about his old club but stressed his current Harlequins team can “strangle” any game after Wales’ only representatives in Europe’s top tournament were throttled on their own patch. The Investec Champions Cup tie at the Arms Park could be significant for more than just the 54-15 scoreline and the eight tries scored by Quins. It could well mark the last match in the tournament played in Wales for some time.

Home is still very much where the heart is when it comes to the regional derbies in the BKT United Rugby Championship. After nine of the 12 games played already this season, only three have ended up in away victories. At the start of last month the Scarlets won 29-23 at the Arms Park, while last weekend saw the Dragons pip Scarlets by a point at Rodney Parade and the Ospreys came from behind to beat Cardiff Rugby.

Toby Booth praised his “old school” Ospreys players after they beat Cardiff in a match that looked as if it was straight out of the 1980s. The Ospreys coach was full of praise for the character shown by his players as they marked New Year’s Day 2024 with a game-plan that could have come from 40 years ago.

New Year but same old pecking order for the Welsh regions? Coach and rugby analyst Tomas Marks examines the evidence from the Boxing Day derbies and looks for clues as to what might happen on New Year’s Day when the Ospreys host Cardiff and the Dragons welcome the Scarlets. Cardiff and the Ospreys were the resounding winners of the Boxing Day derbies with Cardiff blowing the Dragons away with ease within 40 minutes. The Ospreys survived a tough first half against the Scarlets but managed to score 25 points in the second half to win at Parc y Scarlets for the first time since 2015.

Dai Flanagan has admitted he is in a fight to save his job at the Dragons after their latest humiliating capitulation. The Dragons head coach saw his team crumble in the Boxing Day derby against their biggest rivals, Cardiff – conceding nine tries at the Arms Park in a hugely embarrassing 55-21 defeat.

Jac Morgan is set to miss the Six Nations because of knee injury that requires surgery. The Wales World Cup captain is poised to undergo an operation within days and may struggle to be fit before the end of the season.

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.