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.

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan has urged his team to keep their winning form when they travel to South Africa, following their landmark win against the Ospreys. The Rodney Parade club had not won in front of their own fans for over a year, but finally broke that awful sequence with a 20-5 victory on Saturday night. Dragons head of performance Dan Baugh could be in trouble with United Rugby Championship (URC) officials after a dispute with referee Ben Whitehouse but Flanagan will demand the success is not a one-off flash in the pan.

It’s been a very eventful year in the life of Cai Evans as his rugby dreams have come true. The young utility back was a bolter selection in Wales’ World Cup training squad and then went on to make a surprise start against South Africa in August, winning his first cap, figuring once more versus the Barbarians earlier this month.

Having spent a World Cup campaign of highs and lows vying with Elliot Dee and Ryan Elias for the Wales hooking berth, Dewi Lake is now ready to resume battle with his rivals on the URC stage. This Saturday, he travels to Rodney Parade with the Ospreys for a derby clash against Dee’s Dragons and then, eight days later, it will be a home encounter with Elias’ Scarlets.

The Dragons have confirmed that former head coach Paul Turner will be returning to the region in a consultancy capacity to work alongside Dai Flanagan and his coaching team. Turner – who previously worked at the club between 2005 and 2011 – is joining the ‘Men of Gwent’ on a part-time basis.

It was a weekend to forget for the Welsh regions, with all four teams losing at home in the United Rugby Championship – but it could have been such a different story. Both the Scarlets and Ospreys were leading with less than five minutes to go against the Emirates Lions and Glasgow Warriors respectively, only to concede late scores.

Morgan Morris insists he is unconcerned that his consistent form for the Ospreys has yet to earn him a place in the Wales squad. The back row forward has been a stand-out performer for his region over the past couple of seasons with his tireless carrying and work over the ball.

Just a couple of months ago, there seemed next to no chance of Willis Halaholo becoming a Cardiff Rugby centurion. It looked as though his seven-year stay at the Arms Park was over, with no new contract having been put in place, leaving him stranded on 97 appearances.

Steve Phillips was given a near £500,000 pay off when he quit the Welsh Rugby Union earlier this year. But that was only a quarter of the £1.9m shelled out to former employees who left over a chaotic 12-month period, including former Wales coach Wayne Pivac and his assistants.

Gareth Davies believes the Scarlets can continue the repair job on their URC season after their victory over Cardiff. The Wales scrum-half is likely to be a key figure again for his region when they host South African side, the Lions on Saturday.

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.

On the face of it, Richard Hodges has just about the toughest job in the United Rugby Championship as Zebre’s new defence coach. After all, the Italians conceded no fewer than 101 tries in losing all 18 league games last season, 28 more than any other side and an average of 5.6 a match.