Wales scrum-half Aled Davies could be on his was from the Ospreys to join English giants Bath. The West Country club have expressed an interest in signing the 27-year-old who is out of contract at the end of the season and has a big decision to make over his future. Davies falls short of the 60 caps required to move outside of Wales and remain eligible for national selection, having only won 20 caps.

Fancy the Ospreys to actually win a game when they cost Saracens in the European Champions Cup on Saturday afternoon? No? Well, you’re probably not alone. But Peter Jackson has a reminder that history often shapes the most unpredictable outcomes. Saracens will look at the dishevelled state of their next European opponent and suspect that the usual New Year ambush awaits them in bandit country. No Champions Cup mission to Ospreys would be the same without one, at least not for the holders.

As the Ospreys prepare for their ultimate test on Saturday – a clash against mighty Saracens in the European Champions Cup, Harri Morgan has been imagining his own tough examination and the only man in Wales who might be up to the task . . . the returning Alun Wyn Jones. Complete this sentence – Alun Wyn Jones is a great leader because…. As I racked Brain:\Rugby\Wales\2006-Present for the top answer, I realised that there was one game that would certainly be the Ospreys lock’s go to response should he be faced with a competency based interview (unlikely) and the inevitable ‘give us an example of a time you have shown strong leadership?’ question.

Dean Ryan reckons the Dragons have unearthed a new “superstar” in wing Rio Dyer after their derby victory over the Ospreys. Adam Warren’s late try sealed a remarkable 25-18 Guinness PRO14 win at Rodney Parade, but was Dyer – a youngster first thrust forward as an 18-year-old by former coach Bernard Jackman – who caught the eye. Head coach Ryan saw his team led 10-8 at half-time after prop Leon Brown responded to a try by his Wales team-mate George North.

Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb will rejoin the Ospreys next season in a deal that will pave the way for a return to international rugby. The British and Irish Lions star is returning to Wales after Toulon agreed to release him from the final year of his contract “for family reasons”. Webb, 31, joined Toulon in 2018 with the move ruling him out of Test selection and the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

How do rugby players spend Christmas Day? For Wales forward Jake Ball, it’s pretty much every other dad, except for large helpings of  self-discipline and denial – at least until the Scarlets have played the Ospreys on Boxing Day, as he tells Graham Thomas. Giant Jake Ball will limit himself to one tiny helping of Christmas pudding the night before – to ensure he’s lean and mean on Boxing Day when he tries to make mincemeat of the Ospreys. The Wales forward – who requires plenty of forkfuls of the right food to fuel his 19-stones body – admits he has a bit of a weakness for festive cake and pudding.

Justin Tipuric has admitted the Ospreys have reached rock bottom by losing for the 11th time in 12 matches and for the first time at home to Cardiff Blues for 14 years. The Wales star – who captained his team while they await the return of Alun Wyn Jones – confessed that the region are currently a team devoid of confidence after they lost 19-16. Swansea has been has been a nightmare venue for the men from the capital for more than a decade, but their luck changed at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday night – despite Filo Paulo, Tomos Williams and Josh Adams all spending spells in the sin bin.

Ospreys forwards coach Carl Hogg praised his young side’s attacking intent as they scored five tries in a 40-27 Heineken Champions Cup defeat by Racing 92. The beleaguered region still only have one win to their name this season, but with a host of senior players missing their young team stood up to be counted in the second half in Paris. Wing Lesley Klim crossed twice after Luke Morgan had opened the scoring and there were also tries for Luke Price and Shaun Venter as Ospreys grabbed their first point in Pool Four.

Amy Evans has retired from Test rugby with Wales women to focus on work and family commitments. The 29-year-old, who also represented her country at weightlifting, won 35 caps after making her debut in the famous win against England in 2015. Evans, last season’s Ospreys Women player of the year, owns a gym in Aberdare and recently became engaged.

The Scarlets are closing in on the signing of Wales star Liam Williams but face stiff competition from French giants Toulon. Williams’ contract at crisis-hit Saracens expires at the end of the current season and the 28-year-old has been weighing up his options. The Wales and Lions full-back visited Parc Y Scarlets recently and was impressed with head coach Brad Mooar’s vision for the region.

Mike Ruddock could extend a month-long stint as a consultant to the Ospreys, but he is unlikely to fill the vacant head coach role at the region. The former Wales Grand Slam-winning coach starts work this morning at the troubled region, where he has agreed to oversee a review of their coaching set-up. But Ruddock is keener to move towards consultancy work than hands-on coaching, even though he has been doing both in Dublin, where he has made Lansdowne the strongest club side in Ireland by leading them to three All-Ireland titles.

The Ospreys had still to confirm the sacking of head coach Allen Clarke on Tuesday evening, with their only reference to him on their website being his recent rallying call to pull through troubled times. But there is no mention of the fact they have dismissed him in the wake of their record 44-3 Heineken Champions Cup defeat at Saracens last weekend. The Welsh region travelled to Allianz Park with 15 players on the injury list and conceded six tries as they slumped to a seventh defeat in eight outings this season.