Wales new boy Luke Morgan has admitted his switch from Sevens rugby to 15-a-side had exceeded his expectations. The Ospreys wing was one of two uncapped players named in coach Warren Gatland’s squad for the autumn internationals. Leicester Tigers wing Jonah Holmes has made 15 appearances so far this season and last, but Morgan has only played five games for his region since switching from the Wales Sevens squad.

George North has earned the praise of his Ospreys coach Allen Clarke and his reward is likely to be a week off. North scored one of his region’s four tries as they comfortably beat Pau 27-0 at the Liberty Stadium in their opening European Challenge Cup tie. The Wales wing has now scored five tries in six matches this season, but appears set to be rested for their next tie away to Worcester next Saturday.

It’s the pressing issue of our time. . . Europe and the question of whether the Scarlets and the Cardiff Blues are heading for a soft or hard pool stage when the Heineken Champions Cup kicks-off this weekend. Robin Davey reckons the Scarlets will go deeper into the tournament, with the Ospreys to do likewise in the Challenge Cup, whilst the Dragons have to show signs of improvement. Europe is the big arena in more ways than one, but on the rugby front the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues head into Heineken Champions Cup action this weekend while for the Ospreys and Dragons it’s the Challenge Cup competition. The Scarlets have the European pedigree, they are more than used to playing in the top tier and reached the semi-final stage last season, while for the Blues it’s a welcome return to the main event.

Wayne Pivac has told his Scarlets players that another European adventure this season must include a better start than a year ago. The region begin their Heineken Champions campaign at home to Racing 92 on Saturday, fresh from their 20-17 victory over the Ospreys last weekend. A years ago, Pivac’s team suffered back-to-back defeats at the start of Europe’s pool stages – losing narrowly at Toulon and then at home to Bath, before going on to win five straight matches on their way to the semi-final where they eventually fell to champions Leinster.

Wayne Pivac has warned his Scarlets team the Ospreys are no longer the soft touch of previous seasons. As the two rivals meet on Saturday in the first Guinness Pro14 Welsh derby of the season, the Scarlets coach is convinced the opponents he knows best are now on the up. The Scarlets did the double over their neighbours last season and Pivac’s side have only lost one of their last five matches between the teams.

It’s derby day in Wales this weekend and Robin Davey is feeling optimistic that all four regions now have sufficient quality to make the outcomes difficult to predict. But he still fancies the Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets. A fairly uneventful start to the Guinness Pro 14 season is about to explode into action with the arrival of two hotly contested derbies on Saturday in front of near full houses. In the west, the Scarlets take on the Ospreys at Parc Y Scarlets on Saturday afternoon and just over two hours later in the east the Dragons face Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade.

Former Wales scrum-half Richie Rees has told his Cardiff Blues A team they must improve their decision-making after they blew victory against Munster A with one of the strangest calls of the season so far. The Blues A team lost 33-32 at the Arms Park after they were awarded a penalty late in the match, with time to kick for the corner and launch a final attack. Instead, full-back Tom Williams took a 60-metre shot at goal, which fell well short, and the Blues stumbled to their third successive defeat.

Wayne Pivac paid tribute to Jonathan Davies – and others – after the returning cavalry helped the Scarlets up to second place in Conference B of the Guinness Pro14. The Wales centre played his first match back after 10 months out injured and looked as if he had never been away as he scored two tries in the 54-14 thrashing of Southern Kings in Llanelli. Paul Asquith and Ioan Nicholas joined Davies in making their first starts of the season as Pivac refreshed his squad following their defeat to Connacht the previous week.

The Guinness Pro 14 is hardly into autumn and already coaches are chopping and changing their teams. Critics have declared this undermines the tournament. Not so, argues, Harri Morgan who says freedom to select some and rest others actually protects its future. Cast your mind back to the halcyon days spent playing on Championship Manager. The scenario – you’re boss of a newly promoted club, fighting to retain Premier League status. You’ve got Taribo West on a free transfer. That’s not relevant, but you always get Taribo.

Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac believes his team are paying a painful price for their back row injury crisis. Last season’s Guinness Pro 14 finalists lost 33-20 at Connacht – their second defeat in their opening four matches – where they were outflanked without a specialist openside in their line-up. With James Davies heading up a lost list of injured flankers, Pivac admitted: “We’re hurt without a seven at the moment; it’s one of our strengths, slowing ball down and turning ball over. We weren’t able to do that today.

John Mulvihill has admitted Cardiff Blues fans are being short-changed following the region’s poor start to the season. The Blues head coach has overseen three straight defeats in the Guinness Pro14, all of which involved the surrender of winning positions. The latest came in Parma on Saturday where despite the perfect preparation of week based in Italy following their loss to Treviso the previous weekend, Mulvilhill’s side crumbled – losing 26-24, having been 21-0 ahead.

Former Scarlets talisman Tadhg Beirne will make his Munster debut on Friday night – but there will be no riveting match-up against Alun Wyn Jones. While Munster have pushed the boat out in front of their fans – with Beirne and fly-half Joey Carbery making their full debuts for the province in Cork – the Ospreys decided their ship would sail without its headline crew. So, there is no Jones, Justin Tipuric, George North, Aled Davies or Owen Watkin after coach Allen Clarke decided to make 12 changes from the team that beat the Cheetahs last week. Two weeks ago, Guinness Pro 14 champions Leinster were criticised in some quarters for sending a mostly second-string side to start their campaign at Cardiff Blues.