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.

Former Wales prop Craig Mitchell has resurfaced at Gallagher Premiership club Newcastle Falcons. The tight-head spent last season at Yorkshire Carnegie in the English Championship after spells at both the Dragons and the Cardiff Blues which appeared to suggest his career was in decline.But Mitchell has impressed the Falcons playing for their reserve side in recent weeks and director of rugby Dean Richards has opted to hand the 32-year-old a three-month deal.

Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies has been accused of “dirty play” by former Ireland international Luke Fitzgerald for allegedly aiming a knee at Leinster’s James Lowe. The incident occured in the first-half of the Scarlets’ thrilling 23-21 victory at home to the Guinness Pro 14 champions on Saturday. New Zealander Lowe scored just before half-time, but as he slid in at the corner he was challenged by a sliding Davies as the players collided.

Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke hasn’t ruled out recruiting another outside-half to help plug the gap left by Luke Price’s broken leg that will keep him out until the New Year. Having caused considerable furore by giving the 22-year-old former Wales Under 20 player first shot at filling Dan Biggar’s No. 10 jersey ahead of the more experienced and established Sam Davies, Clarke now risks alienating one of the region’s home grown assets with talk of looking for emergency cover. Davies came off the bench to help steer the Ospreys to an opening 17-13 win over Edinburgh at the Liberty Stadium and will presumably start in this weekend’s home clash with the Cheetahs.

After six years spent going backwards, the Ospreys need a lift and George North could be just the man to provide it. Graham Thomas looks at the player and his new region as both seek a fresh start by winding back the clock. If one man’s personal circumstance could signify the wider challenge for the Ospreys this season, then it would be George North. Like the region itself, their new marquee signing has had a scratchy couple of years, judged by the standards of previous glories. Both player and team are seeking some kind of redemption.

George North and his fellow Ospreys new boys have been told to hit the ground running when the new Guinness Pro14 season starts. The demand has been made by head coach Allen Clarke – preparing for his first full season in charge by attempting to blend a new-look team quickly into the groove. North will make his Ospreys debut against English champions Saracens in London on Thursday.

Having recently looked at the Principality Premiership, Geraint Powell turns his attention to the survivors of the great 2003 Welsh rugby shake-up, the regions. These like to consider themselves as independent business operations. How’s trade? “Project Reset”. Two words that send a shudder down the spines of those who want to forever remain with the non-aligned April 2003 fudge without the requisite never ending evolution/modernisation. This is compounded by ill-advised fixed term “cliff edge” agreements between the WRU and the regions, an excuse to stand still for periods of five to six years.

The Scarlets will begin their Heineken Champions Cup campaign against last year’s beaten finalists Racing 92 at Parc y Scarlets. Wayne Pivac has one last opportunity to add European silverware to the Guinness PRO12 title he won in 2017 before he takes over as Wales head coach after the World Cup. Their Pool 4 campaign begins on Saturday 13 October before a six day turnaround to face two-time champions Leicester Tigers.