Rhys Webb has spoken of his devastation at missing the upcoming Six Nations through injury. The Wales scrum-half was withdrawn from the squad on Thursday after tests revealed the seriousness of a knee injury he suffered playing for the Ospreys against Clermont Auvergne. Webb – who missed the 2015 World Cup and has a history of injury problems that have left him well short of the 60-cap threshold to continue to be able to play for his country whilst based in France next season with Toulon – is likely to need an operation.

The Ospreys have dismissed head coach Steve Tandy midway through an under-achieving season. The region announced on Monday afternoon they were parting company with Tandy after six years in the job – despite a recent upturn in both results and performances. It is the first time the region have got rid of their coach midway through a campaign.

Dan Biggar’s shoulder will be assessed by Wales medical staff on Sunday after the Ospreys’ No.10 was injured during his team’s defeat to Clermont Auvergne which ended the region’s campaign in Europe. It leaves Wales worrying over the fitness of their outside-half just a fortnight before their opening NatWest Six Nations game against Scotland. And it comes barely 24 hours after his fellow Wales No.10 Rhys Priestland was sidelined for the majority of the tournament due to a hamstring problem.

Coach Rowland Phillips has picked 10 uncapped players in his Wales Women Six Nations squad. Phillips has named the new faces as part of a squad of 36 with potential debutantes among forwards and backs. The new players are Ospreys trio Natalia John, Amy Thomas and Cara Hope, Scarlets’ Beth Lewis and Cardiff Blues’ Awen Prysorin the forwards; Ospreys’ Alecs Donovan, Cardiff Blues’ Hannah Bluck, and Scarlets trio Jade Knight, Lisa Neumann and Angharad De Smet among the backs.  

Former Ospreys wing Tommy Bowe has announced he is to retire at the end of the season. Currently out injured with a shoulder problem, Bowe, 33, is arguably Ireland and Ulster’s greatest ever wing, but spent a good chunk of his peak years with the Welsh region. Out of form and suffering a career dip at his native Ulster, Bowe moved to the Ospreys in 2008 and went on to re-ignite his fortunes with 36 tries in 77 appearances.

Dan Biggar has insisted the Ospreys made the right choice in opting to take a draw against Saracens in order to keep their European Champions Cup quarter-final hopes alive. The Wales fly-half kicked a late penalty to tie the scores against the defending champions at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday night. The 15-15 draw means the Ospreys can finish top of Pool Two and make the knockout stages if they beat Clermont Auvergne in France this weekend.

This time last year Jack Roberts was in Paris playing Champions Cup rugby with Leicester Tigers against Dan Carter’s Racing 92 superstars. Twelve months on the north Bangor-born, Llandovery College educated centre will be hoping to kick-start his Cardiff Blues career with an appearance against Leinster A in the British & Irish Cup at Sardis Road. It is not the route into the big-time in Welsh rugby that Roberts had been hoping for after returning home from the Tigers. Injuries have restricted him to a mere 22 minutes of first-team action at Blues after he suffered a knee injury on his Guinness PRO14 debut against Munster in September.

Former England centre Brad Barritt has warned the Ospreys that Saracens intend to elbow them aside this weekend as they defend their European crown. Anything less than victory for Sarries will end their hopes of emulating Toulon by winning a third successive trophy, while the Ospreys also need a win to keep alive their hopes of progress. Both clubs have won twice and lost twice in Pool Two, but the Ospreys are in second spot behind leaders Clermont Auvergne thanks to the bonus points earned in back-to-back victories over Northampton.

The Ospreys will check further on the fitness of young centre Owen Watkin on Monday following his neck injury suffered in their 29-28 weekend victory over the Cardiff Blues. The Wales international was hurt during the late stages of the Guinness Pro14 derby at the Liberty Stadium and taken to hospital for medical checks. Watkin was released home on Saturday night but the 21-year-old is due to undergo more tests at the Ospreys’ training base before it will be known whether the injury will rule him out of European Champions Cup and Six Nations contention over the next few weeks.

Steve Tandy is expecting a regional derby thriller when Cardiff Blues arrive at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. The Swansea-based region got over their defeat to West Wales rivals Scarlets with a convincing 22-9 triumph at the Dragons on New Year’s Eve and head coach Tandy believes the recovery will grow against their city rivals.

Dan Lydiate and Hallam Amos have handed Wales head coach Warren Gatland a few injury headaches ahead of the NatWest Six Nations campaign next month. Both were victims of the full-blooded Welsh regional derbies over the Christmas period. The 23-year-old Amos injured his ankle in the Dragons’ Boxing Day loss to Cardiff Blues, while the 30-year-old Lydiate picked up a bicep problem in the Ospreys’ New Years Day triumph at Rodney Parade. “We’re just waiting to see if we can rehab the injury or decided if Hallam will need an operation. We’re just liaising with the Wales medics to see what’s the best course of treatment – five or six weeks is the pessimistic outlook,” said Dragons coach Bernard Jackman.

Steff Evans has been banned for four weeks after being sent off in the Scarlets’ 12-9 Guinness Pro 14 victory over the Ospreys on Boxing Day. The Wales wing was shown a red card in the first-half of their derby following an aerial challenge on the Ospreys’ Ben John. Evans was deemed to have tackled John in the air, contravening Law 10. 4(i) of the World Rugby regulations, and will miss four matches, including the region’s final two Champions Cup group games.