The Ospreys stopped the rot with a 24-10 victory over Ulster that puts them firmly back on course to make the Guinness Pro12 play-offs. After four straight defeats in all competitions, Steve Tandy’s side held off a second-half fightback from Ulster.

The Ospreys’ mental frailty can be used against them by Ulster this weekend, says the Irish province’s director of rugby Les Kiss. Saturday’s showdown at the Liberty Stadium will have a crucial bearing on the final shake-up for Guinness Pro12 play-off places, with the Ospreys currently sitting in fourth spot – just a point above Ulster.

Judgement Day offered points and plaudits for the Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets. WRU Finals Day underlined the progress made by RGC. But Geraint Powell says other results – the financial ones – point to a Welsh rugby structure that no longer adds up. Spring is always a difficult season for the non-Test tier of professional rugby in Wales, the time of year when the hybrid regions/”super” clubs are compelled by UK company law to publicly file/disclose their financial performances for the preceding rugby season.

Danny Wilson paid tribute to his Cardiff Blues side for the battering they gave the Ospreys in their 35-17 derby demolition at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. The Blues coach saw his team score five tries but it was the bullying nature of their first victory over their rivals for seven years that really impressed him. “We were certainly the mote physical of the two sides,” said Wilson.

Cardiff Blues scrum-half Lloyd Williams reckons a wounded Ospreys side will be dangerous opposition when the two teams lock horns at Judgement Day V on Saturday. Steve Tandy’s men have hit a stumbling block in their search for a play-off place, losing their last three matches to Benetton Treviso, Stade Francais and Leinster.

Cardiff Blues outside-half Gareth Anscombe says the Ospreys will prove a tough test when the two sides do battle in Judgement Day V at Principality Stadium on Saturday. The New Zealand-born Wales international hailed the quality of the Swansea-based side and believes the Blues will have to work hard to come out on top. He said: “They have a monstrous pack, probably one of the biggest in the competition. They know what their game is about and we have a massive challenge to compete with them.

Dan Biggar’s return to the field after a clash of heads against Leinster has been questioned by an Irish neurosurgeon. The Wales fly-half missed a late kick in the Ospreys’ 20-18 defeat at home to Leinster on Saturday, minutes after being allowed back on following a head injury assessment (HIA).

The failure of the Welsh regions this season is in sharp contrast to the scene in Ireland, argues Robin Davey. Wasting golden opportunity has become a Welsh trait. It’s not only on the national front where Wales have fallen down this season – it’s much the same when it comes to the domestic scene, too. The Scarlets, though admittedly in a tough group, and the Dragons, both failed to get past the group stages of the European Champions and Challenge Cup, respectively.

The Guinness Pro 12 returns this weekend, but Phil Bennett argues the sense of drift and anti-climax is all too apparent. Instead of ending the season with a bang every year, the Welsh regions finish with a whimper. Thanks goodness for the Ospreys and the Scarlets, otherwise the Welsh rugby season would end in March every year. The Six Nations finished and continued Welsh interest in Europe was over before you could say “Josaia Raisque”.

Steve Tandy has admitted the Ospreys have blown a golden chance of silverware through their failure to be ruthless. Welsh interest in Europe ended for yet another season when the Ospreys followed the Cardiff Blues by making a mess of things in the first knockout stage.

Chris Gibbes says his Ospreys players must step up in the absence of skipper Alun Wyn Jones when they take on Stade Francais in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. Jones was ruled out of the quarter-final clash after injuring his shoulder during Wales’ defeat to France in the Six Nations. He is expected to be crocked for six weeks.

Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy has admitted he was embarrassed by their defeat to Treviso and branded it one of the worst during his five years in charge. The region – who face Stade Francais next week in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final – went down to a shock 13-5 defeat in Italy on Saturday night to lose ground on the top two in the Guinness Pro12.