Mark Jones has been handed a daunting first task as the new head coach at the Ospreys – a derby clash against fierce rivals, the Scarlets. Previous head coach Toby Booth officially stepped down from his role with immediate effect on Tuesday, with defence coach Jones taking over the reins earlier than planned.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth thanked the fans who ventured into enemy territory to cheer their side to a famous European win. Booth’s men began their Challenge Cup campaign in style, claiming a commanding 30-14 victory over the Lions at Parc y Scarlets.

The United Rugby Championship is back this weekend and for the Welsh regions it means a chance to move the gaze away from Wales’ woes. Not that the foursome have all been awesome themselves, but at least they are gaining the occasional win here and there, unlike the national team.

Swansea’s St Helen’s is a stadium filled to its vast capacity with the ghosts of sporting occasions past. Wales playing their first ever home international rugby union match way back in 1882.

Exeter Chiefs have been such a reliable conveyor belt for Welsh talent in recent years, it hardly seemed necessary to check it was still powered up. But this season, someone appears to have unplugged things down at Sandy Park.

There are big decisions to be made in Welsh rugby right now – such as who does Warren Gatland pick in his squad next week and should the Wales coach be able to stick his nose into other people’s business. Gatland is due to name his group of players for the autumn internationals on Monday, as he attempts to turn the tide in matches against Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

Dwayne Peel is a man under pressure, but he has got used to that. The Scarlets coach takes his team to Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, still seeking a first win of the season after three rounds of the United Rugby Championship.

No player has started more Test matches for Wales over the past 12 months than Gareth Thomas. He may not have the public profile of some of his team-mates, but the Ospreys prop has established himself as a real mainstay of the national side. Thomas has worn the No 1 jersey for 11 of Wales’ 13 Tests going back to September of last year, taking in the World Cup, the Six Nations and the summer tour of Australia.

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan insists there are still reasons to be cheerful – even though his team lost part three of their season-opening trilogy. The Sharks did to the Dragons what they had done to the Ospreys in the opening round of the BKT United Rugby Championship by striking in the final play to win a pulsating game 33-30 at the weekend.

Ospreys coach Toby Booth believes his team’s “never-say-die attitude” can help them build a firm foundation from which to rock Munster on Saturday night. Last week, the Ospreys came from 13-3 down to claim a 37-24 United Rugby Championship bonus point victory over the Stormers in Bridgend – a performance head coach Booth reckons can form the basis for what would be a shock away in Cork.

Dragons coach Dai Flanagan admitted his team were brought back down to earth after their last gasp home win over the Ospreys was followed by a heavy defeat to Leinster in Dublin. Flanagan watched his side go down to a 34-6 loss against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

For Rio Dyer, his moment of rugby renewal this summer came from watching a Frenchman connect with his nation. Dyer – who had an extremely busy 2023-24 season for Wales and his Dragons region – could have been forgiven for switching off completely from the sport after a 12-month stretch that went from last year’s World Cup build-up to this summer’s tour to Australia.