The Ospreys completed a miserable weekend for the Welsh regions in Europe as they conceded six tries in a 38-5 defeat to Montpellier in the EPCR Challenge Cup. All four Welsh regions lost in Europe, leaving them with a collective record of two victories from their opening eight matches. Last season Toby Booth’s Ospreys side completed a notable double over the then French champions in the Champions Cup, but they were no match for the home side in Round 2 of this season’s second tier tournament against the bottom placed side in the Top 14.

Cardiff against Bath in the top tier of European rugby immediately takes the mind back to 1996 and the Heineken cup quarter-final at the Arms Park. It was Jonathan Davies v Mike Catt, Mike Hall v Jeremy Guscott, Dai Young against Victor Ubogu, Derwyn Jones v Nigel Redman – the English champions against the previous season’s Heineken Cup finalists.

Cardiff will have the benefit of home comforts when they host Bath at the Arms Park on Saturday in the European Champions Cup, but head coach Matt Sherratt has urged supporters to bring patience and realism along with their backing. The Welsh regions are facing financial struggles with the budgets of the four professional sides reduced to £5.2m for the 2023-24 season, which is much less than the top French, Irish and English sides.

Merab Sharikadze will renew his rivalry with Scarlets cente Johnny Williams at Parc Y Scarlets in the second round of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Friday night in a game against Black Lion that is a potential banana skin for Dwayne Peel’s home side. The Scarlets were highly competitive, yet ultimately well beaten, in their opening game in Pool 3, going down 36-14 in Castres.

Rob Howley is back in Welsh rugby with Wales – four years after a ban for betting on matches forced him to stand down. The former Wales captain has been re-appointed to his old role as assistant to Warren Gatland, re-uniting the pair ahead of the forthcoming Six Nations.

Former Wales internationals Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin and Ashley Beck will head the respective coaching and management teams for Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder next year. The new WRU-owned franchises will play Irish and Scottish opposition, home and away, in the cross-border tournament.

Hot on the heels of only their second win of the season, over Oyonnax in the EPCR Challenge Cup, Dai Flanagan’s Dragons have been given another major boost with the return to action of Argentine World Cup scrum half Gonzalo Bertranou. The 29-year-old was given extra-time to recover from his French exploits, when he helped the Pumas reach the semi-finals before narrowly missing out to England in the Bronze Medal match.

The 2022-23 may just have been the bleakest in Welsh rugby history. In late February 2023, the national men’s team’s players were threatening not to turn out for that weekend’s Six Nations game against England. Endless prevarication between the WRU and the professional clubs about finalising a new financial agreement for elite rugby meant…

Swansea could be in the mood to party like it’s 1999 as they made the last four of this season’s WRU Premiership Cup with a 27-16 victory over Ospreylian rivals Bridgend Ravens at St Helen’s. The Whites have enjoyed past success in the cup in its various former guises as three-time winners, but it was 24 years ago they last won the cup as they beat then Swalec Cup holders Llanelli at Ninian Park.

Dewi Lake scored a record equaling four tries in a European match for the Ospreys as he guided his side to a bonus-point 43-34 win in Pool 2 in the EPCR Challenge Cup. The Wales hooker converted three driving line-outs and also drove over for another from close range as home forwards just managed to outgun the superb Benetton threequarters.

The four Welsh regions have a break from the United Rugby Championship this weekend, but that doesn’t mean life is going to get easier. In fact, it looks tougher in some respects with three of them facing club opposition in Europe and the Ospreys up against the Italians of Benetton who they lost to last week.

The British and Irish Lions will be part of an “amazing occasion” when they play in Ireland for the first time in 2025, according to Ieuan Evans. The Lions will take on Argentina in a June 2025 warm-up fixture ahead of their tour of Australia.

Llandovery College made history by becoming the first school side to win the WRU’s elite WSC Rugby Cup with a 28-13 win over 14-man Ysgol Glantaf. The win at Principality Stadium ensured Joe Denman’s side completed an unbeaten season in the tournament and went one better than two years ago when they fell at the final hurdle to Cardiff & Vale College.

Bridgend & District Schools’ two try hero Sam Watkins picked up the player of the match award in his side’s thrilling 19-18 win over Mynydd Mawr & Dinefwr. It was the first time since 1990 that Bridgend had won the most coveted title at U16 level in Wales, but their hearts were in their mouths in the final play of the game when MMD outside half Tom Evans had a shot at goal to win the game.

George North has agreed a two-year deal to join second-tier French side Provence from the Ospreys at the end of the season North was part of the Wales side that lost in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals to Argentina and can still play for his country as he has many more than the 25 caps needed to play outside of Wales, with 119.

Former Wales forward Andrew Coombs has said he has been diagnosed with dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the age of 39. Coombs is one of the 295 retired rugby union players who have brought a legal claim against three of the sport’s governing bodies alleging they sustained brain injuries during their careers.

Wales fly-half contender Ioan Lloyd produced a “box office” display in the Scarlets’ 29-23 bonus point victory over Cardiff Rugby at a packed Arms Park. The No 10 spot in the Six Nations is very much up for grabs with Dan Biggar having retired from international rugby and Gareth Anscombe unavailable following his move to Japan, while Sam Costelow is currently out injured.

Dwayne Peel believes his Scarlets teams have answered questions over their character with their victory at Cardiff – although he knows there are tougher examinations to come. The head coach saw his team gain a bonus point 29-23 win at the Arms Park, where home flanker Ellis Jenkins was sent off for a dangerous tackle after 28 minutes. It’s a result that bunches three of the Welsh regions together in the lower mid-reaches of the United Rugby Championship (URC) table with the Ospreys in 11th, Cardiff in 12th and the Scarlets 13th.

Wales’ World Cup scrum-halves Gareth Davies and Tomos Williams will go head-to-head in a mouth-watering individual battle at the Arms Park on Saturday when Cardiff host the Scarlets. They are likely to be the frontrunners once again for the No 9 jersey in the Six Nations, so it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in this derby clash.

Former Wales stars Gavin Henson and Colin Charvis, plus ex- England captain Phil Vickery are among more than 200 retired rugby players to bring a legal claim against three of the sport’s governing bodies alleging they suffered brain injuries during their careers. Vickery, 47, a member of England’s World Cup-winning team in 2003, and Henson, 41, who won Six Nations Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008, were named for the first time on Friday after they waved their anonymity in their claims against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.