Cardiff have offered no explanation to their supporters over what has happened to their director of rugby, Dai Young. The Arms Park region have confirmed that Young will not attend Saturday’s “Judgement Day” fixture against Ospreys at the Principality Stadium but declined to comment on reports the 55-year-old has been suspended.

After what Steff Hughes has been through, he now appreciates life as a professional rugby player more than ever. Last summer, he was out of work and facing a very uncertain future having been released by the Scarlets following a decade at the region. He was training on his own and wondering what lay ahead.

Ioan Lloyd believes his move to the Scarlets from Bristol can take him to the next level as an attacking talent. The 22-year-old, who has played across the back division during his four-year stint at Ashton Gate, will move to west Wales ahead of next season.

It really will be Judgement Day at the Principality Stadium next Saturday as Cardiff and the Ospreys go head to head, with the Welsh Shield and Heineken Champions Cup qualification on the line. All four of the Welsh regions lost in the penultimate round of the United Rugby Championship over the weekend, leaving three of the bottom four places occupied by Welsh sides and four of the bottom six.

Dai Young has admitted the Welsh regions need to develop greater depth if they are to compete across the board for honours. Young takes his Cardiff side to Connacht on Saturday night, seeking a victory that would keep alive their hopes of a top eight finish and entry into the URC play-offs.

After more than a year away from the international stage, Gareth Davies is sending out a very timely reminder of just why he has 67 Wales caps to his name. He hasn’t appeared for the national team since March 2022 and has missed out on the squads altogether this season. Having been a permanent fixture for the best part of a decade, it has been a new and unwanted experience, one which left him feeling despondent.

Scarlets centre Johnny Williams has praised Sam Costelow for his “nerves of steel” as they look ahead to a European semi-final. Williams was a tryscorer as the Scarlets came from behind late on to beat Clermont Auvergne, 32-30, on Friday night to secure a home Challenge Cup semi-final against Glasgow. Costelow’s conversion of Ryan Conbeer’s corner try three minutes from time gave the home fans a famous European night at Parc Y Scarlets over opponents who had been reduced to 14 men.

The Scarlets will have history, form – and maybe even referee Wayne Barnes – in their favour when they host Clermont Auvergne on Friday, according to the French club’s head coach Christophe Urios. Clermont may have won away at Bristol in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup, but Urios reckons his team’s quarter-final tie at Parc y Scarlets will be much tougher. The match referee is Barnes, the Englishman who is widely regarded as the world’s best, but not an official Urios reckons his team really understand. “Once again, we will not be favorites,” said Urios, looking ahead to a match that is live on S4C.

Dafydd James, the former Wales and Lions wing, has revealed he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia. James, who is now 47-years-old, played for the Scarlets, Bridgend, and Pontypridd before his career ended in 2009 after fracturing a vertebra in his neck.

The stage is set for 10 days of non-stop action as clubs and players from all over Wales descend on the home of Welsh rugby for the ‘Road to Principality 2023’ rugby jamboree. Last year saw record breaking numbers in almost every category as the fans flocked to watch the rising stars of the game, as well as established senior players representing clubs from across all divisions chase titles and lifelong memories of playing at the Principality Stadium.

Steff Evans is the joint leading tryscorer in European rugby this season, has 13 caps for Wales, and is still only 28 – but expects no calls from Warren Gatland. The wing – whose finishing skills helped see off a star-studded Sharks team last week in arguably the best regional result of the season – reckons he won’t be required any more at Test level. It’s a harsh self-judgement, but Evans insists: “That boat has probably sailed for me.

Dwayne Peel believes the Scarlets rolled back the years with their stunning victory over the Sharks but insisted the standards set has to be the blueprint for the future. Peel watched his team overcome a Sharks squad that included 10 Springboks in a 32-20 victory that was a throwback to the streetwise muggings handed out to star-studded visitors to Llanelli in years gone by. Sam Costelow kicked 22 points, including six penalties and converted two tries by Steff Evans as the Scarlets maintained their outside chances of Heineken Cup qualification.