The Guinness Pro 14 kicked off on Friday night – and then spread into Saturday, when every other oval and round ball game was providing an alternative. Geraint Powell says it doesn’t have to be like this. The question of the optimal kick-off time in which to play Welsh regional rugby has once again been brought into stark focus on this opening weekend of the new Guinness Pro 14 season. Obviously, official attendances have to be taken with a pinch of salt. As many will already know, the market practice is to use a “tickets out” basis and this will include all free tickets handed out to corporate sponsors and all season ticket holders – whether in actual attendance or not. Some were querying the wisdom of all four Welsh regions playing at home on the opening

Former Wales second row Lou Reed is hoping his form for Merthyr in the opening weeks of the season can get him back into regional rugby. For the first time in a decade, the former Scarlets and Cardiff Blues lock is without a full-time professional deal. Reed left Sale by mutual consent in February after struggling for regular appearances, but the 29-year-old reckons he has plenty of miles left on the clock at the top level.

The Guinness Pro14 – 16.6% bigger and possibly better than last season – kicks off on Friday night. Robin Davey examines what might happen on the opening weekend and how the four Welsh regions might perform this season. The phoney war is over, pre-season friendlies which can be meaningless are done, and now it’s the real thing as a new professional rugby season in Wales gets under way on Friday night. The Guinness Pro 12 League has evolved into the Pro 14, split into two conferences of seven teams with the addition of two South African sides, bringing in a much-needed injection of capital.

Leigh Halfpenny has revealed overcoming the serious knee injury that put him out of the last World Cup has proved tougher than he ever imagined. The Wales full-back will make his Scarlets debut on Saturday at home to the Southern Kings after moving from Toulon earlier this summer. His fractious departure from the French club came whilst he was trying to win a Test place with the Lions in New Zealand, but Halfpenny believes his most significant setback in recent times was regaining full fitness.

Wayne Pivac believes he has enough generals in the field for the Scarlet army to conquer again this season. The Guinness Pro14 champions begin the defence of their trophy at home to the new boys Southern Kings at Parc Y Scarlets on Saturday night. Four years ago, when head coach Pivac first arrived from New Zealand, the absence of leadership in the squad meant matches were a hectic time involving the constant sending of messages to those players on the field.

In part two of Dai Sport’s regional health check ahead of the new rugby season, Geraint Powell puts his stethoscope next to the heart of the Scarlets to determine whether or not they can maintain the healthy beat of last season. If the Ospreys region has been mostly confined to the shadows this summer (http://www.dai-sport.com/ospreys-ready-fly-back-shadows/), the Scarlets region has inevitably been in the limelight as a result of their scintillating romp to the Guinness Pro12 title last season with comfortable play-off wins in Dublin over Leinster (at the RDS) and Munster (at the Aviva). As if that was not enough to secure media attention, to compensate for the loss of Liam Williams to Saracens they then secured the services of the somewhat stranded Leigh Halfpenny as Williams’ replacement on a dual central contract, 60% funded by the Welsh Rugby Union. If any team can rediscover Halfpenny’s early career attacking mojo, it will be the Scarlets.

In part two of Dai Sport’s regional health check ahead of the new rugby season, Geraint Powell puts his stethoscope next to the heart of the Scarlets to determine whether or not they can maintain the healthy beat of last season. If the Ospreys region has been mostly confined to the shadows this summer (http://www.dai-sport.com/ospreys-ready-fly-back-shadows/), the Scarlets region has inevitably been in the limelight as a result of their scintillating romp to the Guinness Pro12 title last season with comfortable play-off wins in Dublin over Leinster (at the RDS) and Munster (at the Aviva). As if that was not enough to secure media attention, to compensate for the loss of Liam Williams to Saracens they then secured the services of the somewhat stranded Leigh Halfpenny as Williams’ replacement on a dual central contract, 60% funded by the Welsh Rugby Union. If any team can rediscover Halfpenny’s early career attacking mojo, it will be the Scarlets.

Leigh Halfpenny will be wearing a Scarlets shirt this season, much to the disappointment of his former region, the Cardiff Blues. Robin Davey believes his choice should be respected and that any draft system – for both older and younger players – would be a mistake. It’s August and it’s holiday time for many, so that means it’s the silly season when it comes to news – and rugby is no different. Hot topic this week is the draft system and whether it’s a good idea or not. Not a silly subject for sure, but silly thinking it could work in Wales.

Leigh Halfpenny will be wearing a Scarlets shirt this season, much to the disappointment of his former region, the Cardiff Blues. Robin Davey believes his choice should be respected and that any draft system – for both older and younger players – would be a mistake. It’s August and it’s holiday time for many, so that means it’s the silly season when it comes to news – and rugby is no different. Hot topic this week is the draft system and whether it’s a good idea or not. Not a silly subject for sure, but silly thinking it could work in Wales.

The Ospreys have rarely flown under the radar, but change at the other three regions has left them undetected so far this summer, says Geraint Powell. When the season starts, though, that could all change. The Ospeys, without any shadow of a doubt, have been the one real success story in the post-2003 Welsh regional rugby era. A whole far greater than the sum of Swansea and Neath, and I don’t just mean replica shirt sales. Ospreylia. “The one true region”, spreading 37 miles from east to west and for 24 miles from its northern-most point to the southern coastline. Ospreylia has a total boundary of 151 miles, according to the Ordnance Survey map once commissioned. And usually financially stable as a business, at least relative to the heavily loss making Scarlets and Blues.

The grass has been cut, the lines have been painted, and the pre-season friendlies are up and running as the new rugby season beckons. Robin Davey insists there’s much to get excited about. It’s all systems go, at last – the new Guinness Pro 14 League fixtures are out, major pre-season friendlies start this weekend and the countdown is on for the start of what promises to be an exciting new season. The Scarlets will defend the title they won so gloriously last season, the Ospreys look to rediscover the form they lost so dramatically, Cardiff Blues will aim to prove the doubters wrong and the Dragons will finally seek to end a shocking run under the management of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The grass has been cut, the lines have been painted, and the pre-season friendlies are up and running as the new rugby season beckons. Robin Davey insists there’s much to get excited about. It’s all systems go, at last – the new Guinness Pro 14 League fixtures are out, major pre-season friendlies start this weekend and the countdown is on for the start of what promises to be an exciting new season. The Scarlets will defend the title they won so gloriously last season, the Ospreys look to rediscover the form they lost so dramatically, Cardiff Blues will aim to prove the doubters wrong and the Dragons will finally seek to end a shocking run under the management of the Welsh Rugby Union.