It’s Judgement Day for the Ospreys in more ways than one on Saturday and the equation is simple, yet also complicated. Their own objective is clear. To have any chance of making the URC play-offs, they have to secure a bonus point victory against Cardiff at the Cardiff City Stadium in the second game of the double-header.

Former Lions and Wales hooker Richard Hibbard insists the Wales No.2 shirt will be up for grabs when some of the front row contenders battle it out on Judgement Day this weekend. An ankle injury for the Dragons’ Elliot Dee has ruled him out of a direct head-to-head against the Scarlets’ Ryan Elias, but the Ospreys’ Dewi Lake is on the comeback trail and he will face off against Cardiff’s in-form Liam Belcher.

Angharad James will captain Wales against Ukraine in Friday’s Euro 2025 qualifier, but may not get the job on a full-time basis. Wales have been without a permanent skipper since Sophie Ingle stepped down after Rhian Wilkinson’s first game in charge, a 4-0 victory over Croatia in their opening Euro 2025 qualifier last month.

At a time when the judgements on Welsh rugby tend mostly to be harsh ones, it would be easy to dismiss this weekend’s Judgement Day as almost an irrelevance when it comes to the business end of the United Rugby Championship. After all, the Ospreys need a series of unlikely and complicated results on the final weekend in order to sneak into the play-offs.

There will be three very interested spectators at Cardiff City Stadium at Judgement Day on Saturday all hoping for different things out of the regional double-header. The traditional derbyfest ends the season for the four Welsh teams in the United Rugby Championship – unless the Ospreys can squeeze into the play-offs.

The “phenomenal” Gareth Davies has been likened to a top striker in football having just reached a major career landmark. Wales scrum-half Davies took his tally of league tries up to 50 with a double in the Scarlets’ victory over Zebre Parma in the last round of BKT URC matches.

Cardiff skipper Liam Belcher led his side to a memorable first win of the year in Durban last weekend and has now set his sights on delivering a huge ‘Thank You’ to the fans on Judgement Day. A year ago, Cardiff pipped the Ospreys not only to the Welsh Shield, but also to the final place in the Investec Champions Cup with a superb 38-21 win that enabled them to finish as ‘top dogs’ in Wales in the BKT United Rugby Championship.

This time 20 years ago, the Scarlets were busy winning what was then the Celtic League and everything in their garden looked, well . . . scarlet. But 2024 appears very different to 2004 and the current side are reaching the end of their season 14th out of 16 teams in the United Rugby Championship.

Tom Shanklin has called on the Welsh Rugby Union to show some vision and offer some hope for the future after another bleak weekend for the game in Wales. All four Welsh teams lost in the United Rugby Championship over the weekend – the fifth time this season they have suffered a collective whitewash.

Scarlets head coach Dwyane Peel has paid a fulsome tribute to Jonathan Davies, claiming the Wales centre became “the best No.13 in the world” during his time with the region. Davies, 36, has announced he will be leaving the Scarlets at the end of the season, bringing down the curtain on a 16-year involvement with his home region over two spells.

Llandovery are the best rugby team in Wales outside of the regional structure and they can prove that status once more this weekend. With none of the four regions in action – having long ago departed the scene of European competition – it gives a welcome opportunity in Wales to shine a light on what else is going on.

It doesn’t need a long, hard stare at the United Rugby Championship table to realise it has not been a vintage season for the Scarlets. The most recent Welsh winners of the tournament seven years ago have won just three matches and stand 14th in the 16-team table. On Friday night, the Scarlets are at home to the Sharks, who are also having a season to forget and have won the same meagre number as their hosts.