It was a winless weekend for the four Welsh regions, with Cardiff and Dragons losing in South Africa, and Ospreys and Scarlets doing the same in Ireland.

Despite a disappointing round of fixtures for the Welsh sides results wise, there were plenty of positives for fans and coaches to hold onto as all except Scarlets go into a Challenge Cup knockout weekend.

Let’s get into the action!

Morgan returns in full force as Ospreys miss play-off chance

Ospreys failed to take a big step towards United Rugby Championship play-off qualification, losing 21-14 to fellow contenders Connacht.

Level at halftime, the game was in the balance before it was settled by a late try from Connacht scrum-half Matthew Devine.

Daniel Kasende and Luke Morgan scored tries for the visiting Ospreys and Dan Edwards kicked four points. The defeat means Ospreys are huge outsiders to reach the play-offs, despite a valiant display in Galway.

Jac Morgan continued his return from injury, starting his first game since October and looking sharp, but defeat leaves fate out of his side’s hands.

Head coach Mark Jones has led Ospreys impressively amid off-field uncertainty and remained upbeat.

“We had our chances but Connacht have been playing well and are a form team,” said Jones.

“I feel we played much better than at Benetton but we just lost a couple of big moments. We are heading in the right direction going into Europe.”

Ospreys will have to do it the hard way in the Challenge Cup – if they cause an upset against Ulster in Belfast then they will travel to Newcastle or La Rochelle.

Anderson shines again as Leinster get the better of Scarlets

New Zealand number eight Fletcher Anderson continued his quest to scoop up all the ‘signing of the season’ gongs, despite his Scarlets side losing 36-19 to Leinster on Friday.

The number eight arrived from Crusaders in November and has made 14 appearances in all competitions.

Despite missing the first four rounds while in New Zealand, the 23-year-old is third in the official URC chart for carries (166) and also a rare forward on the leaderboard for metres gained (488).

He led the effort against Leinster, with a staggering 27 carries and 62 metres made.

“Fletcher Anderson is my favourite player,” said former Wales and Lions centre Jamie Roberts on S4C. “Unfortunately he cannot play for Wales yet, but what a performance.”

Dragons leave South Africa with good signs… but a lack of points

If there is one word to describe Dragons’ season it is growth. This time last year, the prospect of a trip to South Africa to face the Stormers and Lions would have been a case of damage control.

This year, shorn of a number of first and second choice props, Dragons held their own, losing 29-21 and 42-26 to the pair of South African sides.

Despite double defeats, Dragons did leave South Africa with something to show for their efforts thanks to both centre Aneurin Owen and wing Rio Dyer crossing for doubles.

The unflashy Owen has become a huge figure for the Rodney Parade club with telling contributions on both sides of the ball.

First, though, is the bid to cause an upset in the Challenge Cup on Easter Sunday when they travel to face Stade Francais at Stade Jean Bouin.

Cardiff lengthy injury list leaves play-off spot in jepurdy

Cardiff will have to survive an injury crisis at lock in the coming weeks, as they were forced to play regular number eight Alun Lawrence in the second row for 64 minutes of the capital club’s defeat to the Sharks.

Already without Teddy Williams, Ben Donnell and Tom Cottle, regular duo George Nott and Josh McNally went down with injuries in successive games, leaving the last specialist lock standing as Rory Thornton, joined by the makeshift Lawrence.

The dependable forward is having another fine season but has not started a game in the second row since Cardiff were down to the bare bones for Champions Cup matches with Toulouse and Harlequins in December 2022.

To add further disruption, prop Corey Domachowski and number eight Taulupe Faletau also picked up issues, while there is a growing concern at scrum half, with Aled Davies and Johan Mulder both taking knocks.

The Blue and Blacks travel to Scarlets and host Ospreys in April fixtures that will go a long way towards deciding their top-eight fate.

They are now sixth and just two points ahead of ninth-placed Connacht, who have a double-header in South Africa against Stormers and Lions after the break for Europe.

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