It was a contrasting weekend for the Welsh sides in the United Rugby Championship, with Cardiff and Ospreys winning, whereas Dragons and Scarlets were beaten to nil.

Ospreys beat Zebre in the first game at their new temporary home, the Brewery Field, just failing to secure a bonus point, while Cardiff were made to work hard for their win by a stubborn Connacht side.

Ahead of Steve Tandy’s first squad selection, we will also pick a Wales bolter from each team who has impressed in these first three weekends of the season.

Let get into the action:

Bowen shines again for Cardiff

Despite losing head coach Matt Sherratt with mere days to go before the start of the season, Cardiff have had the best start of the four Welsh regions, winning two of their three matches so far.

Arguably, they should have won their 23-20 defeat to Munster last weekend, with wayward kicking from the tee proving to be their undoing.

On Saturday evening, though, they were made to work for their win by Connacht, with man of the moment Tom Bowen dotting down twice to continue his sparkling start to the season.

Five tries in his last two games has got the whole of Welsh rugby talking – and making premature comparisons. For now, though, with Wales’ winger stocks boosted by the return of Louis Rees-Zammit, it would be best if Bowen was not exposed to international rugby so soon.

On man who is ready to return to the international stage is Callum Sheedy.

Sheedy has set up three of his five tries this season and the fly-half is another who Tandy will watch closely courtesy of Cardiff’s encouraging start to the season.

“Sheeds creates the space and he’s the assist king,” said Bowen. “He reads the game extremely well and suits how we play.

“He’s a class act and he leads in the week with the things that people don’t see in training and how he talks. He deserves a lot of credit.”

Cardiff will attempt to make it 20 wins on the spin against Dragons on Friday when the Rodney Parade club will hunt a first URC victory since the opening day of last season.

Ospreys sweep Zebre aside

A spirited crowd of 4,519 crammed into the Brewery Field to watch the Ospreys clinch their first win of the season with a 24-0 victory over Zebre.

Ospreys were decent value for their win, even if the second half proved to be a frustrating battle to try and add a bonus point, a task that they ultimately failed.

Bridgend boy Dewi Lake was excellent and looks to be back to his best ahead of international action next month.

I grew up here so I love playing here,” said Bridgend-born Dewi Lake, who captained Ospreys.

“We have had some very memorable wins here over the last couple of years and this one certainly goes up there. To nil a team like Zebre, who had started the season as quickly as they had, is excellent for us.”

Perhaps the most standout performer for Ospreys this season has been openside flanker Harri Deaves. Deaves has had to step into the role that legendary seven Justin Tipuric vacated, and has looked the part so far this season.

With Jac Morgan yet to appear for Ospreys this season, Deaves has more than taken his chance and could be in with a shout for international honours.

Scarlets winless after stormy Friday night

Scarlets find themselves bottom of the URC – albeit having played a game less – after a winless, pointless, contest with Stormers on Friday night.

Their South African opponents welcomed back their Springboks – including rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – and were too strong for their Welsh hosts, running out 0-34 winners.

Scarlets have been hit with a number of injuries to their forwards, with Tristan Davies and Max Douglas joining Jake Ball, Sam Lousi, Jac Price, and Ryan Elias on the treatment table, highlighting the lack of depth available to the Welsh regions.

They now travel to South Africa to face the Lions and Sharks before the end of the first block, with the potential to go winless a real possibility.

Despite the defeats, Johnny Williams has captained the Scarlets and put in some excellent individual performances, offering a different option at inside centre to Ben Thomas for Steve Tandy.

Dragons resistance breaks in Glasgow

Filo Tiatia made 12 changes to the Dragons side that failed to secure a first URC victory in over a year, with a number of inexperienced players getting a run out against the 2024 champions, Glasgow Warriors.

Jac Lloyd looked assured on his league debut, while young talents Harri Ackerman and Ryan Woodman impressed yet again.

With two home Welsh derbies coming up against Cardiff and Ospreys in the next two weeks, Dragons need points on the board before the international window kicks in.

Props Wyn Jones and Dillon Lewis have returned to Wales and are back in contention for a place in Tandy’s squad. Watch their recent podcast with Alex Cuthbert here.

---

Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

If you want to read more pieces from Sportin Wales, why not read to our monthly magazine here or subscribe to the magazine and newsletter at https://sportin.wales/subscribe/.

Our podcast is back for the new season and our co-founder Alex Cuthbert is in charge! You can find all the episodes here or the video versions on our YouTube channel.

You can also keep track of our pieces and videos on our socials at @Sportin_Wales on X or Sportin Wales on Instagram and Facebook.