Wales World Cup wing Mason Grady claims there is a new “brotherhood” of local talent ready to take Cardiff Rugby out of the doldrums and push them up the URC table.

Speaking in the wake of his man of the match performance in his side’s dramatic 31-24 home win over the Stormers, the 21-year-old said the region’s investment in young, home-grown talent is reaping rewards.

Cardiff may have won the Welsh Shield last season, but they lost their head coach, suffered wage cuts and had their squad numbers slashed.

But the last gasp win over last season’s runners-up, and the 2022 champions, on Friday night had the Arms Park crowd buzzing and the players feeling they are at the dawn of a new age.

“If you put a bit of belief into younger boys they will show you what they can do. All they need is a bit of game time,” said Grady.

“I’m playing with players I’ve grown up with and we all stick together. It’s a really good environment to be in at the moment – it’s like a brotherhood. I’ve been playing with Evan Lloyd since U11 and to see him coming through is just great.”

Grady was one of four try scorers as Cardiff posted their second win of the campaign and he believes the fighting spirit and backs-to-the-wall approach adopted by head coach Matt Sherratt is proving crucial.

“We have been underestimated this season. As Tomos Williams told us last week, we need to be playing with a chip on our shoulder,” added Grady.

“We showed a lot of character to stick in it after being 14-0 down. We’re a very young team but that showed there is potential to build on this over the next few years – it’s very exciting.

Dwayne Peel has admitted his sinking Scarlets were second rate in a one-sided derby defeat to the Ospreys in Swansea.

The Scarlets coach watched his team suffer a crushing 31-9 humbling at the Swansea.com Stadium at the hands of their fiercest rivals.

It leaves the region facing a growing crisis – rock bottom of the United Rugby Championship, weakened by significant departures and injuries, and with Europe to soon follow.

The pressure is mounting on Peel who had no excuses and bluntly conceded: “I am bitterly disappointed. I thought we were second best in every facet.

 

“It was a game that produces a lot of emotion but I didn’t think we were accurate enough in the fundamentals.

“We are better than what we showed at times today and in big games like this we need to be more accurate.”

It was a fifth defeat in six matches for Peel’s side, who slipped to the bottom of the URC table. The Dragons are one place above them and now the Scarlets have to prepare for another regional derby at the Arms Park.

The Ospreys moved up to ninth in the BKT United Rugby Championship even though they were missing 16 players.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth said: “You know how hard these things are and we are delighted with the outcome, especially on the back of a Welsh derby defeat against Dragons the week before.

“Everyone knows the west Wales derby is important and we got up for it tonight.

“If we can create that atmosphere in every game, those things are important to us and the boys respond to them.

If Peel feels battered and bruised, then spare a thought for Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan.

He watched his team fall to a demoralizing 64-14 defeat to the Sharks in Durban, where they also lost their two first choice outside-halves who were still fit – Will Reed and Cai Evans – to injuries inside three minutes of eachother.

With Angus O’Brien already out injured until the new year, it leaves Flanagan in a hole before they play their next South African opponents, the Lions, on Saturday.

“Physically we’ve got some catching up to do with the South African sides,” said Flanagan.

“Next week [against Lions] is another big challenge. We’re a bit battered, we already had a small squad and now we don’t have an outside half, but we’ll have to find a way.”