What next for the four Welsh regions after Judgement Day?

Regional stars L-R: Dan Biggar, Tadhg Beirne, Gareth Anscombe, Elliot Dee

As the dust settles on Judgement Day and the regular Pro14 season, three of Wales' four regions have plenty to play for.

Scarlets remain in the hunt for the Pro14 title, the chance of winning European silverware awaits Cardiff Blues in the Challenge Cup, while Ospreys can still clinch a place in next season's Champions Cup.

Only Dragons - languishing near the bottom of the table but with exciting new recruits on the horizon - have nothing left to play for in May.

Scarlets

Wayne Pivac's side finished second in Conference B on the same number of points as table-toppers Leinster.

Their bonus-point win over Dragons on Saturday ensured a home quarter-final play-off against Cheetahs on Saturday, 5 May.

Should Scarlets beat the South African side, they will progress to a last-four encounter away to Glasgow who topped Conference A.

In the other half of the draw Munster host Edinburgh, with Leinster awaiting the winner.

The final will be played at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 26 May.

Scarlets head coach Pivac said the Cheetahs are "going to bring a big challenge".

"They've got a good set piece and a very dangerous back three, so that makes them a bit threat," he said.

"Their record hasn't been that great away from home but, as you saw with us last year, if you're playing well enough things go your way."

Nick Williams celebrates Cardiff Blues' semi-final victory over Pau

Cardiff Blues

Having already booked their place in the European Challenge Cup final and qualified for next season's Champions Cup, Blues rested several first-team players on Judgement Day.

But their so-called second string team were only beaten by a "fully loaded" Ospreys side after Dan Biggar's late drop-goal.

All eyes now turn to Bilbao where they take on Gloucester on Friday, 11 May.

Head coach Danny Wilson said with the final being "the biggest game for the Blues in the last eight years" they made the right decision to make 13 changes against Ospreys.

He believes the Blues go into the final as underdogs.

"They are a side with big line-speed in defence and they're a quality outfit, well coached and well drilled, so we will have to be on top of our game," Wilson said.

"It's cup rugby, it's a final, anything can happen and we'll go there with confidence."

Jeff Hassler will leave Ospreys at the end of the season

Ospreys

After a torrid start to the Pro14 season, Ospreys have a "lifeline" in May's Champions Cup play-off qualifier, probably against Ulster, although Benetton could also be the opponents.

Before the departure of head coach Steve Tandy in January, Ospreys were second from bottom in Conference A, with just four wins from 13 games.

But a resurgence under interim and now permanent head coach Allen Clarke saw them rise to fifth.

League rules state the two teams that finish fourth in each conference will play-off for a Champions Cup place, but as third-placed Cheetahs are outside of Europe, their place falls to Ospreys.

Clarke said the game on the weekend of 18/19/20 May, likely to be in Belfast against Ulster, is of huge importance: "It's a cup final for us, there's no doubt about that.

"George North [the Wales and British and Irish Lions wing who will join from Northampton] isn't coming here to play Challenge Cup rugby.

"Seven or eight weeks ago we were behind the black ball in terms of striking for a Championship play-off position.

"It would have been a long shot if we could have done it through the league without going into that play-off game.

"Fortunately through performance and the response of the players we've got ourselves through to that one-off game and that's given us the lifeline."

The play-off could a rematch of the league game on 13 April, when Jacob Stockdale's last-minute try secured an 8-0 victory and wiped out Ospreys' heroic defensive effort.

Wing Jared Rosser could be one to watch at Dragons

Dragons

With just two league wins this season, Bernard Jackman's side went into Judgement Day with only pride to play for.

They were well beaten by a frustrated Scarlets, with scrum-half Gareth Davies less than flattering about Dragons' standard of play.

But for head coach Jackman the season has been about building for the future and giving opportunities to young players.

He admitted they have not done as well as he would have liked, but was "definitely excited" about the development he has overseen in 2017-18.

Jackman added: "My job is to try and look at it objectively - not get caught up in the emotion or the media reaction - and try and see what ingredients you need to put together to build a winning team.

"When I look at it from that point of view I can definitely see that we're in a far stronger place than we were."

Twenty-one players, 17 from the academy, have made their Pro14 debut with Dragons this season, while Jackman has had to contend with long-term injuries to the likes of Nic Cudd, Tavis Knoyle, Brok Harris, Tyler Morgan and Gavin Henson.

"We've had 14 players in this year's squad that have played less than 10 games because of injury, that we feel have a huge role to play next year," added Jackman.

But with Wales trio Richard Hibbard, Ross Moriarty and Aaron Jarvis already signed for next season, the squad is already looking more formidable.