Welsh rugby: Five things we learned from URC week three
- Published
More than 7,000 watched Ospreys beat Sharks in London
It was a weekend in Welsh rugby when sentiment was put before substance.
The domestic game may have been overshadowed by Wales facing Barbarians in a farewell to three stars but the United Rugby Championship (URC) continued nevertheless.
From a derby in west Wales, regional rugby pushed new boundaries eastwards with the Ospreys' ambitious London experiment.
So what can we take from the weekend's games?
Faletau Six Nations hope
All four regional coaches could be forgiven for watching events at the Principality Stadium from behind the sofa.
All will have been keeping their fingers crossed their players emerged unscathed from the sheer brute force of All Blacks, Fijians and Alun Wyn Jones.
Wales' Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow faces a potential lengthy lay off following a shoulder and hamstring injury.
It is nothing new for regions to count the cost of international games and Cardiff confirmed they are not expecting to see number eight Taulupe Faletau back from his broken arm at the World Cup until mid-January.
"It was predicted as a 12 to 14-week injury and there's no change to that, he will not be back any earlier," said head coach Matt Sherratt.
"He will be back in the time it takes it to heal [and] we're looking at the new year."
Josh Adams, meanwhile, is expected to return from a shoulder injury next month, possibly in time for the return derby against Scarlets on 2 December.
Cardiff expect Taulupe Faletau to return in January
London calling
Ospreys broke new ground by staging the first URC match to be held in London.
They were forced to vacate the Swansea.com stadium for the fixture against Sharks that kicked off less than 24 hours before landlords Swansea City played.
A move to the Twickenham Stoop was ambitious and looks to have paid off, both on and off the field.
A crowd of more than 7,000 was announced for the Friday night match, more than double the 3,000 who turned up for their first home game of the season in Swansea against Zebre.
No doubt bolstered by the Welsh and South African ex-pat communities in London, three of the Stoop stands were open, though the gate was still just under half the ground's 14,800 capacity.
"Our owners Y11 and the URC had the ambition and foresight to do something different and it should be recognised," said Booth, following his side's impressive 19-5 win.
"It's a shame the game wasn't on a Saturday but people try different things and it does not always work out, but if you don't roll the dice you're never going to win."
Ospreys must also re-arrange two more home games that clash with football, including a likely derby against Cardiff at Bridgend's Brewery Field on New Year's Day.
Crowd control
Attendances were under closer scrutiny this weekend given the clash with Wales' only autumn fixture, albeit an uncapped match against Barbarians, which attracted more than 53,000 fans in Cardiff.
There were 6,325 at Parc y Scarlets where the hosts edged out Cardiff 31-25 later the same day.
Both sides described the fixture clash as "unhelpful and frustrating" but Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel later thanked the Llanelli crowd.
"It was a killer of a fixture for us with Wales v Barbarians going ahead on the same day as this is one of our main games of the season," he said.
"I'm delighted with the fans and really pleased we could reward them with a win. Hopefully we will get a few more through the gate when we play Lions next week."
Gareth Davies star turn
Gareth Davies captained Scarlets for the first time in 234 appearances for the region
While his international team-mates were celebrating with Leigh Halfpenny, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric at the Principality Stadium, Gareth Davies proved a match-winner in Llanelli.
His fellow Scarlets scrum-half Kieran Hardy scored two late tries for Wales in the 49-26 win but it was the returning Davies who excelled for his region.
He was handed the captaincy after Josh Macleod was ruled out following a freak training accident and Davies responded superbly in his first game since the World Cup.
After shrugging off an early leg injury, he scored a typical poacher's try before creating the bonus-point score for Vaea Fifita.
"He's played more than 230 games for the club and it was his first time as a captain. He was delighted and led really well," said Peel.
"Having the likes of Gareth back rubs off on everybody else. That leadership is huge combined with the quality and experience these top players have."
Baby Dragons
Dragons were the region most impacted by Wales this weekend with seven players called up by Warren Gatland, including five in the starting team.
Combine those internationals with a further 13 out injured and head coach Dai Flanagan was down to the bare bones for a tough trip to face champions Munster, which they lost 45-14.
It meant a first regional start for 23-year-old prop Luke Yendle and only a third appearance for 19-year-old flanker Ryan Woodman.
Wales Under-20s captain Woodman, a try-scorer in Cork, is among those players from the Junior World Championship in the summer who are likely to get more opportunities this season following a reduction in regional budget.
Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan said: "They both made a big step forward in their development. They really stood up at a tough place to play. Our scrum was solid and the tight work was good. As a team we just need to be more accurate."