Welsh Rugby: Sorry Scarlets, a Cardiff Christmas cracker and Arms Park takeover
- Published
Bath celebrate victory against Cardiff at a packed Arms Park which attracted Welsh rugby's biggest domestic crowd of the season so far
Another weekend and another clean sweep of defeats for the Welsh regions.
After Cardiff, Ospreys, Dragons and Scarlets all lost at home for the first time on the same weekend earlier in the United Rugby Championship (URC) season, this time the four defeats came in European competition.
There was a range of different emotions, with positivity still oozing at Cardiff despite the Investec Champions Cup defeat by Bath.
Compare that to the despair currently residing in Llanelli, after Scarlets were humiliated at home by Georgian side Black Lion in the Challenge Cup.
Ospreys were humbled by Montpellier, while Dragons suffered a last-gasp defeat against Pau.
It has been another intriguing weekend of Welsh rugby on and off the field as Cardiff confirmed their new majority investors as a takeover took a major step towards being completed.
Positivity in defeat
Cardiff and Scarlets have both won two games this season. The mood in the two camps could hardly be more contrasting.
Cardiff have lost six games and drawn one but have been within seven points of their opposition in all matches apart from the 52-7 hammering in Toulouse.
The optimism is based on the brand of rugby they are playing and the youngsters they are blooding, with another captivating contest against Bath.
There was also the announcement over the weekend confirming the takeover by Helford Capital Limited as majority shareholder, a development head coach Matt Sherratt says will stabilise the organisation.
"You can feel here at the moment the supporters have an affinity with the players on the pitch," said Sherratt.
"Twelve out of the 15 players who started against Bath have come through our system and are from the region and it is something we need to build on. It is great there is a core of homegrown players."
Sorry Scarlets
Dwayne Peel joined the Scarlets coaching staff from Ulster
Things feel very different 50 miles west. The Scarlets had already conceded 50 points in three matches this season and suffered an insipid defeat against local rivals Ospreys.
The 23-7 Challenge Cup home loss to Black Lion represented a seventh defeat in nine games with the only victories coming via a league double against Cardiff.
This was a new low for head coach Dwayne Peel during his time in charge as he faces questions about his future.
Likening the Black Lion side to a pub team is disrespectful when it contained a proportion of the Georgian national team, but the Scarlets were dreadful and underpowered up front.
Peel's injury list of 16 players has not helped him and some of the personnel on show on Friday night were playing semi-professional rugby last season.
It is not all about budgets, as Black Lion proved. For a proud Scarlets side that won a league title six years ago, there are deeper rooted problems with the official supporters group expressing concern towards the hierarchy about how the organisation is being run.
A home Boxing Day derby game against local rivals Ospreys becomes vitally important.
Scarlets might already be staring down the barrel of being out of contention in the URC and Europe before the Christmas turkey has been carved but they need to show fight against their nearest rivals over the festive period.
Contrasting crowds
There have been some contrasting crowds over the last two weekends with Ospreys, Dragons and Scarlets having small attendances for Challenge Cup opposition from France, Italy and Georgia compared with the bumper 10,000 crowd for Cardiff's Champions Cup tie against Bath.
Ospreys and Dragons reported crowds of 3,335 and 3,057 respectively for their matches against Benetton and Oyonnax, while Scarlets stated there were 5,830 fans for their home match against Black Lion.
Cardiff's league derby against Scarlets earlier this month was held on a Saturday afternoon and also attracted more than 8,000 fans.
Perhaps an indication of where the interest lies as the possibility of an Anglo-Welsh league rears its head once more. Occasions like Saturday evening in at the Arms Park should not be isolated exceptions.
When asked about that Anglo-Welsh issue, Cardiff coach Sherratt was diplomatic but admitted it was a special atmosphere against Bath.
"If it was every week would it be the same because big European nights have something special about them," said Sherratt.
"We have Harlequins coming here as well in January and I am sure that will be very similar. It has a different feel about it.
"Whether that is because it is a English side with a traditional history between Bath and Cardiff, it seemed to whet the appetite."
Man-of-the-match against Oyonnax, Aaron Wainwright is three games away from 100 for the Dragons
More players leaving Wales?
Wales number eight Aaron Wainwright was rested for the Dragons trip to face Pau which the Gwent region agonisingly lost by conceding a last-gasp try.
Following George North's move to Provence from Ospreys at the end of the season, Wainwright is the latest to be linked to a move out of Wales with Bristol and Leicester interested in his services.
Like Cardiff scrum-half Tomos Williams, who is being courted by Gloucester, Wainwright has enough caps to still be able to play for Wales should they decide to leave.
Those playing outside of Wales are now required to have 25 caps to represent their country after the number was dropped from 60 in February 2023. Wainwright has 46 caps, Williams has played 53 internationals.
Anybody who witnessed Wainwright's stellar performance against Oyonnax earlier this month would see how important he is to Dragons' future. But keeping hold of him and the likes of Wales wing Rio Dyer will be a mighty challenge.
Reasons to be cheerful?
Welsh rugby: Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt urges joint effort to keep talent in Wales
Short-term pain for long-term gain with young Wales players being given more exposure than they otherwise would. That is the narrative being peddled by the optimists for the four professional rugby sides this season with budgets and squad sizes slashed.
One look at the young Ospreys and Cardiff back-row trios this weekend will show the inexperience being exposed. Ospreys had 18-year-old number eight Morgan Morse packing down while 19-year-old Cardiff flanker Lucas de la Rua was also involved.
In Ospreys' 38-5 defeat in France, Montpellier brought on France Grand Slam winning lock Paul Willemse and South Africa scrum-half Cobus Reinach off the replacements bench, while the Welsh region were introducing young players with hardly any senior experience.
Young players such as Alex Mann, Cameron Winnett, Eddie James, Mackenzie Morgan and Harri Deaves have impressed for Welsh sides after being given opportunities in these tough financial times for the regions. The problem is they will not benefit if they continue to play in losing sides.
"There are a lot of homegrown players in Wales we should celebrate," said Sherratt.
"There is a lot of negativity around but there is a huge amount to celebrate if we look beyond the results which is tough at times I know."
Maybe in five years we will look back at this time as a seminal moment in the reboot and rejuvenation of Welsh rugby. Time will tell.
Strategy needed
It's that 'collateral damage' time of the year - Ospreys boss Toby Booth
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has started to address major governance issues they face with a new-look board, while the Welsh national team has seen the return of Warren Gatland, but the professional game in Wales seems to be meandering along with no noticeable urgency to address it from the top.
The WRU says it will have an overall strategy in place in the first half of 2024. You wonder whether the regional game can wait that long.
There have been stories of Cardiff having single figure numbers of players in pre-season training while Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has spoken about having to take his side to train against other teams because he does not have enough players in his squad.
With budgets being reduced from £5.2m to £4.5m for next season, things could deteriorate rather than improve, with the threat of that player exodus.
The Welsh sides are where they were expected to be in the URC table, in the bottom half with Ospreys 11th, Cardiff 12th, Scarlets 13th and Dragons propping up the 16-team table.
Between them they managed eight wins in the opening seven rounds, though only three victories against sides from other nations. Results in Europe have not been much kinder with two wins in eight matches.
Short-term pain for long-term gain? We await to see whether that scenario materialises.
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