Welsh rugby: The good, bad and ugly for regions in Europe this weekend
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There were contrasting fortunes for Wales' players in Europe
It has been a weekend of good, bad and ugly for the Welsh regions in Europe.
From a Friday night win in Swansea to a spate of injuries to worry Wales head coach Warren Gatland and a red card in France, the penultimate round of pool matches brought contrasting fortunes.
Ospreys are in the knockouts, Scarlets are out, Dragons are clinging on and Cardiff's path remains uncertain.
So what are we to make of the weekend's action before Six Nations selection and next week's final pool round?
Gatland counts cost
Sam Costelow failed a head injury assessment (HIA) on Saturday
Warren Gatland names his Six Nations squad on Tuesday and has some major questions to answer, not least around the back row, fly-half and captaincy.
He is already without Jac Morgan and Taine Plumtree while Taulupe Faletau's return has been put on hold until February by his club, Cardiff.
Now Scarlets fear the worst over Josh Macleod's knee injury at Clermont Auvergne, Ospreys' Morgan Morris and Rhys Davies are injured and Exeter's Christ Tshiunza has a foot issue.
Given the limited preparation time, Gatland could revert to a member of his World Cup squad - Dragons pair Dan Lydiate or Taine Basham are contenders - or give truth to speculation over former Ireland flanker Rhys Ruddock switching allegiance.
Captain candidate Dewi Lake suffered a hamstring injury for Ospreys while Scarlets centre Johnny Williams is facing suspension following his red card for a bruising head-on-head tackle.
Fly-half Sam Costelow should have time to recover from failing a head injury assessment though Callum Sheedy faces a month out.
'Like playing Real Madrid'
The status of the Welsh regions was laid bare at the Arms Park where, despite another sell-out crowd, Cardiff crashed to their heaviest home defeat in Europe.
Ex-Cardiff prop Dillon Lewis, among the wave of players forced to leave Wales last summer, was inevitably among the scorers for Harlequins in the 54-14 win.
Ex-Cardiff Met University student Alex Dombrandt and former Cardiff props Adam Jones and Dillon Lewis
Cardiff are bottom of Pool Two following earlier defeats by Toulouse and Bath and finish against big-spending Racing 92 in Paris next week, but they could yet make the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.
"We weren't in the Champions Cup to win it. We qualified in the last game of the season as the bottom seeds and then had the equivalent of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona in our group," said Sherratt.
"We're playing against well-established clubs, not just with bigger budgets, but clubs that have spent years developing their squad, academies, staff, and the result of that is what you see now.
"We're at the start of that process, but it's in its infancy and it's going to take time and if people are sat waiting for a quick fix, there isn't one.
"We are going to have more nights like this and I'd be depressed if we didn't know what the club was doing, but there's a plan to develop youngsters, grow the facilities and the club."
House hunting Ospreys
Just 4,500 watched Ospreys progress from the pool stage
Ospreys have been in fine form recently and deserve the support of their region.
Toby Booth's side have coped with losing senior stars like Alun Wyn Jones and Gareth Anscombe by giving opportunity to young players. They have triumphed over adversity with more than 20 players injured.
However, the 20,000-seater Swansea.com Stadium was not even a quarter full for the 25-3 win against Perpignan, which shows why new chief executive Lance Bradley believes they must move to a smaller venue.
Whether that happens at Swansea, Neath or Bridgend remains to be seen and it will be a long-term project.
Ospreys are the only Welsh side so far to reach the next round of European competition but must first end the pool with a 10,000-mile round-trip to face Lions in Johannesburg before the knockouts in April.
Dragons banking on home comforts
Dragons must pick themselves up for the decisive clash with Sharks next Sunday
Dragons can still progress in the Challenge Cup despite letting qualification slip through their claws at Zebre.
Cai Evans kicked his side into an early 12-0 lead but was twice off target in the second half despite Jared Rosser's excellent try.
It means Dragons are now fifth in Pool One but can overtake the loser of Pau against Zebre next week if they beat Sharks, who have already qualified.
Head coach Dai Flanagan said: "Next week is massive. We've won our last three at home but now we have the Sharks coming to town, with some World Cup winners, so it's a great opportunity to improve in front of our fans."
Scarlets counting down
Vaea Fififta was one of Scarlets' better performers at Clermont
The end of this 13-week block of matches cannot come quickly enough for Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.
His side have won just two from 12 so far and slipped out of Europe with defeat at Clermont Auvergne, having come within a game of the final last season.
Their chances were already hamstrung by Johnny Williams' red card before injuries to Macleod (knee), Costelow (head), Tom Rogers (head) and Dan Davis (hip).
"We showed what we're about in the second half and we have to harness that to finish this block on a positive against Edinburgh next week," said Peel.
"It's about having the guts to play and live up to what this club is all about.
"Injuries have plagued our season but we have one more game before everyone can take a break from rugby and get their bodies right because there's plenty left in the URC."
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