Six things Welsh rugby learned from URC weekend

Ospreys kept their slim hopes of a play-off place alive by beating Dragons

It was a weekend of landmarks for the Welsh regions in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Cardiff secured their 200th all-time league win and their first of 2024 while Scarlets won away from home for the first time in more than two years.

Their scrum-half Gareth Davies hit 50 career league tries and Ospreys' Justin Tipuric made his 150th league appearance.

But perhaps the most notable statistic was that three regions posted victories on the same weekend for the first time this season.

It was the most that could be hoped for given the Ospreys-Dragons derby and the hat-trick was completed with impressive away wins by Cardiff and Scarlets in South Africa and Italy respectively.

So what can we take from the latest URC weekend?

Long shot for play-offs

Ospreys still have a mathematical chance of reaching the play-offs with a top-eight finish but it is very much a long shot.

Though, on paper, they have the easiest final game of all the contenders.

They must take a bonus-point win over Cardiff on Judgement Day - 1 June - and then hope the rugby gods are on their side.

Munster, Bulls, Leinster and Glasgow are guaranteed a top-four finish and with it, a home quarter-final. Stormers are also into the play-offs.

Ulster are just behind but travel to leaders Munster on the final day and could yet drop out of the running.

The teams in eighth and seventh can take points off each other when Benetton welcome Edinburgh, ninth-placed Lions travel to Cape Town to face Stormers while Connacht, in 10th, head to Leinster.

And with four points separating five teams, everything could change.

"It's a tight league and the sponsors and television guys are loving it, but we would have preferred to have it done and dusted. But that is not the way it works," said Ospreys head coach Toby Booth after the 26-13 win over Dragons.

"If we don't get into the play-offs it won't be because of what has happened in the last two weeks.

"If we get what we want it would have been what has happened previously. There will be certain points where we might have let a point here or there go begging."

Matters will get even harder if Sharks lift the European Challenge Cup on Friday night and with it, one of the URC's eight places.

Lawrence repays faith

All three of Cardiff's back-row scored against Sharks, including Alun Lawrence (right)

Cardiff finally followed Ospreys (238) and Scarlets (225) in clinching their 200th league victory having waited to do so since their last win back on Boxing Day.

The 36-14 success at Sharks was kicked off by number eight Alun Lawrence who has had an even longer wait to make his mark at Cardiff.

A product of the club's academy, it is more than two years since he last started for the Blue and Blacks during which time he was released due to cutbacks.

He joined Jersey, only to see the English Championship side collapse before being handed a "lifeline" by Cardiff with a return in November.

He produced a barnstorming performance in Durban

“The months after Jersey went into administration was an incredibly tough period," he said.

"I was in a dark place... and I will be forever grateful to [Matt Sherratt] and Cardiff for taking me back.

"It gave me a lifeline and it allowed me to be able to put some pride back into the jersey for myself. I really wanted to do that just to repay the faith."

Scarlets' big guns finally fire

Gareth Davies became only the second Welshman to score 50 league tries, behind teammate Steff Evans

With negotiations ongoing over a new contract, Johnny Williams strengthened his case with a dominant performance in Scarlets' 32-18 win at Zebre.

Williams, out of contract at the end of the season, has had a mixed season since making just one appearance at the World Cup last autumn.

Injury against the Barbarians delayed his season with Scarlets before he was hit with a six-week ban for a red card at Clermont-Auvergne.

But he has been a regular starter since the suspension, helping bring through 21-year-old Eddie James in a powerful Scarlets midfield.

"He's had an indifferent season after the injury and ban but he's hit the ground running since he's been back," said ex-Wales fly-half and centre James Hook on Scrum V.

"He's a big strong man who always seems to skip out of contact and break the first tackle.

"We're not blessed with many centres at the moment so Scarlets need to keep him and he should go to Australia [with Wales] this summer."

Wales trio Ryan Elias, the opening try-scorer, man of the match Gareth Davies, who crossed twice, and Taine Plumtree, who created two scores, also all impressed.

Dragons must smarten up

Aaron Wainwright was one of two Dragons shown yellow cards

Discipline again let down Dragons who hit the self-destruct button by conceding 20 penalties in the loss to Ospreys.

Number eight Aaron Wainwright and scrum-half Dane Blacker were both sent to the sin-bin with Ospreys scoring 19 points during the numerical advantage.

"It is frustrating, our effort is always good but we need to be smarter," said captain Steff Hughes.

"The big talking point will be our discipline after giving away close to 14 penalties by half-time. Against a good team like Ospreys you can't afford to go down to 13 men."

Dragons will finish as the bottom Welsh side again and are only a point ahead of the league's basement side Zebre.

A Welsh region has never finished bottom of the league and Dragons will know what is needed to avoid the URC Wooden Spoon when they face Scarlets at Cardiff City Stadium, a day after Zebre travel to Glasgow.

"We want to have a reaction from this performance," said Hughes.

"It is an opportunity for us as squad in what will be the last game for some players who will be moving on."

Thomas 'not a ten'

Following the post-World Cup departure of Dan Biggar and Gareth Anscombe, the name of Ben Thomas was mentioned among a list of candidates named by Warren Gatland as a potential future Wales fly-half.

He has had fleeting moments in the number ten jersey at Cardiff, such has been the remarkable reliability of Tinus de Beer, but he finally got his chance against Sharks.

Thomas, 25, switched from centre and steered Cardiff to an impressive bonus-point win, kicking five from six in the process.

But former Wales fly-halves Rhys Priestland and Nicky Robinson are both unconvinced it is his best position.

"He settled into the game and gave a good performance by doing the simple things well," said Robinson.

"But I think you're either a centre or fly-half. Centre is the position he can push for with Wales."

However, Cardiff will be hoping the injury to new signing Callum Sheedy, in his last game for Bristol, will not delay his arrival.

Ospreys salute Smith

There have been many fond farewells to regional stalwarts in recent seasons and none more deserving than for Nicky Smith, following his 189th appearance for Ospreys.

The Wales prop was handed a rousing send off in his last home game before moving to Leicester next season.

"It was the last home game so there was a bit of emotion with the family coming down as well," said Smith, 30.

"The ovation was a bit of a surprise and being a Swansea boy, that did mean a lot."

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth hailed the impact of Smith, who made his Ospreys debut in 2013 and has played 46 times for Wales.

He said: "If you are trying to create people you want Ospreys players to look like, the biggest compliment I can give Nicky is they should look like him."