Only two of Wales' professional clubs were in action this weekend but there was enough drama in the Ospreys' last-gasp 23-22 victory over the Scarlets to keep everyone warm for the entirety of Christmas.

It was a feeling of ecstasy for Ospreys fans but the Scarlets were left to ponder another result which slipped through their fingers in the dying embers of the game. There were also a number of Welsh players in action over the Severn Bridge over the weekend while there was also a full round of Super Rygbi Cymru action.

Here are the winners and losers..

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Winners

Ospreys

It had been a tough week for everyone involved with the club after a 59-15 thrashing in Montpellier led to the early dismissal of head coach Toby Booth. But the Ospreys showed some real character digging deep to overturn a 19-8 half-time deficit to beat the Scarlets at the death.

New head coach Mark Jones deserves a lot of credit while there were some outstanding individual performances from the likes of Jac Morgan, Sam Parry, Iestyn Hopkins, Will Griffiths, Owen Watkin and Morgan Morris. Arguably Booth's biggest legacy is the mental resilience of this Ospreys side and their habit of finding a way to win games.

After what has been a difficult start to the season Jones will hope this victory over the Scarlets will be launchpad to bigger and better things.

Jac Morgan

The Wales star was totemic in the Ospreys' dramatic victory over the Scarlets on Saturday. Morgan was the best player on the field and was instrumental in the Ospreys coming out on top.

The 24-year-old made 14 carries, 12 tackles and won four turnovers. His biggest intervention came towards the end of the game when the Scarlets had secured posession in the Ospreys 22 only for Morgan to win a penalty at the next breakdown to give the hosts one final chance which they duly took.

Even thought he figured for Wales in the autumn Morgan was still finding his feet after a long time on the sidelines with injury but he now looks back to somewhere near his best. This is good news for Warren Gatland who knows he needs Morgan if Wales are to pick up a couple of wins during the Six Nations.

With Dewi Lake a doubt for the start of the Championship Morgan may even get given the captains armband for Wales' opener in Paris.

Ellis Mee

Mee's signing from English Championship outfit Nottingham went under the radar last season but he has been a shrewd acquisition by Dwayne Peel. Even though he ended up on the losing side he was outstanding at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Mee was excellent under the high ball, putting the Ospreys under a lot of pressure in the air but it was his threat with ball in hand which stood out. The 21-year-old made three clean linebreaks in the first-half and caused havoc with ball in hand.

He also scored a cracking try on the stroke of half-time while his spatial awareness and offloading ability is also very good. It's probably a little early to throw his name into the Wales selection mix but if he carries on his rich vein of form perhaps he will be a contender to tour Japan next summer.

Rhys Carré

The 26-year-old was outstanding for Saracens in their 39-24 victory over Northampton Saints on Sunday. Carré made a real dent in the Saints defence and claimed a try after a powerful carry close to the line.

The former Cardiff prop got omitted from Wales' pre Rugby World Cup training camp in 2023 having "failed to meet individual performance targets." In other words the Wales management did not feel Carré was fit enough to play Test rugby.

One of Wales' many shortcomings over the past year or so has been the lack of big explosive carriers capable of making significant post contact metres in the pack. This is something which Carré arguably does better than any other Welsh qualified prop.

He isn't as strong in the scrum as Nicky Smith or Gareth Thomas but it is also not a weakness of his game. The fact of the matter is Carré offers a dimension which the recent props in the Wales squad do not.

What is of concern is the fact Carré's grandfather hails from Gurnsey meaning he will be eligible for all four home nations once is stand down period is completed in February 2026. It would not be inceivable to see Carré represent England and if that were to happen it would not be a good look for Wales.

Gloucester's Welsh contingent

All five of Gloucester's Wales internationals - Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Max Llewellyn and Josh Hathaway - put in impressive performances in the Cherry & Whites' 14-0 victory over Harlequins on Friday night. Powerful second-row Thomas has been outstanding this season and was impressive again on Friday night with his strong carrying, lineout prowess, 12 tackles and his subtle offloads a real positive for Gloucester.

Thomas made his Wales debut as a replacement against South Africa last month and if he can maintain his form it would be a shock were he not to be named in Gatland's Six Nations squad. Wales scrum-half Williams was arguably the best player on the pitch as he tormented the Harlequins defence while a tremendous cross-field kick should have been taken by Hathaway which would have left to a try.

Anscombe was also impressive, controlling the game well, while a beautiful long looping pass put Hathaway over for the opening try. Llewellyn also showed up well with his powerful carrying game along with his angles of running and strong defence standing out.

All five players should be included in Gatland's Six Nations squad.

Losers

Scarlets

The Scarlets' performances this season has been significantly better than season but they have failed to get over the line in a number of games. Last term they were getting blown away but this time around the games they have fallen short in have been lost by six, one, two, one and one points, respectively.

The Scarlets are not far off becoming a good side but they are in a losing habit and must find a way of turning that around. Some shrewd summer recruitment has significantly strengthened their pack while the defence has been a lot better under former Ireland international Jared Payne.

But their game management is a big problem. The Scarlets' decision making under pressure in the final quarter hasn't been good enough.

Both Sam Costelow and Ioan Lloyd are fine rugby players but there's an argument they should look to bring in an experienced outside-half who has a track record of closing out games. Nearly every game they have lost this season has been theirs to win but they lack a number 10 who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the same way Stephen Jones used to.

Costelow is getting there but remains a work in progress and Lloyd's best position is arguably full-back where he can stand in at first receiver at certain points of the game where it can benefit the Scarlets in attack. But it is not just the responsibility of the fly-half because there are a number of players making needless errors from Ioan Nicholas' yellow card for an intentional knock on to Tom Rogers taking a man out in the air when under no pressure.

Nicky Smith and Tommy Reffell

Both players were part of a Leicester Tigers side who suffered a 54-24 home defeat to Bristol Bears in the Gallagher Premiership on Saturday. Leicester failed to impose themselves physically against Pat Lam's side who blew the Tigers away by crossed for eight tries to leave the Welford Road faithful stunned.

To be fair Smith scrummaged reasonably well but Leicester didn't get a sniff at the breakdown which is an area Reffell is usually strong in. They are both expected to be selected in Gatland's Six Nations squad and will hope the Tigers' form picks up over the next couple of weeks.

Swansea RFC

It was another miserable day at the office for the Whites who were soundly beaten 26-0 at Aberavon on Saturday. Swansea are rooted to the bottom of the Super Rygbi Cymru table and have not won a single game this season.

It is a sad state of affairs for one of the most famous clubs in world rugby and it is within the Ospreys' best interests to find a way to strengthen the Whites. The Ospreys will move into a redeveloped St Helen's by next winter and it would be good if the Whites became a force to be reckoned with once more.

Crowds

Undoubtedly the biggest disappointment from the weekend was how low the crowd was for the Ospreys' derby against the Scarlets at the Swansea.com Stadium. There was a time, not that long ago, where this derby would sell out and while attendances have dropped in recent times this fixture has regularly got over 10,000.

But there was a crowd of just 6,836 for Saturday's game which is extremely concerning. Those who attended ensured there was a good atmosphere but arguably the biggest derby in the professional arm of the game in Wales should be attracting more than 6,836.

Yes, Welsh rugby isn't exactly in the best place at the moment and the fact the game wasn't held on Boxing Day didn't help but this should concern the Welsh Rugby Union. At least the Ospreys will be playing out of a smaller and more compact St Helen's in the near future which should improve the matchday experience.

But a decade ago this was the one fixture which would have captured the imagination of fans who who weren't perhaps die hard rugby supporters outside of internationals.