Welsh rugby's winners and losers as Wales have totemic talent who will be capped soon
At last there is something positive to write about this Monday, with three Welsh clubs qualifying for the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.
Both the Ospreys and the Scarlets posted victories to set up a mouth-watering round-of-16 clash against each other. And while Cardiff could not overcome Connacht on Friday night, Matt Sherratt's side did manage to squeeze into the knockout stages.
But it proved to be another chastening weekend for others representing Wales in European competition. Here are your winners and losers from another eventful weekend of Welsh rugby.
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Winners
Jac Morgan and the Ospreys
The 24-year-old was nothing short of outstanding in the Ospreys' sensational 31-28 Challenge Cup victory over Pau. Mark Jones' side were under the cosh for large periods of this game but a number of key interventions from Morgan saved the day.
Morgan's form will have pleased Warren Gatland ahead of Wales' daunting Six Nations opener against France in Paris a week on Friday. The Wales captain finished the game as the top tackler with 30, made 10 carries while he also won two turnovers.
Morgan is a high-impact player who comes to the fore with key interventions when his side needs him the most. This was a significant victory for the Ospreys against a strong French club on their own patch, which is no mean feat considering the substantial difference in playing budgets between the sides.
Toby Booth did a terrific job with the Welsh club but their form has improved significantly this season since former Wales wing Jones took the reins. A Challenge Cup round-of-16 clash against arch-rivals the Scarlets beckons in April, but the Ospreys look to have got their mojo back.
Morgan Morse
The 20-year-old has long been tipped for great things and there is every reason to believe Morse will fulfil his potential.
He may have scored a long-range individual try from just inside the Cardiff half on New Year's Day 2024, but Saturday's victory over Pau was his best performance in an Ospreys shirt to date. Morse was totemic, making 15 carries and 16 tackles.
The former Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera pupil has some serious X factor and in not too dissimilar a fashion to Morgan delivers at the key moments. With the Ospreys trailing by just 11 points with 10 minutes remaining, a monster carry from Morse up to the Pau try line set the platform for Dan Edwards to score.
Then, with just two minutes left on the clock, Morse made a significant surge into the Pau half, brushing aside at least three defenders before offloading to Garyn Phillips who put Luke Davies over for the winning try. Don't be surprised if Morse wins his first senior Wales cap in 2025.
Josh Macleod
The 28-year-old has been a regular fixture in the winners section of this column such has been his level of consistency and excellence this season. If Wales weren't so blessed for openside flankers, Macleod would be a certainty for the squad.
The Scarlets missed Macleod badly last season and it is no surprise his return has coincided with an upturn in fortunes. Against Vannes on Saturday night Macleod put in 14 tackles and was outstanding at the breakdown with the Scarlets skipper winning the official player of the match award.
It is also no coincidence things went downhill after Macleod left the field with the Scarlets almost surrendering a handsome lead before posting a 38-28 victory to qualify for the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup where they will face the Ospreys. If the Scarlets are to progress further then they will need Macleod to be at his influential best.
Thomas Young
The 32-year-old is another one who would have won a plethora of Wales caps if it wasn't for the outrageous strength in depth Wales have had in the number seven jersey over the past decade. A Cardiff side ravaged by injury may have fallen short against Connacht on Friday night but Young was outstanding and the margin of defeat would have been greater if he was not on the field.
Young is a terrific all-round player who does not only contributes at the breakdown but also as a link between forwards and backs. The Cardiff man is an explosive carrier capable of making significant post-contact metres and is as talented a footballer as many of the backs.
Young crossed for two tries at the Arms Park on Friday night. The first came when he hit a tremendous angle to score and on the second he chipped the ball behind the Connacht defence which was gathered by scrum-half Ellis Bevan, who proceeded to put Young over for his second.
He may never add to his tally of four Wales caps but Young is worth his weight in gold for Cardiff.
Losers
Dragons RFC
The Dragons were always going to be up against it considering they only had a six-day turnaround from playing Pau and facing the Lions at altitude in South Africa. But nevertheless this 60-10 hiding in Johannesburg has piled the pressure on the Dragons and their new owners.
The Dragons have only won twice this season and have been on the end of the some very heavy defeats. Head coach Dai Flanagan lost his job in October and there has been no upturn in performance; in fact they've gone backwards since the former outside-half left the building.
For years the Dragons have been treading water and things just have to change. Those who work within the upper echelons of the Dragons are quick to stress they are the most stable professional club in Wales off the field and are in the best financial position.
That is all well and good, but rugby is about winning and the Dragons are not even close to becoming a competitive side. Dragons chairman David Wright and CEO Rhys Blumberg are set to host to host a Q&A with fans on February 6 and it would be a surprise if they weren't given a tough time by supporters.
EPCR
Whoever thought it was a good idea to bring South African sides into European competitions were wrong. To begin, the scheduling is a farce with the Dragons only given a six-day turnaround between playing French club Pau on the Sunday and facing the Lions at altitude in South Africa.
The excessive travelling has also clearly taken its toll on the South African sides, with no club from the Rainbow Nation in the knockout stages of the Investec Champions Cup.
We all know the South African sides are formidable outfits when at full strength but they have found themselves on the end of some hidings over the past couple of months, with the Sharks getting thrashed 66-12 by Bordeaux on Sunday.
The competition in its current format simply doesn't work.
Nicky Smith and Tommy Reffell
Both Smith and Reffell were on the receiving end of a hiding as Toulouse annihilated Leicester 80-12 in at the Stade Ernest-Wallon. Leicester got blown away physically by Antoine Dupont and Co, with the Tigers suffering their biggest-ever defeat in Europe.
It was a collective failure but such a heavy defeat will not have helped the confidence of either Smith or Reffell. With Wales set to face France in Paris in just 11 days' time the form of both Toulouse and Bordeaux does not bode well for Gatland's men.
