Double Welsh derby day provides drama amid uncertainty

Welsh professional rugby is still able to play two derbies on the same day, and Cardiff and Ospreys were among the crowds on Friday for celebrations.

Sporting action took centre stage on Boxing Day with a pair of hard-fought United Rugby Championship (URC) fixtures, with uncertainty from Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) plans to cut the professional men’s teams from four to three forgotten for 80 minutes.

In a ding-dong encounter with Dragons at Arms Park, Cardiff won a penalty in the 87th minute to extend their rivals’ winning streak to 22-19.

Ospreys’ recent revival came to a painful end when Scarlets won 26-19 with a consolation bonus and the home side scored with the clock in the red.

Even though they were without wing Mason Grady for the majority of it and Evergreen number eight Taulupe Faletau for the majority of it, Cardiff did well in their first game of the season.

Grady suffered a shoulder injury in pre-season and returned at the end of November, while Faletau missed the start of the campaign and then suffered a knee injury just minutes into his second appearance.

The wing was recognized as the match’s official man after enjoying numerous potent lateral turns and powerful clenches.

Coach Corniel Van Zyl praised him for moving forward at full speed and defeating defenders.

Diminutive Cardiff wing Tom Bowen was hugely influential in the first block of the URC but Josh Adams and Grady have been given the nod out wide of late.

On Scrum V, former Cardiff and Dragons scrum half Richie Rees remarked, “They were big impacts, big carries into opposite numbers making gain lines.”

“It’s his (Grady’s) physicality and yards in the carry,” he said. He is putting people on their backsides and has been impressive over the last couple of weeks, the key thing is to keep him fit”.

Faletau, who is undoubtedly the best Dragons player in their history but who is now working for himself in Cardiff, remained influential for an hour before being replaced by Alun Lawrence, who has a stellar season and leads the URC in tackles and carries.

They faced Test regular Aaron Wainwright, who made a few uncharacteristic errors, including a costly ball rip when carrying it close range.

Mark Jones, head coach for Ospreys, claims that their four-place improvement against Scarlets was due to a tenacious defense.

“I’m pleased for the boys”, said Jones. “We didn’t play at our best, especially with the ball,” he said. That was probably our best defensive performance, though, without it.

” You go back to Tips (defence coach Justin Tipuric), your defence represents the heart of the team and the commitment of the team and the coach. You can tell from the boys how excellent they were there.

“We had a great deal of love for one another. We know we can play better and we will play better.

The most crucial aspect of the film was being a “person” rather than “a character.”

“The entire team brought out the Ospreys’ culture. These boys are special and it’s an absolute privilege to play a part in their careers and coach them”.

Wales’ flanker Harri Deaves won the match’s MVP award, but Ospreys gained from Owen Watkin’s international centre’s skillful organizing of the visitors’ defense.

Owen has been away for a while, and I have confidence in him, Jones said.

“I had no hesitation and putting him out there this week.

You can tell from his example how valuable he is to the team, and how effective he was at putting up some defensive pressure in the 13 channel.

Che Hope, a scrum-half for the Dragons, doubled in his debut game against Connacht to win the nine jerseys in Cardiff.

Hope ran excellent support lines to score, was lively around the pitch and also feisty, notably giving the experienced Aled Davies some verbals towards the end of the first half.

Due to his heroics with Newport, with whom he helped to win the Super Rygbi Cymru title in 2024 and 252, the 22-year-old from Hollybush has long been a watchable character.

He made his Dragons debut in November 2022, and he appears to have surpassed close friend Morgan Lloyd, who performed at Arms Park last season, as his main rival in the league against experienced Rhodri Williams.

“He’s electric, he’s a little bit of a young Tomos Williams, playing off the cuff”, said attack coach Richie Rees before kick-off.

Hope will aim to start playing in the upcoming weeks with improved game management and added experience, as demonstrated by his willingness to go beyond being just another option to boost energy off the bench.

For the first time since 2015, the Dragons were unable to win three games on the bounce.

After watching his side lose to local rivals Ospreys, Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel was unable to hide his frustration and fall back at the bottom of the URC table.

“I’m gutted about the result because I felt like we were in a good spot going into it”, said Peel.

“We turned a lot of ball over there, and if we had been accurate, we might have had dominance.”

“We got going quickly. In the first 20 minutes we had all the territory and possession, but we couldn’t get over the line.

In the second half, we weren’t competing. So there are some things that we might not like as much as we remember when we review the game.

Peel is hoping his captain Josh Macleod will return for the New Year’s Day derby trip to face Dragons at Rodney Parade.

The flanker suffered a head knock before the Ospreys lost to Cardiff before Christmas after suffering the defeat.

He’s been playing really well, Peel said. “From a leadership perspective, and you do miss him as a quality player. I’m optimistic that he’ll be okay for the week ahead.

As a result of the table’s 16th place Scarlets facing a Dragons side one position above them, there will be another basement battle.

Cardiff and Llanelli played host to derbies on 26 December and the action will be in Newport and Bridgend on New Year’s Day.

Before Christmas, Scarlets outran the hosts in The Arms Park, and this time the Blue and Blacks slipped into victory in front of a packed crowd.

Cardiff announced a sold-out crowd of 12, 125 tickets, and Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia praised the atmosphere.

“The crowd was amazing, for Cardiff and the Dragons”, said Tiatia, an Ospreys legend from his playing days. At the conclusion, it turned into a singing contest.

It was encouraging to see where the game is headed with local fans and supporters supporting their teams, they said.

“That’s what we want for derbies – that they are competitive, grounds are sold out and the game is growing. The tribalism of the regions are at odds with it.

More than 12 000 people showed up at Parc y Scarlets, and Ospreys head coach Jones, who won, hopes to see more of these opportunities as the WRU attempts to shave a professional side.

“You could tell it was a west Wales derby and long may they continue”, said Jones.

“These occasions are significant. To see your players and coaches arriving at the end of the game and meeting their families on the terrace over the far side.

” With so many of them and fans turning up when they could be doing all sorts at this time of the year, but they choose to come down and support their team.

It is incredible, I say. In the derby, we discussed how to use emotion and the emotional side of the game.