Wales deputy helps Ospreys make themselves at home

With three wins in a row and back at their St Helen's home, Ospreys are Wales' buoyant side with one round to play in the first block of the season.

Mark Jones' side completed a United Rugby Championship (URC) double over Dragons with a strong performance in the wind and rain on Saturday.

Seventh in the table, and their South Africa double-header played, Ospreys will be in good shape if they can enjoy another derby win against Cardiff before the break for the Nations Championship.

The Blue and Blacks have plenty to consider after being overpowered by Sharks at the Arms Park, while Scarlets showed signs of their improvement despite being on the wrong end of a thriller at Stormers.

There will be relief and pride in Swansea after the Ospreys' successful St Helen's homecoming.

The 24 October return to the famous ground - still undergoing redevelopment - looked ambitious when the URC fixture list was announced.

But Ospreys delivered off the field despite the horrendous weather, and then on it in front of 5,592 supporters against Dragons.

"There was a lot of pressure on the boys around the whole occasion. You only get one chance to make a first impression," said head coach Jones.

"It was a proper Ospreys performance and it needed to be in those conditions.

"It wasn't just a win, it was a really good performance because there was a lot of high-quality skill in there, some good defensive work and our set-piece shone through. The effort was class."

Those looking for faults at the revamped home would have been nit-picking.

A remarkable amount of work has already gone into the makeover in a short space of time and there is still plenty to do as Ospreys steadily improve the facility.

"I played here growing up in finals, with schools and playing for Swansea as well," said Wales wing Keelan Giles.

"I'd never played in front of a crowd that big here. It was a great night, a great experience and it's class to be here again.

"They've done an amazing job and the atmosphere was top notch."

More jobs will be ticked off in the coming week for the visit of Cardiff, when a win would put Ospreys in good shape given the travel demands of the first block.

Ospreys will face Cardiff without Wales scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams, who is in pole position to be Tomos Williams' deputy in the Nations Championship.

He signed off with a double against Dragons and joined forces with Dan Edwards to guide the side around in tricky conditions.

The 28-year-old has had to be patient with Wales but looks set for a chance in November, in part due to the injury of Ospreys team-mate Kieran Hardy.

Jones said: "He's definitely earned the opportunity. I love how honest he is around his work and he always wants to get better.

"He is an Ospreys through and through, a Neath boy who loves the badge, loves coming to work and is so consistent.

"He's got that sort of dour face and you never know if he's excited or annoyed! But he is always the same and consistent."

Morgan-Williams, who won his third cap off the bench against South Africa in the summer, is joined in the squad by Dragons prospect Che Hope.

"Tomos is locked in at number one with Wales at the moment but Reubs has done a class job for us," said Jones.

"If he is called upon by Wales then he will do an awesome job. I couldn't think of a better guy to be in that squad to help Wales."

Scarlets showed tenacity and courage at Stormers to go along with their attacking verve, but might just feel it was an opportunity missed in Cape Town.

A solitary try bonus did not seem a fair reflection of their effort when trading blows with a URC heavyweight.

After a disheartening opening fortnight when beaten by Cardiff and Dragons, Scarlets look in far better shape thanks to playing at pace and adding the direct running of fit-again number eight Fletcher Anderson to their guile.

They made 21 clean breaks and beat 42 defenders against Stormers, and that without chief game-breaker Blair Murray prior to his November with Wales.

"You can't come here and admire the way the Stormers play, you have got to come here and challenge them and dare to be great," said director of rugby Nigel Davies.

Teenage fly-half Carwyn Leggatt-Jones pulled the strings superbly and centre Joe Roberts continued his strong start to the season with a hat-trick.

But Scarlets lost their losing bonus point in the closing stages when trying to earn a draw and three points.

They also failed to edge in front after getting to 40-40 against a Stormers side whose injuries had left them without a specialist hooker to throw in and were deprived of their dominant scrum.

There will be regrets - and defence coach Eamon O'Carroll has plenty of work to do after his arrival from St Helens - but another opportunity comes this Saturday at Bulls.

Scarlets will attempt to cause an upset without in-form wing Macs Page, who was given oxygen while leaving the field after heavily hitting the floor with his head when trying to score a second try.

Cardiff were outplayed in all departments by Sharks on Friday, with the South Africans becoming the first away side to win at the Arms Park in 2026.

The Blue and Blacks can point to a farcical five-day turnaround from their Champions Cup defeat by Northampton - Saints boss Phil Dowson labelled it "nuts" - but there will be frustration at the manner of the defeat.

They turned around a half-time deficit and had the wind at their backs, yet spent the final quarter pinned deep inside their own half.

Cardiff failed to earn at least one match point just once last season - at Glasgow - but have already fired two blanks in the current campaign against Leinster and Sharks.

That ramps the pressure up for a derby at Ospreys as Cornel van Zyl's side attempt to make the play-offs for the second successive year.

They will travel west without James Botham, who will be with Wales as he attempts to earn a spot against Japan.

All of Tandy's back-row forwards put in prominent performances but Botham showed his qualities against a powerful side when scoring two tries, making 27 tackles and winning three turnovers.

"Jim is a tough character who works hard, is athletic and robust. He stood up to the challenge," said Van Zyl.

Botham came off the bench against Fiji and South Africa in the summer, either side of a start versus Argentina.

Dragons have been doubled by Ospreys and this time there were few positives to take from the defeat.

"We're so much better than what we showed. We were second best in most things," said head coach Filo Tiatia.

Dragons must lick their wounds and get ready for a banana skin against Zebre.

They also suffer the impact of missing a six-strong Wales contingent to add to their lengthy injury list.

Dragons will hope that Harri Keddie and Thomas Young can boost the back row, leaving them to worry about second row and midfield.

They are without locks Ben Carter, Seb Davies and Levi Douglas and it is feared Tonga centre Fetuli Paea suffered a serious injury in the closing stages in Swansea, with Tiatia already without Aneurin Owen and Harri Ackerman.

Dragons needed to cash in on a favourable first block and a bonus-point win against Zebre would take them to a steady 14 points along with a Challenge Cup win against Perpignan.