And who’s still stuck in
debut against Munster before picking up a knock to his knee. 9: James Hook (Ospreys) The return of Hook to the Ospreys, where he played more than 100 appearances in his first spell, looked to be a good deal for the region – especially with the departure of Josh Matavesi.
But the 81-cap international has been a victim of the blunt attacking game plan at the Liberty Stadium – with the 32-year-old struggling to gel with his teammates since returning. 8: Guy Mercer (Ospreys) Joining from Bath on loan until the end of the season, back-rower Mercer has struggled to change the Ospreys’ fortunes when called upon – struggling on the weekend as the region slumped to a heavy 37-10 defeat at Edinburgh. 7. Damien Welch (Cardiff Blues) The former Scarlets lock joined from Exeter in the summer – and should have been joined by Ulster lock Franco van der Merwe, only for his deal to fall through due to the region wanting to trim their wage budget.
Perhaps the Blues would have rather kept hold of the South African lock, but Welch has at least been a consistent performer in the boiler room this season, showing up well as Danny Wilson’s men have shown improved form of late. 6. Cory Allen (Ospreys) At one point of his career, Allen appeared to be the heir to Jonathan Davies’ outside centre spot in the Wales side, but his career went off the rails at the Cardiff Blues with a move to the Ospreys seen as a fresh start.
Coming into a team that is struggling for form and confidence won’t have helped him, but Steve Tandy did turn to him as a physical winger against the Scarlets – when they got close to bullying the Parc y Scarlets outfit into submission. 5. Paul Asquith (Scarlets) Very little was known about Asquith when he was signed in the summer, with the 23-year-old appearing as somewhat of a journeyman – having played for Australia Sevens, Super Rugby franchise Melbourne Rebels and, most recently, National Rugby Championship outfit Greater Sydney Rams.
However, his versatility has proved useful off the bench for the champions, with the Australian able to cover pretty much every position in the back-line – an impressively, too. 4. Sam Cross (Ospreys) He may have only played two matches for the region since switching to from Sevens to the 15-a-side version of the game, but considering he earned a Wales call-up after his first match, he has to feature highly!
His debut against Saracens saw him produce an all-action display which started on the openside, finished on the wing and had a try and a feisty encounter with British Lions star Owen Farrell somewhere in between. 3. Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) Halfpenny signed with the PRO12 champions in a bid to find his attacking game once again.
While he hasn’t pulled up many trees yet, he does appear to be playing more instinctively under Stephen Jones and has bagged a couple of tries to boot. 2. Gavin Henson (Dragons) He won’t play every week, nor will he have an influence over proceedings for the full 80 minutes more often than not, but it’s hard to deny that Henson has had a positive influence at the Dragons.
Can sometimes be slightly passive, but on the whole, he has steered a backline that wants to put width on the ball – even if it does not yet have the resources and depth to do so on a regular basis. 1. Olly Robinson (Cardiff Blues) Having been signed as emergency cover by the Blues when opensides Sam Warburton and Ellis Jenkins suffered long-term injuries, Robinson, son of former England and Bristol coach Andy, has been a revelation in the back-row for Danny Wilson’s men.
His arrival has coincided in a turnaround in form for the Arms Park side, who have gone from no wins in three to five wins in seven matches.