Winners and losers: Ice breakers Ruthin, heady Brew but it’s disappointing for Dai
AFTER a month when much of the focus was on Wales’ autumn international campaign it was back to the bread and butter of Champions Cup, Challenge Cup, British and Irish Cup for rugby fans to dine out on.
And for lovers of the grassroots game it was a return to WRU National Plate or Bowl action.
Bread and butter it may have been but while some savoured an artisan loaf and the richest of spreads, others were left with an unpalatable cheap white sliced and margarine.
We give you Welsh rugby’s winners and losers over the weekend...
WINNERS
RUTHIN RFC Fair dues to the north Walians on the weekend who completed an weekend expedition that would have had Roald Amundsen and Ernest Shackleton waking up in a cold sweat.
They navigated the Arctic conditions that gripped mid and north Wales to make a successful journey south for their WRU National Plate clash with Cwmbran-based Division One East outfit Croesyceiliog.
They even had former Wales and Lions back-rower Andy Powell taking time off from coaching duties at Brecon to pass on a few tips in their corner and having completed a comprehensive 33-17 victory, were due to spend the night in Cardiff before heading for home on Sunday.
Presumably they did just that, but what they hadn’t bargained for was an even bigger dump of snow awaiting the journey back. ALED BREW The former Dragons wing is turning heads since moving to Bath in September 2016 and has earned himself an even longer stay at the Aviva Premiership giants.
And the nine-times capped Welsh wing fully justified the faith Bath’s director of rugby Todd Blackadder has placed in the 31-year-old with an outstanding individual showing in their 24-20 Champions Cup defeat in Toulon.
He showed all the power and pace to give Toulon’s ex-NRL star Semi Radradra a torrid time and make many of the pundits’ Champions Cup team of the weekend. GUINNESS PRO14 It’s not very often the PRO14 gets the chance to blow its trumpet when in direct comparison to the Aviva Premiership, but last weekend was one occasion when they can.
All three Irish sides playing in the Champions Cup had victories over their English counterparts with Munster, Ulster and Leinster beating Leicester, Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs respectively.
And then you had the Ospreys throwing off the shackles with a thrilling victory at Northampton Saints/ In the Challenge Cup there was Edinburgh putting 50 points on London Irish and the copybook was blotted by the Blues at Sale Sharks and Zebre against Gloucester.
But five out of seven is a decent return for the PRO14 over the Aviva. MARC JONES The Rhondda-born hooker has spent more than a decade at Sale Sharks after coming through the ranks at Treorchy Youth.
He had a two year spell with Bristol helping skipper the west country club back to the Premiership before moving back to the Sharks this year.
And the 30-year-old showed Welsh rugby he remains a force at the top level bagging a try for himself driving over from close range as the Sharks beat the Cardiff Blues 24-0 in the Challenge Cup. SIMON HUMBERSTONE There nothing to beat putting one over your former employers and for Humberstone all his Christmases came at once on the weekend as Doncaster Knights routed the Cardiff Blues Premiership Select XV 70-12 in the British and Irish Cup on Saturday.
The former Pontypridd and Blues No.10, who left for Doncaster in the summer of 2015, kicked nine from nine conversions in the scoring spree as the Knights kept alive their hopes of progressing through to the knockout stages. STEFF EVANS The Scarlets wing may have had an indifferent first autumn campaign with Wales but was back to his very best with his region in the Champions Cup on the weekend.
It was Evans who saved red faces at the Scarlets against Benetton on the weekend with the Italians sensing one of the biggest upsets of the season.
But Evans wriggled over in the 76th minute to give his side hope, then produced two moments of magic, chipping through and gathering to set up a late attack, then producing another deft kick which was pounced on by Asquith for the winning score with just 90 seconds remaining. DAN EVANS If the Wales selectors thought the Ospreys full-back would simply go away after his latest national-squad rejection, then Saturday evening in the east Midlands proved that they really would have to revise those thoughts.
It was an effort full of attacking zest and embellished by two tries.
Not only did the it secure Evans the man-of-the-match award on his 100 appearance for the Welsh region, it also won him a glowing compliment from England World Cup winner Will Greenwood.
“Dan Evans, the two-try magician, has scored six tries in three Champions Cup games this season,” said Greenwood on Sky Sports.
“He put Kieron Fonotia over for a try in on the back of an inside ball and he has an ability to find space.
“He was at the heart of the Ospreys’ attacking intent all game.”
LOSERS
LUKE HAMILTON It’s been a real rollercoaster autumn for the 25-year-old former Cardiff Blues back-rower.
The Pembroke-born star was called up by Scotland through qualifying for the Dark Blues through his father and got a first taste of Test action coming off the bench against the All Blacks.
But before he could get his teeth into the cut and thrust of Test rugby the Leicester Tiger was being carted off on a stretcher with what looked like a serious ankle injury.
It wasn’t as bad as first feared and Hamilton was making a quickfire comeback for the Tigers at Munster in the Champions Cup.
That too ended badly as the Tigers were mauled 33-10 with Hamilton himself deceived in the build up for hooker Rhys Marshall’s try. THE BRITISH AND IRISH CUP You sense the end of the B&I Cup can’t come quick enough for the Welsh regional select sides.
The Scarlets and Ospreys were spared on the weekend by the Arctic conditions but for the Dragons and Blues in particular it was what is becoming an too familiar tale.
The Blues were walloped 70-12 at Doncaster Knights and the Dragons went down 43-22 at Yorkshire Carnegie.
Wins for regional select sides in this year’s competition are as rare as hen’s teeth. OLD ILLTYDIANS Grassroots rugby in the Welsh capital hasn’t escaped the troubles of some clubs having real difficulty raising sides... and when they do it usually ends up with the scoreboard resembling an Ashes Test.
The CIACS troubles in recent years have been well documented and on the weekend there was a sight of another one of the great rugby institutions - The Illts - going through the wringer in Division Three East Central A.
In fairness they were playing top of the table Abercwmboi on Saturday but the Cardiff club, that has strong links