Questions that need to be answered before end of rugby season
THE season is rapidly hurtling towards the finishing post, but there are still key issues to be settled before players can scatter to far-flung beaches.
The Scarlets, Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys all have huge matches in front of them, while Wales have summer Tests against South Africa and Argentina.
MARK ORDERS assesses the big questions that are still to be answered this season...
Can the Scarlets repeat last season’s play-off heroics?
It won’t be easy. Semi-final opponents Glasgow have played 10 at home in the Guinness PRO14 this season and won the lot, with their victims including the Ospreys (31-10), Munster (37-10), Leinster (31-21) Cardiff Blues (40-16) and Edinburgh (17-0).
They are seriously difficult to beat at Scotstoun and under Dave Rennie they have been playing an attractive brand of rugby that the players have bought in to.
The other side of the coin is that the Scots have hit a sticky patch and have lost three out of their last four matches, including a 26-8 defeat to the Scarlets in Llanelli.
And the Scarlets’ compelling effort against the Cheetahs on Saturday, achieving a wider margin of victory against them than any other team has managed in the PRO14 this season, underlined they have rapidly chased away the gremlins that conspired against them against Leinster in the European Champions Cup.
On that basis, and given what they did in the semi-finals and final last term, it would be wise not to write off Wayne Pivac’s side.
But the shadow of Leinster looms large over all the other semifinalists.
Will Dan Biggar become a Guinness PRO14 record-breaker?
He needs only five more points to overhaul Dan Parks’ league-best tally of 1,582 points, so you could probably bet the farm on the Ospreys fly-half doing the business in his side’s Champions Cup play-off against Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium.
The Guinness PRO14 organisers have said all points scored will be counted as part of official records.
So Biggar, on 1,578 points, is tantalisingly poised.
The one concern? The Ospreys didn’t score a single point when they faced Ulster in a regularseason game last month.
Probably best to bet a fiver, then, rather than the aforementioned farm.
Can Cardiff Blues reign in Spain and cover themselves in European glory?
They have injury problems in the front row at the wrong time, but if they can sort those out the Blues can travel to Bilbao to face Gloucester with confidence.
Danny Wilson’s team showed what they were about against the Ospreys on Judgement Day when a depleted side gave the Liberty Stadium region a serious hurry-up.
Memories are still fresh, too, of the outstanding 20-6 European Challenge Cup quarter-final win over Edinburgh at Murrayfield, a match that proved a tactical triumph for the Welsh team’s coaches.
The key for Wilson’s side is to dig in at forward and win enough ball for talented runners such as Jarrod Evans, Willis Halaholo, Rey Lee-lo and Gareth Ansombe to use. Gloucester are inconsistent – dangerous on a good day but capable of plumbing the depths.
Will the Ospreys be able to succeed where they recently failed and win in Ulster to secure a Champions Cup place?
Well, they need to do things a shade differently, because they won only 31 per cent of the possession and just 20 per cent of the territory against Rory Best and Co on the road a few weeks ago.
Justin Tipuric’s return will help, but the Ospreys also have to retain the ball better and make more more impact with their carrying game at forward. They can’t afford to let Ulster play keep-ball for long periods as they did in the regularseason game.
The Irish province are undefeated in four matches but they are set to be without the injured Iain Henderson, their most influential forward.
They will probably start as favourites for the May 20 encounter but the Ospreys are overdue an 80-minute performance and if they play as they can they are capable of making a real fight of the clash in Belfast.
Can Warren Gatland create history this summer?
That would involve Wales gaining a first victory over South Africa on the road and emulating Graham Henry and winning an away series against Argentina.
The class of 2018 are set to be missing key players, which will make the challenges more difficult.
There is a bigger picture, but what a fillip it would be for Wales to enjoy a summer of success.