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It was the final chance to stake a claim with the Wales squad announcement imminent
The stakes are always higher the weekend before a Wales squad is announced.
This was the final chance for many players to put their best foot forward ahead of Steve Tandy naming his Six Nations squad over the next few days. It wasn’t the best weekend results-wise, with three of Wales’ professional teams ending up on the wrong side of the scoreline.
But there were a number of impressive individual performances.
Here are your winners and losers.
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Winners
Bryn Bradley
Harlequins have had a torrid time in the Gallagher Prem but have come alive in the Investec Champions Cup over the last two weekends.
First they stuffed the Stormers at the Twickenham Stoop then claimed a famous 27-17 victory over La Rochelle to dump the former champions out of the competition.
Former Wales U20s centre Bradley has been very good over the past couple of weeks, playing a central role in both victories.
If Wales’ Six Nations squad was selected purely on performances over the final two rounds of the Champions Cup pool stages then Bradley would be in it because he is the in-form Welsh-qualified centre.
At 6ft 5in and 16st 10lb he is a big man. He used his size to good effect against both the Stormers and La Rochelle by carrying extremely well, while regularly making post-contact metres.
His offloading game is also an effective weapon in his armoury.
Against La Rochelle Bradley combined well with Luke Northmore making some impactful carries and finishing as the game’s top tackler with 14.
Angus O’Brien
A friend of this writer who has enjoyed huge success as a professional coach sent a WhatsApp message early on Saturday morning proclaiming O’Brien as the best all-round full-back in Welsh rugby at this present moment in time.
The 31-year-old has been in fine form for the Dragons all season and was excellent yet again on Friday night as the Men of Gwent put their Treviso nightmare behind them to claim a 35-12 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls to advance into the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup.
O’Brien was hugely effective as a second playmaker and is the general of this Dragons side, while his cross-kick to David Richards yielded a try.
Is he a bit long in the tooth to win his first Wales cap at the age of 31? Stranger things have happened.
There is fierce competition at full-back with Louis Rees-Zammit, Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, Jacob Beetham and Cam Winnett, among others, in contention.
But at the very least O’Brien’s name deserves to be part of the conversation when Tandy and his backroom team meet to discuss selection.
Rio Dyer
The 26-year-old has had his ups and downs over the past couple of seasons and even found himself stuck in the international wilderness for a while.
But he is back to his best and is arguably in his best form since making his Test debut against New Zealand in 2022.
Dyer is playing with confidence and with a smile on his face while he is a big threat with ball in hand once again.
The Wales international was outstanding against Newcastle, scoring two tries.
If there is one position where Wales have a bit of depth it is the back three but on current form Dyer should be a part of Tandy’s squad for the Six Nations.
Ellis Mee
The 22-year-old ended up on the losing side but he put in a fine individual performance.
Mee was excellent under the high ball which is an area where Wales struggled badly in the autumn, while he also put in some key tackles.
The Scarlets wing also showcased his threat with ball in hand setting up an excellent try for Archie Hughes.
Mee’s rise to the top was rapid as he won his first Wales cap last season just months after joining the Scarlets from English Championship outfit Nottingham.
But he got left out of the squad to tour Japan last summer and the initial November squad before earning a recall to face the Springboks.
Mee has raised his game over the past month and is now a leading contender for a place in Tandy’s Six Nations squad.
Ryan Elias
Despite the Scarlets’ struggles this season Elias has impressed since returning from injury in the victory over Glasgow Warriors last November.
Elias has his critics, with the accuracy at the lineout often questioned, but he is exactly the type of physical specimen Wales are in need of.
The 31-year-old was very good against Northampton, carrying extremely powerfully and consistently winning the collisions.
He finished the game as the Scarlets’ top tackler with 15 and should be in Tandy’s squad when it is named this week.
Lewis Lloyd
It wasn’t to be for the Ospreys at the Brewery Field on Saturday night as they fell short against French giants Montpellier.
But one player who did shine in the absence of Wales captain Dewi Lake was Ospreys hooker Lewis Lloyd.
The 22-year-old was solid at the set-piece and made a big impact around the park.
Lloyd made seven carries and finished the game as the Ospreys’ top tackler with nine, while he also claimed a brace of tries.
He won’t be in Tandy’s Six Nations squad but if he carries on in this vein he has a bright career ahead of him.
Losers
Kemsley Mathias
It was a tough day at the office for the Scarlets loosehead who got given a torrid time at the scrum by powerful Northampton tighthead Trevor Davison.
Mathias wasn’t helped by the fact the Scarlets had no out-and-out second-row on the bench to replace Jake Ball with South African backrower Jarrod Taylor being forced to cover.
But the scrum was the Scarlets’ undoing as Mathias got penalised on four occasions and was eventually shown a yellow card.
The Scarlets’ shortcomings at the scrum proved to be the west Walians’ biggest undoing at Franklin’s Gardens and Mathias did not return to the field after his 10 minutes were up.
Cardiff front-row
Cardiff are another Welsh club who got taught a very harsh lesson at the scrum against English opposition.
The front-row of Danny Southworth, Evan Lloyd and Sam Wainwright got taken to the cleaners at the set-piece by an explosive Exeter Chiefs pack.
Replacement front-rowers Daf Hughes, Corey Domachowski and Javan Sebastian didn’t fair much better either.
What Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl wouldn’t give for a destructive scrummaging tighthead like Exeter’s Georgian star Bachuki Tchumbadze, who was outstanding.
There is a saying in both the Gallagher Prem and French Top 14: no scrum, no win.
The Welsh clubs need to improve in this aspect of the game if they are to kick on in the future.
Kane James
The 20-year-old is one of the best backrow prospects in the English game having been a pivotal part of the England U20s side who won the junior World Cup last year.
James was born in Wales while he also qualifies to represent New Zealand.
The rising Exeter Chiefs star started at No 8 in his side’s victory over Cardiff but lasted a little over 10 minutes after suffering an ankle injury.
The explosive No 8 limped off the field in significant discomfort with the help of two physios.
Assuming Wales is the road James wishes to go down then he would have been a contender for a place in Tandy’s squad.
