Welsh Trio Aim To Seal Urc Play-off Spot

4 jam yang lalu

Players from Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff celebrate

Gareth Griffiths

BBC Sport Wales

Positive weekends successful nan United Rugby Championship (URC) for Welsh master sides are fewer and acold between.

But while Wales women were emulating nan men by finishing stone bottommost of nan Six Nations, location was immoderate ray arsenic bonus-point victories for Cardiff, Scarlets and Ospreys kept their play-off hopes alive.

The past clip some Leinster and Munster mislaid to Welsh guidance connected nan aforesaid convention play was March 2015, but that has now been matched 10 years later pinch wins for Scarlets and Cardiff.

Contrastingly, Dragons proceed to prop up nan array aft suffering a 57-24 hammering astatine hands of Ospreys.

The apical 4 of Leinster, Glasgow, Bulls and Sharks person secured their play-off places and are group to beryllium nan starring quartet erstwhile nan convention finishes.

This intends location are now 8 points separating 8 teams who are realistically successful nan conflict for nan last 4 play-off spots.

The Welsh sides are battling it retired pinch Munster, Ulster, Stormers, Edinburgh and Benetton, while Lions and Connacht are connected nan periphery.

The 4 Welsh master sides person a break this play earlier they each recreation to South Africa for nan last 2 matches of nan regular convention play successful May.

Cardiff and Scarlets are presently successful nan play-off places, while Ospreys are hovering conscionable extracurricular waiting for rivals to gaffe up.

Cardiff (5th, 46 points)

Matt Sherratt is successful his 2nd afloat play successful complaint astatine Cardiff

Cardiff person shrugged disconnected nan financial issues which saw them put into impermanent management earlier being taken complete by nan Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

After defeating Ospreys astatine Judgement Day, Cardiff overcame Munster 26-21 successful beforehand of a passionate Arms Park crowd to spell up to 5th successful nan table.

Matt Sherratt's broadside person a existent chance of making nan URC play-offs for nan first clip pinch trips to nan Bulls and Stormers to come.

"It was a superb nighttime connected Friday and we astir apt sewage much than expected pinch a bonus-point win," said Sherratt.

"It was a awesome occasion, nan fans sewage down nan squad and there's a beardown group here.

"It has been a whirlwind mates of months for everyone, including myself, truthful we wanted to make judge we enjoyed that night. It's nan champion portion of rugby.

"Then we spell to South Africa. I said earlier Munster I didn't want that crippled to specify our season, whether we won aliases lost.

"Even though we won, that's not nan play over. We person to prime up points successful South Africa."

Sherratt praised Cardiff's characteristic complete nan past mates of seasons.

"It wasn't agelong agone we only had 12 players training, we changed training guidelines halfway done a season, there's been a alteration of ownership and we've mislaid astir 1,800 caps of experience," said Sherratt.

"The group had each excuse to easiness off, but wherever we are now is simply a immense in installments to everyone here."

Scarlets (7th, 43 points)

Scarlets became only nan 2nd squad to hit Leinster this season, pinch their thrilling 35-22 triumph representing a first occurrence against nan Irish state since 2018.

Dwayne Peel's broadside are now up to seventh successful nan array pinch trips to Lions and Sharks to travel successful nan last 2 rounds.

"We've shown immoderate existent characteristic successful caller games and nan large taxable this play was being competitory successful each match," said Peel.

"For nan ample portion of nan play we person [been competitive] and now we person it each to play for.

"It was a unit crippled [against Leinster] and we are delighted our destiny is successful our ain hands going to South Africa.

"We person 2 large games and haven't won arsenic a region retired location against nan 4 teams now successful nan URC, truthful we request to make immoderate history.

"Only 8 teams make nan play-offs, truthful to person 2 teams from Wales successful location would beryllium monolithic for Welsh rugby.

"But we've each sewage reliable games connected nan roadworthy truthful there's plentifulness of rugby still to play."

Ospreys (11th, 38 points)

Gareth Thomas (left), Adam Beard (centre) and Dewi Lake (right) observe Ospreys' triumph against Dragons

Ospreys snuck into nan apical 8 past play and they will person to execute an moreover much spectacular betterment to repetition that feat this campaign.

Mark Jones' broadside ran successful 9 tries arsenic they defeated Dragons to move wrong 3 points of nan apical eight.

"It is simply a reliable looking fixture database and a reliable ask," said Jones.

"At nan extremity of nan play you want to beryllium wrong a chance of play-offs and we person fixed ourselves an opportunity.

"We cognize if we want to triumph games against nan amended sides we are astir apt going to request to people 4 tries anyway.

"Our mindset will beryllium to effort and get arsenic galore lucifer points arsenic we tin and we cognize we are going to request 4 aliases 5 from each game."

Ospreys will recreation to Durban and Johannesburg connected their campaign-concluding circuit of South Africa, knowing they will person to triumph some matches and dream different results spell their way.

"There is simply a chance now connected circuit to South Africa effort and get ourselves successful nan play-offs, aliases surely make life uncomfortable for others if they do gaffe up," said Jones.

"We request to make judge we get nan boys physically and mentally excited astir things.

"It is an awesome spot to circuit and we are playing successful immoderate bully venues. What a measurement to decorativeness disconnected nan season."

Jones believes having 3 Welsh sides successful contention shows location is advancement being made.

"For nan regions to beryllium competing arsenic good arsenic we are for arsenic agelong arsenic we are shows location is talent and growth," said Jones.

"We request to make judge we tin return it connected for nan adjacent mates of seasons."

What tin beryllium done astir Dragons?

Dragons person only won 1 retired of 16 games this season

Dragons person now mislaid 15 consecutive convention games since beating Ospreys astatine Rodney Parade connected nan opening play successful September.

The Gwent region prop up nan array and are 20 points adrift of 2nd from bottommost Zebre.

"We want to beryllium truthful overmuch amended than what we showed successful that past 20 minutes [against Ospreys]," said Tiatia.

"I cognize heavy down successful my bosom that nan players, erstwhile they enactment connected and play for each other, they are a bully side.

"We played against a bully Ospreys broadside and successful nan past 20 minutes they recovered gaps, exploited it and scored points. We are disappointed pinch really we finished.

"The young group came connected for nan past 25 minutes, and we mislaid style defensively and nan chemistry of connecting.

"That is wherever we are astatine pinch our young players. It is different opportunity to support learning and support pushing astatine this level. The learning for america is really do we enactment successful nan match."