European rugby kicked off and brought with it a new glimmer of hope for the Welsh regions.
The opening weekend saw two defeats in France but also rousing victories at home, despite disappointing crowds.
Ospreys edged a thriller in Swansea and Dragons produced a thunderous finale in Newport to claim bonus-point wins.
Cardiff blooded new talent in the Toulouse hot-house but Scarlets – and Wales – are sweating on a shoulder injury to fly-half Ioan Lloyd.
Number ten curse
Lloyd looked to have put himself in the driving seat for the vacant Wales number ten jersey for the Six Nations with a series of stand-out displays for Dwayne Peel’s Scarlets.
But he had to leave the field with a shoulder injury, having scored all of the Scarlets points in the 34-16 loss at Castres and now Peel and Warren Gatland are sweating on the outcome of tests on Monday.
Wales head coach Gatland is already scratching around for fly-half options having lost seven contenders in a matter of months with Sam Costellow injured, Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland retired and Gareth Anscombe, Rhys Patchell, Joe Hawkins and Jarrod Evans all ineligible following moves to clubs outside of Wales.
However Owen Williams was on form for Ospreys while Callum Sheedy kicked an 85th-minute winner for Bristol against Lyon.
Hewitt milestone
Ashton Hewitt’s try not only kick-started Dragons’ comeback win over Oyonnax but established him as the club’s most prolific finisher in Europe.
His 14th try in the Challenge Cup was also his 36th career score, putting him level with Hallam Amos as the Dragons second all-time top try-scorer – seven behind Aled Brew.
“I was trying not to think about it before the game but everyone knows how much I love representing this club so it’s a lovely milestone,” he said.
“As a wing I want to score as many tries as possible and the better we play as a team the more I get my hands on the ball. It would be nice to get that top spot but the wins come first.”
It is ten years since Hewitt made his Dragons debut but untimely injuries, particularly in 2019, have denied him that elusive Wales cap.
Head coach Dai Flanagan admitted they were forced to rush him back from injury last season but are seeing signs the 29-year-old is back to his best.
Hewitt said: “Last season was tough, I never felt completely right and always felt I was playing catch up, but I didn’t want to turn down the chance to play. But I’m feeling back to myself over the last few weeks.”
Dragons are hoping a shoulder injury to centre Sio Tomkinson is not as bad as first feared.
Lake lets lose
Dewi Lake became the first player for 15 years to score four tries for a Welsh team in Europe with his remarkable haul over Benetton.
The Wales hooker matched the tally set by another Osprey – Tommy Bowe – against the same opposition in December 2008.
A 43-34 win in Swansea was the perfect start to the Challenge Cup campaign and now Ospreys are eying another shot at European silverware.
“We involved the players in setting out what we thought a good season looks like and we think a run in Europe is important,” said head coach Toby Booth.
“We had a good run in [my] first year when we lost to Newcastle in the quarter-final and then had a good time in the Champions Cup last year.
“We’re in the game not just to exist but to win and get something tangible. These are things that motivate people so whatever the competition, we will be realistic but always look to create a winning habit.”
Lake’s teammate George North was the last Welshman to hit four – against Ospreys – for Northampton in 2014.
Llanelli full-back Matt Cardey still jointly holds the record of five tries in a single Champions Cup game, against Amatori & Calvisano in 2001.
Scarlets yellow peril
Europe was Scarlets’ salvation last season but this time proved a reminder they have yet to kick some infuriating habits.
Any hopes of upsetting Castres at Stade Pierre-Fabre were dealt an early blow when Steff Evans received one of the earliest yellow cards in recent European history.
Barely 90 seconds had passed when the wing was trudging to the sin bin for a deliberate knock on.
Castres scored against the 14 men and added another three tries while scrum-half Kieran Hardy served ten minutes on the sideline for another cynical foul.
Castres had two players shown yellow cards in the final five minutes but, by then, Scarlets could not overhaul the 34-16 loss.
Scarlets’ lineout success rate – 67% – was also a disappointment though the running of flanker Ben Williams was a bright note.
Cardiff’s young blood
“I’ll carry the ball against anyone, I’ll run into a brick wall if I have to.”
Taking on five-time European champions Toulouse must feel like running into concrete sometimes but Mackenzie Martin explained the determination that saw him score his first senior try.
“It was a great experience, I’ve never seen anything like that crowd before but it just fired me up.”
Picking the positives from their heaviest Champions Cup defeat in 17 years may feel futile but Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt found more than a few crumbs.
Number eight Martin impressed alongside teenager Lucas De La Rua in a Cardiff back-row with an average age of less than 22 years old.
“Mackenzie was outstanding,” said Sherratt. “This was only his third game and he was playing against some of the best players on the planet in one of the toughest environments but he didn’t look out of place at all.
“And what a place for Lucas to make his first start. If those two boys keep working hard then there will genuinely be bright futures for them and Cardiff.”
Keiron Assiratti and Rhys Carre dominated the scrum while the likes of Tomos Williams, Tinus de Beer and Josh Adams were pulled off early with a view towards Saturday’s game against Bath.
‘Shameless’ WRU
On the subject of promoting young breakthrough talent, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) social media team provoked the ire of regional fans for claiming the benefits of recent budget cuts.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) above a picture of Cardiff’s De La Rua, the WRU appeared to claim his first senior start was proof of how the “regions reap unexpected benefits”.
Cardiff saw 20 players leave in the summer – with the other regions losing similar numbers – after £2m was stripped from their annual budget by the WRU.
Hundreds of fans have hit back at the post describing the comment as “shocking”, “a disgrace” and “utterly shameless”.
Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets will all see further cuts next season with funding reduced from £5.2m to £4.5m for the 2023-24 campaign.