Dragons

Dragons: O’Brien (co-capt); D Richards, Inisi, Owen, E Rosser; de Beer, Hope; Martinez, Burrows, Hunt, Woodman, Carter (co-capt), Keddie, Beddall, Wainwright.

Replacements: G Roberts, W Jones, Dlamini, Douglas, Young, R Williams, Westwood, Anderson.

Scarlets: Nicholas; Rogers, Roberts, James, Mee; Hawkins, G Davies; Mathias, van der Merwe, H Thomas, Douglas, Cuckson, Plumtree, Macleod (capt), Anderson.

Replacements: Elias, J Morse, H O’Connor, J Price, D Davis, A Hughes, Leggatt-Jones, Page.

Yellow cards: Cuckson 24′.

20-minute red card: Douglas 43′

Referee: Ben Connor (WRU)

Assistant referees: Carwyn Sion & Gareth Newman (WRU)

TMO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)

Attendance: 8,369

Dragons followed up their European Challenge Cup win against Lyon by dismantling Connacht for back-to-back successes for the first time since 2022.

Two wins in six days have released some pressure on Tiatia and his coaching team after reaching December without victory in any competition in 2025.

There has been a reaction to an embarrassing 41-17 defeat by Perpignan, who look doomed to relegation despite recording a first Top 14 win of the season against Clermont Auvergne at the weekend.

Amid talk of what Dragons bring to the table in uncertain times for Welsh rugby, the squad have produced two timely victories.

The thrashing of Connacht has lifted them above both Scarlets and Ospreys, prompting hopes of not only a fight to avoid being the URC’s bottom team with Zebre, but a scrap to lose the tag as Wales’ worst.

Tiatia will not get carried away after one victory to end a 15-month, 23-game streak without league success.

“We are trying to put wins together but also trying to build a game that the fans want to see,” said the former All Blacks forward.

“We are building belief in what they are trying to achieve together, particularly when fatigue sets in.

“There is also the mental side of the game, because we have a lot of young guys that don’t have those tools.”

Dragons: O’Brien; J Rosser, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; De Beer, Hope; Martinez, Burrows, Hunt, Douglas, Carter (capt), Woodman, Beddall, Keddie.

Replacements: G Roberts, Morris, Dlamini, Lewis-Hughes, Young, R Williams, Westwood, Anderson.

Connacht: Gilbert; Mullins, Forde, Aki, Bolton; Ioane, Blade; Duggan, Heffernan, Illo, D Murray, N Murray, Prendergast (capt), O’Brien, Boyle.

Replacements: Tierney-Martin, Buckley, Bealham, J Murphy, Jansen, B Murphy, Carty, Gavin.

Yellow card: Boyle 40,

Referee: Ru Campbell (Scotland)

Assistants: Rob McDowell, Jonny Mackenzie (Wales)

TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Attendance: 4,188

While both Cardiff and Ospreys won, the off-the-politics are never far away with rumours of a link-up in the future between the two teams. However unpopular that scenario is.

Ospreys owners, Y11 Sport & Media, have been linked with taking over Welsh Rugby Union-owned Cardiff, with the move creating dismay among both sets of supporters on social media.

The Welsh Rugby Union are looking for a way to cut the number of men’s professional side from four to three. Ospreys owners buying Cardiff might provide a neat solution for them.

Discussions are expected to continue between the WRU and other interested parties about the Cardiff takeover.

In April, the WRU stepped in after Cardiff temporarily went into administration.

The Blue and Blacks might be owned by the WRU but that does not stop the club providing a platform for criticism of Welsh rugby’s governing body in the match programme, external for the Ulster game.

The CF10 Rugby Trust, an independent Cardiff supporters group, produced an article welcoming back Leigh Halfpenny but also reflecting on what they perceive as recent WRU failures.

An extract read: “He [Halfpenny] was part of a Cardiff side that had been allowed to develop over time with steady, reliable funding, and youngsters coming into that environment felt the benefit.

“The past 10 years in Welsh rugby have sadly offered a less ideal stage for young talents.

“So often our professional teams have been unable to know what their budgets are until too late in the day to recruit properly. So often, jobs on and off the field have been put under threat.”

The programme article continued: “Over these past 17 years, Welsh pro rugby has lost its way. We have been badly let down by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

“By creating a situation of chronic instability, the game’s leaders have let down every young player dreaming of professional rugby and following in Halfpenny’s footsteps. Welsh rugby continues to go through a period of chronic uncertainty.”