URC

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 endured a nightmare 2025 that was winless until they beat Lyon in the Challenge Cup on 14 December, which was followed by a stunning URC victory against Connacht six days later.

Filo Tiatia’s men finished bottom of the URC last season, but resilient recent displays have given reason for optimism.

Dragons are currently 15th, but could go 10th with victory against Scarlets.

Not only do they want to avoid propping up the pile this season, they would love to avoid being Wales’ worst side for the first time since 2019-20.

Head coach Tiatia believes their battling display at Cardiff provided encouragement.

“There were some positives, and we stayed in the fight to try and win it at the end,” he said.

“We were maybe five or 10% off in terms of some physicality parts of game, but we have lots to take forward into Scarlets.”

Scarlets are currently bottom of the URC, although they do have a game in hand, and recent progress was brought to a dramatic halt against Ospreys.

“The games are coming thick and fast,” said head coach Dwayne Peel, whose side have Champions Cup fixtures against Pau and Northampton on the horizon.

“The Dragons is another important game and another tough game for us. We have to make sure we go to Rodney Parade with a spark and full of energy.”

Like Ospreys, a New Year’s Day win would dramatically change the picture in the URC and give some hope of repeating last season’s charge to the top eight.

In an opening half that featured just one solitary try, the dominant theme was Leinster’s superiority in the scrum.

With former Leinster player Michael Ala’alatoa appearing to struggle on their tight-head side, Munster could not get to grips with their opposing front row, who were able to use the set-piece to relieve pressure time and time again.

Despite those difficulties, Munster still enjoyed plenty of territory but were lacking in accuracy when it came to the crunch.

Jack Crowley missed touch in what was a generally poor kicking display from those in red, while a Mike Haley knock-on after a poor Tom Farrell pass ended another attack.

Leinster struggled to convert their own opportunities but did take a 7-0 lead into the break thanks to Van der Flier’s early score.

After one of those initial scrum penalties, the visitors kicked to the corner with Ronan Kelleher finding Caelan Doris from the subsequent line-out.

While the maul made only marginal headway, there was to be no stopping Van der Flier when the back row peeled off the back and ran through the tackle of Craig Casey to score.

In what continued to be a low-scoring and disjointed game after the break, Harry Byrne and Crowley traded penalties a quarter of an hour after the restart.

Approaching the final quarter, Byrne added another three points with the boot but, as both sides turned to their benches, it felt a game already lacking in flow was becoming even more disjointed.

Replacement centre Dan Kelly’s try in the 70th minute set up an absorbing finish but, try as they might and despite plenty of late possession, Munster could not find a way through the Leinster defence for the telling score.

In truth, while the game did not lack intensity or ferocity, given the paucity of attacking quality on show, it was a fitting end to such a contest.

Both sides face another interprovincial derby in the URC next week with Munster travelling to Ulster on Friday and Leinster hosting Connacht the following day.

Cardiff and Llanelli played host to derbies on 26 December and the action will be in Newport and Bridgend on New Year’s Day.

The Arms Park was packed before Christmas to see Scarlets edge out the hosts, and this time a packed house saw the Blue and Blacks sneak victory.

A sold-out figure of 12,125 tickets issued was announced by Cardiff, with Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia lauding the atmosphere.

“The crowd was amazing, for Cardiff and the Dragons,” said Tiatia, an Ospreys legend from his playing days. “It became a singing contest at the end.

“It was pleasing to see where the game is at with local derbies and fans coming out to support their teams.

“That’s what we want for derbies – that they are competitive, grounds are sold out and the game is growing. It’s all around the tribalism of the regions.”

There were more than 12,000 at Parc y Scarlets as well, with victorious Ospreys head coach Jones hoping there are more occasions like this as the WRU looks to cut a men’s professional side.

“You could tell it was a west Wales derby and long may they continue,” said Jones.

“These occasions are massive. Just at the end of the game, to see your players and coaches going over to meet their families over in the terrace over the far side.

“With so many of them and fans turning up when they could be doing all sorts at this time of the year, but they choose to come down and support their team.

“It is amazing. We talked about the emotional side of the game in the derby and how you have to use the emotion.

“I thought the boys used the emotion incredibly well and the Scarlets did the same. I thought their care for their shirt was equally good.”

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

Ospreys: Nagy; Kasende, Boshoff, Watkin, Giles; Edwards, Morgan-Williams: S Thomas, Lake (capt), Henry, R Davies, Smith, Ratti, Deaves, M Morris.

Replacements: Parry, C Jones, Botha, Sutton, Morse, Hardy, K Williams, Walsh.

Sin-bin: Nagy 15

Munster: Haley; Nash, T Farrell, Nankivell, Daly; Crowley, Patterson; Loughman, Scannell, Ala’alatoa, Kleyn, Wycherley, O’Donoghue (capt), Kendellen, Coombes.

Replacements: Barron, Milne, Bartley, Edogbo, Ahern, Coughlan, Hanrahan, Hodnett.

Sin-bin: O’Donoghue 54

Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

Assistant referees: Craig Evans & Andrew Moule (WRU)

TMO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU).