A Welsh region requiring a can of silver polish hasn’t always looked on the cards during this long and challenging rugby season in Wales.
Maybe there still won’t be any need for such an item.
But the Scarlets and Cardiff are still standing in the European Challenge Cup as the competition heads into the quarter-finals. That gives them a reasonable shot at ending the campaign with something tangible to show for their efforts.
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Under the circumstances, with talk of pay cuts and job losses never far away as the game this side of the River Severn tightens its collective belt, the performances of the pair in Europe have been exceptional.
Scarlets reached the last eight with a 19-7 win over Brive in Llanelli on Friday evening with Sam Lousi and Vaea Fifita again outstanding and Sione Kalamafoni and Josh Macleod not far behind.
Cardiff got there via a 28-27 success against Sale on an emotional night at the Arms Park when the club marked the passing of the much-loved Peter Thomas with a wonderful display that saw Rhys Priestland rolling back the years, Taulupe Faletau playing as only he can, Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti scrummaging the Sale front-row off the park and the likes of Mason Grady, Tomos Williams, Josh Adams and Jarrod Evans frequently glittering behind.
So what now?
What is the potential route to the final for each Welsh side?
The Scarlets have home advantage in the last eight against Clermont Auvergne this Friday evening (8pm). The French side are not having a vintage season in the Top 14, currently placed 10th in the table and failing to progress in the Heineken Champion Cup, but they won impressively at Bristol in the Challenge Cup and any side that contains Fritz Lee, Damian Penaud, George Moala and Anthony Belleau will be hard to beat.
But the Scarlets are at home and the Challenge Cup has revitalised their season. They will be determined to push on and in front of their supporters they will quietly fancy their chances.
If they can see off the French, they will host either Glasgow Warriors or the Emirates Lions on the weekend of April 28-30, with home advantage guaranteed because of the Welsh side’s performances in the pool stage, when they topped their section with four wins from as many games.
Cardiff are on the road in the quarter-finals, with a tie against Benetton next Saturday (3pm UK time). Win that and they will probably have to face Toulon away in the semi-finals. But if Lyon shock Dan Biggar’s side this coming weekend, and Cardiff see to business in Italy, the Welsh team will host Lyon in the last four.
The final is at the Aviva Stadium on May 19. The path to that final has opened up for the Welsh pair.
Who knows, a few more stellar performances like the ones just witnessed and we could even have a Cardiff versus Scarlets final in Dublin? In such a troubled season as this one, that really would be one to celebrate.
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