It was another weekend of pre-season action as the new United Rugby Championship campaign drew a little closer.
Each of the Welsh sides were in action, with the Ospreys winning against Northampton Saints while Cardiff, Dragons and Scarlets all fell to defeats. There was also another round of games in the Rugby Championship.
Here are the winners and losers from the weekend:
Winners
Jack Walsh
It was Justin Tipuric who ultimately stole the show in Bridgend, with the Ospreys flanker making his return from injury after 14 months out of the game. And, as you would expect, he remained just as influential as ever.
However, beyond the "man in the blue hat", as Ospreys coach Toby Booth's son calls Tipuric, the quietly pleasing part of their 31-24 win over the Saints at Brewery Field was the continued development of their attack. Naturally, having Tipuric back to cast his magic wherever he sees fit helps, while Stephen Myler did a solid job dictating things early on.
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But it was when new signing Jack Walsh came on as replacement fly-half that the Ospreys really began to cause the Saints regular problems. The Australian, signed from Exeter, adds a different dimension to the Ospreys attack.
Taking the ball at second-receiver more often than not, it gives Booth's side a credible option out the back to test the fringes, while the running threat of Walsh is given more space to probe for gaps. As Booth said afterwards, you've got to win the battle up front before you can really force it too wide, but things are looking cautiously promising in that department.
Having finished the season with three consecutive try-scoring bonus points, the hope is that the Ospreys won't have to wait quite so long to pick them up this year.
Daf Hughes
Obviously, a lot of the excitement at Parc y Scarlets on Friday night was down to seeing former All Black Vaea Fifita make his debut for the Scarlets. He didn't disappoint, getting on the scoresheet with a first-half try.
But just as pleasing was the performance of hooker Daf Hughes, another of the night's try-scorers. Hughes enjoyed a solid season last year, proving a reliable constant in the team whenever Ken Owens and Ryan Elias weren't around.
Despite Owens nearing his return from injury, the reality is that both he and Elias will still be with Wales for large chunks of the season, leaving Hughes - who captained the Scarlets for the first time last year - with plenty of time to step up into the jersey.
That's exactly what Dwayne Peel is looking for in his wider squad this season. Given Hughes' all-action performance on Saturday, it shouldn't be a problem for him.
Ashton Hewitt
After nearly 18 months out, it was good to finally see Ashton Hewitt make his return from injury for the Dragons. Having suffered a knee injury during the Challenge Cup match against Northampton in April 2021, the 27-year-old wing made his comeback against Wasps at Rodney Parade.
Coming off the back of the Dragons' worst ever season, the return of Hewitt is a massive boost for the Gwent side as they seek to put last year behind them.
Callum Sheedy
Last season was a tricky one for Callum Sheedy, having fallen out of favour with Wales as Bristol struggled in the Gallagher Premiership. The addition of AJ MacGinty from Sale has only served to pile the pressure on the fly-half, but it appears that extra challenge might just be a blessing.
Against the Scarlets, Sheedy pulled the strings as the Bears came back late on to win at Parc y Scarlets. More of that and he might just force his way back into Wayne Pivac's plans.
Losers
Cardiff's maul defence
Obviously it's only pre-season and not much can be read into things, but the fact that Cardiff conceded four first-half tries from mauls is something of a concern.
Granted, Gloucester boast one of the best driving lineouts in the game, with George Skivington having worked wonders on it, but the lack of an answer to the Kingsholm's side's lineout would have been a concern.
Being bullied up front remains the issue that the Arms Park side need to overcome more than any other. Their opening pre-season match might just have determined what they'll be working on for the next few days.
The Wallabies
Argentina would have been a contender, given they shipped 50 points against the All Blacks a week on from their historic victory in New Zealand. However, despite that, they still managed to rise up the world rankings so it wasn't all bad for them.
Australia, though, suffered a 'Boklash at the hands of South Africa. The world champions bounced back in Sydney, combining their power game with some slick attacking play on their way to a 24-8 win.
The Wallabies' own decision to copy the Springboks' 6-2 split on the bench didn't pay off and they ended up dropping down two places in the rankings. Such is the everyone-can-beat-everyone nature of this year's tournament, though, they're still very much in the hunt.
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