It was another busy week in Welsh rugby, taking in the final weekend of domestic action before Wayne Pivac names his autumn Wales squad, the second round of Women's World Cup pool-stage matches and the small matter of a statement over player behaviour being issued by one of the clubs.
Here are the winners and losers from Welsh rugby...
Winners
Tommy Reffell
Leicester Tigers looked like defending champions as they forced their way past Harlequins on Sunday. And if you were looking for the difference between the two sides, you'd almost certainly look in the direction of Tommy Reffell.
The Wales flanker did all the usual unseen stuff that he lives for, but also cropped up in virtually every big moment too. A brace of tries, one of which was a fine diving finish in the corner, stole the show, but try-saving interventions on Jack Kenningham and Luke Northmore were just as important.
From the first minute to the last, Reffell was dictating what was happening on the park. It was quite a sight.
Read more: Louis Rees Zammit's try-saving fist from the Gods stuns players and viewers
Thomas Young
There is clearly something about opensides christened either Tomas, as Reffell is, or Thomas.
Reffell could soon be competing with Thomas Young in the Wales squad, depending on how Pivac decides to go with his selection on Tuesday.
However, Cardiff flanker Young is making one hell of a claim for a call-up. Having been brought back into the squad last autumn after announcing his deal to leave Wasps for the Arms Park, he didn't get too much of a chance in a Welsh jersey.
His only appearance was against Fiji, wearing the No. 7 jersey in an unbalanced back-row made up entirely of natural opensides. He has not had another opportunity since, but his early season form for Cardiff should change that.
His performances in recent weeks have simply been exceptional, fronting up with a number of tackles and turnovers. Throw in the exceptional turn of pace which saw him race away from 70 metres for a try against the Dragons and he can't have done too much more to stake his international claim.
Wales' set-piece
Granted, the Black Ferns ran in 10 tries against Wales in their Women's World Cup pool stage match on Sunday, but Ioan Cunningham's side can take some solace from how their scrum and lineout functioned against the hosts.
On multiple occasions, Wales' pack had New Zealand's scrum creaking, while they generated some decent attacking positions with strong driving mauls.
While Wales attack coach Richard Whiffin admitted afterwards that they didn't make as much of those attacking opportunities as they would have liked, the strength of Wales' set-piece should give them some confidence going into the match against Australia.
Australia, like Wales, only just scraped past Scotland so there is every chance this could be a close battle, with the winner assured of a place in the quarter-finals.
Bradley Roberts
Out of nowhere, hooker has become a very competitive spot for Wales.
Ken Owens is back from injury, Dewi Lake remains a bright talent and Ryan Elias has held down the jersey in Owens' absence with far better performances than he has often been credited with.
However, are all of those assured of their place in the squad? Not necessarily, and that is down to the form of Dragons hooker Bradley Roberts. Despite one or two harbouring concerns over his size, he is a tenacious, relentless carrier. He will be in the conversation, for sure.
Losers
Cardiff fans
To say Cardiff's statement on the alleged poor behaviour of some of its squad didn't satisfy sections of the fan base would be something of an understatement.
Supporters weren't expecting players to be marched down Westgate Street and pelted with stones, but just a smidge of clarity would have been appreciated. Naturally, these incidents tend to have a way of being diluted by legal matters, so to expect names, sanctions or any other detail was perhaps too much to ask for - not that names were what people were necessarily baying for.
All fans want is genuine reassurance that sufficient action has been taken. Does that statement warrant such reassurance? No, not really (you can read it in full here).
Perhaps the part that will frustrate supporters more than any is this line. "While a small number of the squad were found to have behaved in an unacceptable manner, the club would like to stress that much of the social media speculation was incorrect, suggesting events that did not take place and was therefore unfair to a number of individuals."
It is hard to treat this as an internal club matter, dealt with behind closed doors, when it happened quite publicly in a Cardiff pub. That line about some of the speculation being false only serves to create more questions and, in turn, speculation. Rather than offering clarity, those few words rake a giant stick through the river bed and muddy the water.
The majority of the Cardiff squad are also unlikely to be thrilled with the statement. With no indication of guilty parties, sanctions or even what parts are supposed to be false, speculation will only grow despite Cardiff's belief that the matter is closed and innocent players will likely get tarred with the same brush.
Alisha Butchers
The 25-year-old Wales flanker is one of the best back-rowers in the game right now.
The fact that she was forced to return home with a serious knee injury after just one match isn't just a blow for herself and Wales, but the Women's World Cup as a whole.
Prince of Wales' feathers
The three feathers on the Welsh jersey has always been a contentious badge for some. At its heart, it is a crest which represents the Welsh Rugby Union but is symbolic with an English figure. Those three feathers as inextricably linked with the Prince of Wales and many are keen to move away from the heraldic badge of royalty.
The Welsh football team has worn a dragon with pride for more than a century. Last month, Wales Rugby League announced their teams would also dispense with the three feathers in favour of a dragon.
While it didn't make headlines at the time, the start of the Rugby League World Cup has thrown a bit more attention on that decision, even if their kit does still feature the three feathers, which are embossed on the front.
Regardless of that, it is being seen as a good move. At a time when the WRU is continually being accused of falling behind the example Welsh football sets, not just in terms of boardroom management but national identity, could the WRU's cross-code cousins stealing a march on the move to a dragon force the hands of change and lead to the three feathers being ditched once and for all? Unlikely, but you never know.
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