What Cardiff, Ospreys, Scarlets and Dragons can take from a season overshadowed by uncertainty
Cardiff's Dan Thomas made the most tackles in the URC (263) and recorded the second-highest number of turnovers
©Inpho Photography
Cardiff’s 44-21 quarter-final loss to the DHL Stormers last Saturday marked the end of another domestic season for the four Welsh regions in the United Rugby Championship.
Despite a campaign filled with uncertainty due to the threat of a cut to three professional teams by the Welsh Rugby Union, there have still been some encouraging performances from all four sides.
However, with limited budgets and smaller playing squads, it has been a mixed season in terms of results in a competitive URC, with only one Welsh team reaching the play-offs for a third straight campaign.
So, what can all four regions take from 2025/26?
Cardiff bow out in quarter-final after making Arms Park a fortress
After narrowly missing out on the URC play-off places in 2024/25, the Blue and Blacks reached the top eight for the first time in the URC era as they finished sixth in the table.
Despite tries from Cam Winnett, Taine Basham and James Botham, Corniel Van Zyl’s side were overpowered by the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend, with the set-piece struggling and yellow cards to tighthead props Keiron Assiratti and Javan Sebastian not helping their cause.
But on the whole, it has been a very encouraging season for the capital city team, who made their home ground, Cardiff Arms Park, a difficult place to visit, winning eight of their nine league games there.
Even with their set-piece struggles in South Africa during their quarter-final loss, one of Cardiff’s standout performers throughout the season has been openside flanker Dan Thomas, who made the most tackles in the URC (263) and recorded the second-highest number of turnovers (18).
Their only home defeat was a 21-17 loss to the Scarlets before Christmas, but they claimed big wins against Connacht, Leinster and the Stormers.
Away from home, they only picked up two wins in the URC against the two bottom clubs, the Dragons and Zebre, and were knocked out of the EPCR Challenge Cup after losing 38-35 at Benetton in the Round of 16.
They did, however, come close to victories in Ireland, claiming three bonus points in matches against Munster and Ulster, and earned a losing bonus point from their match in Durban against the Sharks in March.
So, the main area for improvement next season would be their form on the road, although not many teams will fancy their chances at the Arms Park.
Cup run adds to Dragons' season
After just two wins in all competitions last season, it certainly felt like an uphill task for Filo Tiatia at Rodney Parade.
The main objective was to get his side back to winning ways, and by December, there had been no real change to the script.
A losing streak now stretched to over 20 league games, despite draws against the Sharks and the Ospreys earlier in the season.
A heavy 41-17 EPCR Challenge Cup defeat to Perpignan didn't help matters, but a comeback 23-21 win against Lyon at Rodney Parade the following week sparked a five-match unbeaten home run, including a derby victory against the Scarlets on New Year’s Day.
Dragons also picked up a first away league win since 2022, when they beat Zebre 35-32 back in April.
There was also a bonus in the Challenge Cup for the Men of Gwent, as they reached the semi-final stage before bowing out to eventual winners Montpellier.
While they still finished as the lowest-placed Welsh team in the URC (15th), winning only three of their 18 league matches, their European run was a huge source of encouragement.
Overall, the Dragons were far more competitive compared to the one-win season they recorded in 2024/25 and they were able to stay in matches with improved performances in the league.
However, you could argue they might have avoided a 15th-place finish had they been able to manage games better when leading comfortably, which was evident in narrow losses to Munster and the Ospreys in January.
Co-captains Angus O’Brien and Ben Carter led the squad from the front, while tighthead prop Rob Hunt proved to be an excellent signing before his injury at the start of the calendar year.
Dragons supporters also enjoyed the midfield pairing of Aneurin Owen and Fine Inisi, alongside wing Rio Dyer, who returned to form but missed out on international selection for this summer's Nations Championship.
While next season will look very different at Rodney Parade with the departure of Aaron Wainwright, who will join Gallagher Prem side Leicester Tigers, Tiatia will be hoping that many of those narrow defeats and draws can be turned into victories in the 2026/27 campaign.
Ospreys miss out on play-offs amid uncertainty
The Ospreys couldn’t quite match their play-off finish from the 2023/24 season after a tricky start to the campaign in South Africa.
Six tries against the Bulls on the opening day hinted at promise, but they could not replicate that performance against the Stormers and concluded the first six matches with just a single victory, a home success over Zebre.
However, an encouraging start to the Challenge Cup saw two wins from two, and derby victories over the Scarlets and Cardiff put them back in contention for a play-off place.
Those hopes were then hit by away losses to Benetton and Connacht in March, and they also narrowly lost 28-24 in their Round of 16 Challenge Cup tie at Ulster.
Their season then concluded with two home wins and two away defeats as Ospreys ended in 11th spot.
Their final position reflected a campaign in which some gains made under Mark Jones appeared to stall.
After taking over at the beginning of 2025, Jones oversaw a marked improvement in the Ospreys' attacking game following Toby Booth's departure.
This season, however, that threat diminished considerably, with the side managing only four try bonus points from 18 fixtures despite scoring three tries in eight matches.
Uncertainty around the club's future has also led to a trio of departures, including Wales co-captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan, while full-back Jack Walsh also leaves the club after four seasons in Swansea, with the Ospreys confirming nine departures in total.
Fly-half Dan Edwards will remain to lead the charge next term and was outstanding in wins against the Sharks and Scarlets at the Brewery Field.
Meanwhile, Welsh internationals Keelan Giles, Harri Deaves and Morgan Morse have all signed new deals.
Scarlets struggle despite improvement under Nigel Davies
After reaching the play-offs in 2024/25, the Scarlets endured a difficult season as Wales’ sole representatives in the Investec Champions Cup.
Facing the tough task of playing last season’s finalists Bordeaux-Bègles and Northampton Saints, their European campaign came to an end in January after losing all four pool matches.
In the league, five defeats from their opening seven matches - despite notable wins over Glasgow Warriors and Cardiff - were followed by a New Year's Day loss away to Dragons, leaving them bottom of the table.
Former coach Nigel Davies returned to the club in January as interim Director of Rugby, and encouraging performances in defeat to Northampton in Europe, along with a last-minute 27-22 victory over Ulster in the URC, provided a much-needed boost.
One of the main positives was the signing of back-row forward Fletcher Anderson, who joined in November and went on to score three tries in all competitions and make 190 tackles in 13 URC games.
Callum Woolley is also a name for the future after scoring on his debut against the Bulls in April.
However, if there is to be improvement from a 14th-place finish in the league, recruitment in the front five will be essential following the departures of Marnus van der Merwe, Max Douglas and Alec Hepburn, with lock Jake Ball also announcing his retirement.
What’s next?
The uncertainty hanging over Welsh rugby will continue into the off-season, with the WRU hoping to announce the future of the professional men’s game this month, including plans to reduce the number of teams from four to three.
After the deal for Y11 Sports and Media to take over Cardiff fell through in April, and with the Ospreys and Scarlets still not agreeing to the Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA), question marks remain.
Media reports on Tuesday suggested a deal for the PRA Agreement is close with the two West Wales clubs, while the WRU are planning to trigger a two-year notice on all four clubs.
WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood will step down in July following the conclusion of his term, with his tenure marked by instability for the professional teams.
All of this will continue to affect preparations for the national side, who will play four matches during the summer, starting with a friendly against the Barbarians on June 27th.
Jac Morgan ended his Ospreys career in fine form in wins against the Sharks and Scarlets and will return to the international stage after missing the Six Nations because of injury.
The back row is an area of strength for Steve Tandy’s side, with James Botham and Alex Mann looking to continue their momentum from the spring.
There will also be a return for Cardiff lock Teddy Williams following a dislocated foot in October, while Scarlets’ Joe Roberts and Ellis Mee have been in impressive form for Nigel Davies’ side.
Following the Barbarians fixture, Wales begin their Nations Championship campaign against Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium on July 4th before travelling to Argentina and South Africa.
