There were some eye-catching results over the past few days
10:53, 28 Dec 2025Updated 11:00, 28 Dec 2025
The Ospreys put a huge defensive shift in at Parc y Scarlets (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
The festive period often serves up some of the most entertaining fixtures of the season.
Both Welsh derbies in the United Rugby Championship were entertaining affairs, with more than 12,000 fans at both games. It was Cardiff and the Ospreys who claimed the bragging rights, defeating the Dragons and Scarlets respectively.
There were also plenty of Welsh involvement in the Gallagher Prem, while there was also a full round of Super Rygbi Cymru fixtures.
Here are your winners and losers.
WinnersHarri Deaves
The 24-year-old was at the heart of everything that was good about the Ospreys who claimed the west Wales bragging rights with a 26-19 victory over arch-rivals the Scarlets on Boxing Day.
Deaves put in a huge shift, making 24 tackles, more than any other player on the field, while he was also a nuisance at the breakdown, slowing down the speed of the Scarlets’ ruck ball and winning two turnovers.
The industrious openside also made six carries, one of which was a powerful break through the middle of the Scarlets’ defence early in the second half.
Deaves thoroughly deserved his player of the match award and has put himself in a strong position to add to his one Wales cap during the Six Nations.
Justin Tipuric
The Ospreys had to dig deep on Boxing Day as they were forced to soak up a large amount of pressure from the Scarlets in the first half.
Mark Jones’ side scored four tries but this victory was built on defence as the Ospreys repelled wave after wave of Scarlets pressure for large periods of the game.
Defence coach Justin Tipuric deserves huge praise for the way his side defended.
In total the Ospreys made 225 tackles, missing only 20 with a tackle completion rate of 92% as they successfully shut down the Scarlets attack.
This is Tipuric’s first season as a senior coach and he is already making a huge impact.
“We didn’t play our best today, particularly with the ball but without it, that was probably our best defensive performance,” said Ospreys head coach Jones.
“And you go back to Tips [Justin Tipuric], your defence represents the heart of the team and the commitment of the team and the coach. And you can see the boys they did a tremendous job there.”
Mason Grady
The 23-year-old has been slowly working his way back to his best since recovering from an AC joint injury picked up in pre-season.
Grady wasn’t perfect in Cardiff’s 22-19 victory over the Dragons but he played an influential role in Wales’ capital city club getting over the line.
The Wales international did spill the ball which led to a Dragons try early on but he quickly put it behind him to put in a strong performance.
When Grady gets going ahead of steam he can be extremely destructive and difficult to stop, while he also has top-end speed.
He made 14 carries on Boxing Day, including three clean line breaks.
It would be a surprise if he was not included in Steve Tandy’s Six Nations squad because he offers something nobody else in Wales can offer.
But the Wales coaches need to find a way to get the best out of the Cardiff wing because he is a serious weapon when used properly.
Louis Rees-Zammit
The 24-year-old put in another assured performance as Bristol Bears came from behind to beat a stubborn Newcastle Red Bull outfit 36-27 at Ashton Gate yesterday.
Rees-Zammit scored two tries, the first when he took a nice angle to slice open the Newcastle defence, while in the second he showed tremendous footwork, power and pace to score.
What was interesting was the fact he has started the previous two games at full-back rather than the wing.
We all know how potent an attacking threat the Wales star can be but he has also looked assured under the high ball and in defence, while his positional play has been good.
Could Rees-Zammit be an option to start at full-back for Wales in the Six Nations?
It has to be seriously considered.
Carmarthen Quins
The URC wasn’t the only competition showcasing local derbies on Boxing Day.
Carmarthen Quins claimed a stunning 22-12 victory over rivals Llandovery at Church Bank who have now completed the double over the Drovers after also emerging victorious 27-26 six days previously.
These two victories have moved Quins up to fifth in the table with Ebbw Vale sitting pretty at the top.
LosersScarlets
The Scarlets’ Boxing Day defeat to the Ospreys in Llanelli was a bitter pill to swallow for head coach Dwayne Peel.
His side seemed to be on the up after some much-improved performances and a victory over Cardiff at the Arms Park but they were brought back down to earth with a bang.
The Scarlets dominated the early stages of the game but had nothing to show for it as the attack malfunctioned badly at times.
Peel will be disappointed at how wasteful the Scarlets were with ball in hand as they failed to make the most of their superior territory and possession.
This was a big setback for the west Walians who need to bounce back quickly against the Dragons on New Year’s Day.
Dragons
The Dragons have been much improved in recent times and despite falling to a narrow defeat at the Arms Park are still heading in the right direction.
Filo Tiatia will be disappointed his side could not quite get over the line after a superb first-half performance.
The Dragons have not beaten Cardiff at the Arms Park in the league since 2015 and this was a golden opportunity missed but there were still plenty of positives.
Scrum-half Che Hope was outstanding once again and is a dark horse to make Wales’ Six Nations squad, second-row Ben Carter put in a whopping 23 tackles and Rio Dyer appears to be back to his best.
They will fancy their chances of beating the Scarlets at Rodney Parade on New Year’s Day.