Welsh horror show in United Rugby Championship

The Dragons and the Scarlets both lost on Saturday to complete a miserable weekend for the four Welsh regions in the United Rugby Championship.

URC LOG

Newport-based Dragons went down 21-11 to the Lions at Rodney Parade, a result that meant they had gone the entire season without winning a game at home.

The Scarlets also fell to a South African side, losing 26-21 to the Stormers following Ruhan Nel's late try for the visitors in Llanelli.

Defeat meant the Scarlets missed out on qualifying for the European Champions Cup, with the Ospreys going through as winners of the URC's Welsh Shield.

Not that the Swansea-based Ospreys had much to celebrate after a 38-31 loss at home to the Blue Bulls, one of several South African teams now involved in what was once the Celtic League, on Friday.

But that was as nothing compared to the 69-21 hammering Benetton Treviso inflicted upon Cardiff in Italy.

The capital club's humiliating reverse on Friday came amid reports the Welsh Rugby Union is considering disbanding one of the regions, with none of the four teams reaching this season's URC quarter-finals.

That followed a Six Nations where Wales finished a lowly fifth, culminating with a shock defeat by Italy in Cardiff.

"Lots of players are not good enough for all four regional teams," said Wales great Jonathan Davies on social media.

"Too many average players are being overpaid. Need to be brutal and honest. Soft culture. Players have to take a long hard look at themselves. No excuses."

The former flyhalf also said many of the coaches at the regions were too soft with no experience or lack of knowledge".

Elsewhere Saturday, an under-strength Leinster still had enough firepower to defeat Munster 35-25 in Dublin as they denied their arch Irish rivals