Four Welsh sides recorded victories, with only the Neath-Swansea Ospreys tasting defeat – at the hands of fellow Welsh region Gwent Dragons. The only two unbeaten teams left in the competition – the Llanelli Scarlets and the Celtic Warriors – are both Welsh.
The Cardiff Blues ended their winless run against Irish sides with a 33-17 victory over Connacht at the Arms Park on Saturday, the Scarlets became the first non-Irish side to beat Munster at Thomond Park for eight years with a 19-12 win on Friday night and the Warriors sneaked home 29-22 over 2001 League champions Leinster at Sardis Road.
The Swish Family Robinson starred in the Blues’ win, with younger brother Nicky kicking 18 points to complement a superbly-worked backline move that resulted in Jamie Robinson’s first-half try.
Blues coach Dai Young said the players were determined to hit back at their critics after their ill-disciplined loss to Glasgow the previous weekend.
“We have been written off as the worst team in Wales, which is disrespectful to the players,” the former Wales captain said.
“It’s as if as soon as a player is in a Cardiff jersey, people want to punch holes in them. We took quite a bit of criticism after last week’s defeat. People are entitled to their opinion, but we were out to prove them wrong.”
Ospreys coach Lyn Jones had even more to say after his side’s loss to the Dragons at Rodney Parade.
With fans ignoring the new era of regional rugby by chanting “Newport! Newport!” throughout the match, Jones didn’t pull any punches about the ill-discipline shown by both sides.
“To give cheap-shot penalties away for one thing or another is inexcusable,” said Jones after watching a player he wouldn’t sign, Lee Jarvis, kick 19 points in the Dragons’ victory.
“But that is typical of Wales, and I am sure in England the players are much harder on each other. That is where we have to get to.”
Celtic Warriors winger Gareth Wyatt won’t have to buy a beer for a while after he single-handedly got his side out of jail against an unlucky Leinster outfit.
Wyatt dropped a goal to bring the Warriors back into the game, before scoring a wonderful solo try in injury time to snatch the victory in a match spoiled by the whistle of Scottish referee Iain Ramage, nicknamed
“Damage” by Sardis Road fans after barely five minutes.
Warriors veteran Neil Jenkins added 16 points to bring his League total to 40 in just two games, but he has to bow to Gareth Bowen for the honour of being the tournament’s leading points-scorer.
The Scarlets fly-half, an understudy of Wales vice-captain Stephen Jones, scored all 19 points in his side’s famous win over Munster to reach 41.
Celtic League results: Cardiff 33 Connacht 17, Celtic Warriors 29 Leinster Lions 22, Edinburgh 53 Borders 7, Gwent Dragons 29 Neath-Swansea Ospreys 19, Munster 12 Llanelli Scarlets 19, Ulster 33 Glasgow 6.
