Two wins out of four for the regions, so at least something to cheer for the Welsh professional game.
Well, in Llanelli they were applauding after the emphatic 35-10 win over Glasgow Warriors.
The Ospreys also won but far less convincingly as they saw off United Rugby Championship basement team Zebre.
But it wasn't all good news from a Welsh perspective with Cardiff hammered by Ulster in Belfast and the Dragons destroyed by Munster in Limerick.
A mixed bag, then.
MARK ORDERS and SIMON THOMAS run through the weekend's winners and losers.
Winners
Scarlets
It's been a long time coming, and for much of the first half it didn't look as if they would deliver the kind of performance Dwayne Peel has been searching for as Scarlets coach.
But 35 unanswered points hoisted the west Walians to a stylish win over Glasgow.
Peel's team clicked, with forwards and backs handling in moves that flowed and tries resulting.
The human battering ram that is Sione Kalamanfoni unfailingly crossed the gain-line, while Sam Lousi seemed to be everywhere at once and Dan Davis shone brightly at openside. Behind, pretty much everything went well, with the back three never less than sharp, Johnny Williams and Scott Williams strong in midfield and the half-backs controlling matters nicely.
One swallow doesn't a summer make, but the Scarlets have skilful players and Peel will hope a turning point in their season has been reached.
Gareth Davies
It will have been a frustrating time of late for the 66-cap Davies.
He didn't get off the bench for Wales against Scotland and was then dropped from the 23 for the trip to Twickenham.
So, having been released from the squad to get some game-time with the Scarlets, he would have been a man with the bit between his teeth against Glasgow on Saturday evening.
The 31-year-old scrum-half certainly made his point as he delivered an all-action display, putting in two killer steps to score a try and coming tantalisingly close to a second, serving as a real threat to the opposition defence with his powerful running game.
Josh Navidi
Although he was part of a Cardiff team that went down to a heavy defeat out in Ulster, seeing the Wales and Lions flanker back on the field was a major positive to come out of the weekend.
And a solid performance was enough to see him hurried back into Wayne Pivac's national squad.
Reputation has probably played a part, with Wales knowing that rare is the game that Navidi fails to deliver.
Also, they had breakdown issues against England and so it won't hurt to have someone of his calibre and grit to return to the fold.
In a perfect world he'd be able to fit in another game prior to heading back into the international arena, but doubtless Wayne Pivac will see how he shapes up in training, with nothing guaranteed at this stage.
But a player of his quality and experience will always have a lot to offer.
Rhys Patchell
It's been a wretched couple of years for Patchell on the injury front, but now he's back fit and firing.
Making his first league start since 2019 for the Scarlets against Glasgow, he grew into the game, marshalling play with expertise from fly-half as he helped orchestrate a 35-10 bonus point victory.
He put the Llanelli-based team in the right places with his tactical kicking and his distribution was excellent as well, as he sparked a series of sweeping attacks in a thrilling second-half performance.
It was good to see him injury free and enjoying his rugby again.
Morgan Morris
The man-of-the-match award may have gone to Dan Lydiate, who battled hard for the Ospreys against Zebre, but Morris must have run him close.
Playing at openside, the former Swansea player scored a try, carried with real purpose, posed a threat over the ball and didn't miss a tackle in 12 attempts.
With Ethan Roots also prominent, the Ospreys' back row were industrious and effective throughout.
In a low-quality match, though, there probably weren't too many other areas of the side that performed anywhere near as head coach Toby Booth would have liked.
Kayleigh Powell
Wales and Bristol Bears full-back Kayleigh Powell once again showed she knows her way to the try line with a bonus point-winning score against Loughborough Lightning.
Welsh stars Powell and Jasmine Joyce were among four players to touch down for Dave Ward's side during a first half which claimed the bonus point, before Loughborough's comeback rescued a draw for the visitors.
Joyce turned on the gas to race over the line for the Bears' second try in less than five minutes, while a lovely stage of play set up Powell for the break to run clear for the try.
Five-cap Powell, 22, has fought back to fitness and form following a series of injuries last year and, with alongside her strong kicking game and distribution skills, is demonstrating her eye for the whitewash.
Awarded a part-time retainer WRU contract, let's hope she can carry this form into the Women's Six Nations when it kicks off on March 26.
Jim Hamilton and Scott Baldwin
Hamilton is 6ft 8in and not a man to take liberties with, so best of luck to anyone who picks an argument with him over his punditry.
Anyway, there was no need to do so on Saturday evening.
The Scotland international was impressively clued up on Welsh players when he covered the Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors match on Premier Sports. He was also unbiased, which is not always guaranteed these days, and spoke with authority.
Baldwin also did well during BBC Scrum V's coverage of Ulster v Cardiff, displaying not just insight and knowledge but also an easy way in putting his thoughts across.
Good efforts, both.
Nick Tompkins
How good was he for Saracens against Leicester?
Very good and then a bit more again.
It was exactly what Wayne Pivac would have wanted to see.
Losers
Cardiff
They hadn't played for five weeks, so a degree of rustiness would have been understandable.
But the performance against Ulster out in Belfast was beyond rusty. It was just dreadful.
On paper, it had looked like being a cracking contest between two strong sides, with Cardiff fielding 13 full internationals in their starting line-up.
But it proved to be hugely one-sided as Ulster ran in seven tries during a 48-12 romp.
The visitors just made so many errors in terms of their basic skills, while their defence was simply sub-standard.
They have a lot of soul searching to do now as they prepare to head out to South Africa.
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Dragons
Where do your start?
Let's get the necessary out of the way first.
The east Walians are poorly funded compared to many of their rivals, don't have much depth in their squad and were missing some important players for their trip to Munster.
But even taking those factors into account, they were calamitously poor as they crashed 64-3 in Limerick.
There was a huge flag behind one set of posts at Thomond Park which read: 'Never Stop Competing."
We can't be sure if some Dragons players read it as 'Never Start Competing' because more than a few of them did so little to trouble Munster.
Their forwards won only 36 percent of the possession, the team missed 33 tackles, they lost five lineouts and two scrums.
At one stage in the first half the referee awarded Munster a set-piece penalty after saying both Dragons props had collapsed under pressure. "He does not like the picture he's getting from the Dragons' front row," said the Irish commentator on Premier Sports in masterly understatement.
There were 10 Munster tries with the Welsh team lucky to finish second.
With just one win this season, they are discovering how difficult it is for a team to fight their way out of adversity.
Some are questioning director of rugby Dean Ryan's future and it would be a surprise if that were not the case with professional sport a results business and the Dragons' results simply not being good enough. Tavis Knoyle's weekend TV appearance probably didn't help.
The Englishman desperately needs to turn the situation around, and quickly.
Ellis Jenkins
He was being spoken of as a potential Wales captain not so long ago; now he's been cut from Wayne Pivac's squad for the rest of the Six Nations.
Sporting life can be beyond tough at times.
