The first set of festive derbies lived up to their billing as Cardiff and Ospreys came out on top in battles of east and west which had just about everything for fans to savour.
Amid cards, scraps, drama and plenty of tries, Cardiff's last-gasp win over the Dragons in Newport and the Ospreys' victory against the Scarlets in Swansea offered a timely piece of positivity during a pretty dour period for Welsh rugby.
But, as well as giving fans something to cheer about, these derbies always serve as Wales auditions, given the head-to-head nature of Wales team-mates going up against one another. And with returning Wales head coach Warren Gatland keeping a close eye on proceedings, there was a little more to play for just weeks out from the 2023 Six Nations.
So who were the players who stood out?
Thomas Young
Another standout outing for Young means he is becoming increasingly hard to ignore from a Wales perspective. His man-of-the-match performance against the Dragons had all the hallmarks of a Young effort, other than an 80-metre breakaway try.
One particular turnover seemed to defy physics and logic. Making the hit on Ross Moriarty, Young somehow bounced back to his feet and got over the ball to steal it in one stunning motion. All around the park, he was simply superb.
Right now, he's in ridiculous form and it will be hard for Gatland to overlook him for the Six Nations. "What will be will be," the Cardiff flanker admitted post-match as he acknowledged Wales selection was out of his control.
Of course, when Cardiff are bringing on Ellis Jenkins for a 20-minute cameo which included a match-defining turnover, you remember that no one is guaranteed a place in the Welsh back-row selection.
Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright
You could tell from the off that Moriarty was up for this one. In fairness, when is he not? But having been overlooked for the autumn internationals, the chance to go up against the best No. 8 Wales have arguably ever had in Taulupe Faletau safe in the knowledge that Gatland would be watching from back home in New Zealand would be motivation enough for Moriarty to hit every ruck and body like it was his last. He made seven successful carries and was bang up for it.
As for his fellow Dragons back-row Wainwright - who was also overlooked in the autumn - he also had his moments. He led the way in terms of tackles for the home side, making 13 hits and showing up later on when the game got looser in patches. He will be equally hopeful of a return to the squad when Gatland makes his choice early in January.
Jarrod Evans
Building up to this weekend, Dragons coach Dai Flanagan called Jarrod Evans one of the best attacking fly-halves around. He might have even breathed a sigh of relief when Evans was named on the bench. However, it wouldn't take long for the Cardiff fly-half to get involved, with Rhys Priestland leaving the action injured in the first half.
Within a matter of moments, Evans had slotted over one conversion before giving a deft inside ball to Owen Lane in the face of a spot blitz which set up Josh Adams' score.
More quick hands put Adams in space for Tomos Williams' second try, after he switched to the blindside at the last second to cause the Dragons defence more problems.
Attack has never been an issue for Evans, as he continued to cause problems for the Dragons with his fake pump passes and ability to move diagonally towards the defence while staying square, but kicking and game management has always been levelled at him as a possible area of criticism.
But you can't question his bottle. Having started 2022 with a match-winning penalty against champions Leinster, he showed nerve to hammer a daring touchfinder down the line to give them field position for Corey Domachowski's try.
Ashton Hewitt
Wales are blessed with wingers and with limited time for Gatland to stamp his mark before the World Cup, it seems counter-productive to throw in an uncapped wing to the mix. But Hewitt showed what the Dragons have been missing for so long through injury as he caused Owen Lane problems throughout at Rodney Parade.
With a knack of beating the first man regardless of the space around him and a dynamic way of carrying with genuine pace and strength at weak shoulders, he is a joy to watch once he breaks into the backfield.
He ended up making 92 metres, beating six defenders and breaking the line twice. Enough for Gatland to have a look, especially when recent cap Rio Dyer crossed for a try on the other wing. Perhaps not, but he couldn't have done much more.
Rhys Webb
He may be reaching the twilight of his career but the 34-year-old scrum-half is showing no signs of slowing down. Speaking exclusively to WalesOnline last week, the Ospreys pivot was adamant he still has what it takes to play at the highest level and it would be a surprise if he wasn't included in Gatland's squad for the upcoming Six Nations (you can read the full interview here).
He was excellent at the Swansea.com stadium with his game management significantly better than any other No. 9 in Wales, while he is as much of a threat with ball in hand as he has ever been.
Webb knows when to kick, when to pass and when to run which is a difficult trait to master. In the first half against the Scarlets he spotted a gap in the Scarlets defence and proceeded to score a try from 35 metres out. He is also a lot more mature than he used to be which was in evidence when he was given the Ospreys captaincy when Justin Tipuric withdrew from the game with a back injury.
Jac Morgan
This man just keeps getting better and better. He took his former club to the cleaners at the breakdown, winning five turnovers while his ball carrying and defensive game was also to the fore.
Morgan has a huge influence on every game he plays, and is mature beyond his years. He may be only 23 years old but he may well come into Gatland's thoughts when it comes to the captaincy. Here is a player Wales could build a team around for the next decade and Gatland has form for naming a young captain after making Sam Warburton his skipper ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Wales are stacked with quality at openside flanker but there's something extra special about Morgan, who stands tall above everyone else.
Owen Williams
Up until recently the 30-year-old was very much the forgotten man of Welsh rugby, but his move to the Ospreys after his former employers Worcester Warriors entered administration has thrown an extra spanner in the works when it comes to Wales selection. Williams has added an extra dimension to the Ospreys' attacking game, which was very blunt before he arrived. He can control a game as well as anyone while his goal kicking is top notch, but it is his passing game which is the former Scarlet's point of difference.
He easily unlocked the Scarlets defence with one long pass beating three defenders to put Luke Morgan over at the corner while his defence was also rock solid.
Williams has fallen foul to Wales' 60-cap rule in the past but has played for some of European rugby's biggest clubs including Leicester Tigers and Gloucester, while he also enjoyed a stint in Japan. Back in 2017, Gatland selected Williams at inside centre against both Australia and New Zealand. He was excellent in both games and given both Gareth Anscombe and Rhys Priestland are doubts for the Six Nations, Gatland may well be tempted to select Williams.
Johnny McNicholl
It has been a dire season for the Scarlets, who have only won once in the United Rugby Championship all season. But former Crusaders star McNicholl has been a shining light in the darkest of seasons and played well behind a beaten pack in Swansea.
He is the best attacking full-back in Welsh rugby (yes, including Liam Williams) and is both an expert finisher and a playmaker.
During the second half of his side's heavy defeat to the Ospreys, he intercepted a pass from Rhys Webb before turning three defenders inside out to score.
He can be suspect in defence but he's as potent an attacking weapon as you'll find in Welsh rugby. Given both Williams and Leigh Halfpenny are currently sidelined through injury it would be madness not to consider McNicholl for a recall.
READ MORE:
Dominant Ospreys see off Scarlets as Morgan and Webb give Gatland timely nudge
Ospreys v Scarlets incident sees red card after just five minutes as fans split
Josh Adams fumes as he's forced to leave field in Six Nations scare for Gatland
Cardiff beat Dragons in dramatic finale to ferocious Welsh derby
Wales star Will Rowlands out of Six Nations and may not play for Dragons again
