Booed LZR left shaking his head after scoring winning try

THE opening weekend of European competition was a largely disappointing one from a Welsh perspective, with the Ospreys the only team to record a win after a stunning comeback against Connacht in Bridgend.

- JOHN JONES

Matty Young of Cardiff competes for a high ball with Mathis Ibo of Stade Francais

(ICON SPORT/HUW EVANS AGENCY)

Elsewhere, the Scarlets lost narrowly to Bristol, Cardiff crumbled in the second-half against Stade Francais after a strong opening half and the Dragons were put to the sword by a Perpignan team that had lost 11 straight matches.

Here are the winners and losers:

Evan Lloyd

The young Welsh hooker produced perhaps the best performance of his senior career so far in the European Challenge Cup match against Stade Francais. Lloyd was identified by Warren Gatland as a player with all the tools to play international rugby some time ago, despite struggling to nail down a starting spot for Cardiff.

While he’s still certainly raw, all the physical attributes that have seen him earmarked as a star of the future came to the fore on Saturday. He made 11 carries, 14 tackles and two turnovers in a barnstorming display that drew great praise from fans and pundits.

Lloyd demonstrated his power, footwork and high skill level throughout in a really encouraging performance.

The 23-year-old found himself down the pecking order during the autumn internationals after initially being left out of the squad in favour of club teammate Liam Belcher, but will be hoping to maintain this sort of form to earn a Six Nations call-up in the New Year.