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Newport Gwent Dragons have one last shot for quarter-final qualification when they go to Bayonne in Round 5 - but London Wasps can virtually kill off those hopes if maintain their unbeaten group record at home to Rugby Mogliano. - 08/01/2013 16:31
Newport Gwent Dragons have one last shot for quarter-final qualification when they go to Bayonne in Round 5 – but London Wasps can virtually kill off those hopes if maintain their unbeaten group record at home to Rugby Mogliano.
The Dragons and Bayonne both trail Wasps by five points and the loser in the Stade Jean Dauger contest could find themselves out of the running while the winner will still be in with a slim chance.
Bayonne won 22-19 at Rodney Parade in a Round 2 thriller after back row forward Tom Brown scored an early try for the Dragons with full back Tom Prydie contributing the rest of the points with the conversion and four penalty goals.
If Mike Phillips’ Bayonne can make home advantage count then they will remind Wasps they cannot afford to take anything for granted while the Dragons will then welcome Wasps to Rodney Parade in Round 6 and have a say in the fates of both Bayonne and Wasps.
Match Facts
- These two teams have met three times in this competition, with the Welsh side picking up two victories to Bayonne’s one. The Dragons inflicted Bayonne’s heaviest ever Amlin Challenge Cup defeat when they won 50-3 in 2006.
- Bayonne have lost only one of their last six Amlin Challenge Cup matches, winning four and drawing the other.
- The Dragons have conceded just three points in their last two matches in this competition.
- Bayonne’s Marvin O’Connor is one of just three players to gain over 300 metres in attack this season, he ranks second overall with 306 metres.
Longtemps mené et malmené par les Dragons
Mike Phillips was Bayonne’s Amlin Challenge Cup hero as he grabbed the match-winning try in the dying moments of their Pool 3 clash with Newport Gwent Dragons.
The Wales scrum-half darted over with just four minutes left at the Stade Jean Dauger as Bayonne battled back from a 19-6 deficit after 52 minutes.
Tries from replacement hooker David Roumieu and full back Sam Gerber after 54 and 64 minutes respectively had Bayonne back within a point at 19-18 but Tom Prydie looked to have won it for the Dragons with a 68th-minute penalty.
Prydie kicked 17 points on the night as he slotted five penalties and a conversion to see the Dragons go close to recording the result that would have kept their own Amlin Challenge Cup hopes alive for a day-and-a-half at least.
A 21st-minute try from openside flanker Lewis Evans had contributed to a 16-6 lead for the visitors but they couldn’t hang on as Bayonne backed up their 22-19 success at Rodney Parade in Round 2.
Bayonne’s other points came from penalty goals from fly-half Jacques Louis Potgieter in the first and 20th minutes and from his successful conversion of Roumieu’s try, with Matthieu Ugalde adding the extras to fellow replacement Phillips’ final score.
The result means Bayonne still harbour hopes of a place in the last eight for the first time since 2006, although former tournament winners London Wasps could extinguish that dream with a bonus-point win over Italian outfit Rugby Mogliano at Adams Park on Saturday afternoon.
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