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Worcester Warriors are hoping an injection of youth can help kick-start their European Rugby Challenge Cup campaign when they face Newport Gwent Dragons on Saturday. - 08/12/2016 12:37
Worcester Warriors are hoping an injection of youth can help kick-start their European Rugby Challenge Cup campaign when they face Newport Gwent Dragons on Saturday.
The Warriors are bottom of Pool 3 after narrow defeats to Enisei-STM and Brive in rounds one and two. But Worcester head coach Carl Hogg will put faith in his young Warriors against last season's semi-finalists.
He said: “We will look at integrating some of the young players as we always have and we’re mindful we’ve got a block of three games over Christmas and the New Year.
“Ben [Te’o] is on a break next week after England duty but we will look to bring him back for the three-game run in the Premiership. We will look to get the balance right between experienced players and integrating young players.”
Scrum-half Jonny Arr looks set to miss the back-to-back games against the Dragons with concussion. Backs coach Sam Vesty is heading up Worcester’s European programme as they aim to get their first win in the Challenge Cup.
Meanwhile, the Dragons are second in Pool 3, and travel to Worcester having not won away from home in all competitions this season. And despite losing to Enisei-STM in Russia, Newport scrum-half Sarel Pretorius says they go into the the game with belief of getting a result.
He added: “We lost in Russia but still have a lot to play for and tend to do well in Europe, so we go to Worcester with confidence.”
Dragons full-back Carl Meyer and winger Pat Howard will have head injury protocols after picking up knocks in the PRO12 defeat to Leinster.
Worcester Warriors finally got their first Challenge Cup win of the season in a Pool 3 contest against Newport Gwent Dragons at Sixways Stadium that saw yellow card fever sweeping the ground - two for each side - and two penalty tries for good measure. - 10/12/2016 17:00
Worcester Warriors finally got their first Challenge Cup win of the season in a Pool 3 contest against Newport Gwent Dragons at Sixways Stadium that saw yellow card fever sweeping the ground – two for each side – and two penalty tries for good measure.
French referee Thomas Charabas sent four players to the sin bin and awarded Warriors two penalty tries as the Dragons were left still searching for their first away win in all competitions this season.
The Warriors had suffered narrow defeats to Enisei-STM and Brive in rounds one and two but got their first four-pointer of the campaign after a hesitant start and went on to win 33-20.
Outside half Angus O’Brien had given the Dragons a perfect start when he was on target with a drop goal after seven minutes – and then the Warriors’ cause was not helped when flanker Sam Betty was the first to be shown a yellow cards by the French official.
To add to their early woes O’Brien promptly doubled the Welsh region’s advantage with a penalty goal before lock Christian Scotland-Williamson joined his team-mate in the sin bin to leave his side briefly down to 13 men.
But they escaped any further punishment on the scoreboard and finally opened their own account seconds before the break with prop Val Rapava Ruskin rumbling over to the delight of the home fans.
And they edged ahead with Canadian Connor Braid adding the conversion of the only try of the half.
If that was something of a relief for head coach Carl Hogg then he would have been even more relieved when Dean Hammond got their second try – Braid this time failing with his conversion attempt – before it was the Dragons who fell foul of the French official.
Prop Brok Harris was the latest to spend 10 minutes in the sine bin and Worcester promptly took advantage of being a man up with referee Charabas awarding a penalty try.
Braid made it a 13-point lead with the conversion and there was no let up in the yellow card fever sweeping Sixways.
Leon Brown made it two all as he was given his marching orders and there was another double with the Warriors being awarded that second penalty try.
Back to the tries and Max Stelling got the next – this time with the ball in hand – before the Dragons got their first and then their second both through wing Ashton Hewitt, O’Brien adding the conversions in a final flourish.
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