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Newport Gwent Dragons know a home win over Worcester Warriors is vital if they are to have any hopes of reaching the latter stages of the European Rugby Challenge Cup. - 13/12/2016 11:34
Newport Gwent Dragons know a home win over Worcester Warriors is vital if they are to have any hopes of reaching the latter stages of the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
The Dragons welcome Worcester to Rodney Parade on Friday night after their 33-20 defeat by the English side left them firmly rooted to the bottom of Pool 3.
After reaching last season’s semi-finals for the second year in a row, the Dragons are now up against it to repeat that feat. Their return fixture against Worcester is followed by games at home with Russian side Enisei and away to Brive in January.
Kingsley Jones’ men might currently prop up the pool, but they remain just four points off leaders Brive in what is an incredibly tight group.
The five pool winners will qualify for the quarter-finals along with the three best runners-up meaning the Welsh region are still in with a shout of making it out of the pool.
There’s no doubt, though, that they’ll have to improve their performance from the one they produced away to Worcester.
With their scrum in trouble throughout the game, the Warriors proved too much in a high-scoring encounter.
Prop Leon Brown was one of two visiting players to be yellow carded as the home side came from behind to seal victory and outscore their opposition five tries to two.
Nic Cudd is a doubt for the return fixture for the Dragons after he took a blow to the ribs in the first game last weekend. Wing Ashton Hewitt will remain one of Jones’ side’s main threats while Worcester have been boosted by the arrival of a new signing.
Joe Taufete'e, who can play at prop or hooker, joined Carl Hogg’s men on Tuesday and is an American international. Taufete'e, who used to play American Football, made the switch to rugby in 2011.
Worcester head coach Hogg said: “Joe is a hungry young forward with a lot of potential. He is a big, strong carrier which will allow us to get on the front foot in matches so we're looking forward to working with him and helping him try and reach the top of his game.”
Sam Betty's 15th-minute red card paved the way for Newport Gwent Dragons to beat Worcester Warriors 22-7 in a crucial European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 3 clash. - 16/12/2016 21:31
Sam Betty’s 15th-minute red card paved the way for Newport Gwent Dragons to beat Worcester Warriors 22-7 in a crucial European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 3 clash.
With the Dragons languishing at the bottom of the group, they had to win to have any chance of making it a third semi-final in as many years of the competition.
And tries from Tavis Knoyle, Tyler Morgan and Sam Hobbs ensured they kept tabs on leaders Brive who beat Enisei earlier in the evening.
But the Men of Gwent got off to the worst possible start when Connor Braid booted a loose ball and out-paced opposite man Angus O’Brien in a straight foot race to touch down.
Braid converted his own score, but the Dragons came roaring back when Knoyle was on hand to wrestle his way over before O’Brien kicked the extras from out wide to level the game.
And minutes later Betty’s moment of madness turned the match on its head. The flanker landed two hooks on Rynard Landman at a mass brawl and was shown red by Irish referee David Wilkinson.
O’Brien missed the resulting penalty from a simple angle, and minutes later it was 14 against 14 when Ollie Griffiths was sin-binned for collapsing a maul.
After last week’s hammering at the scrum, Kingsley Jones had highlighted the set-piece as an area for improvement, and the tables had clearly turned.
O’Brien was able to sort his radar and bagged a penalty in the 24th minute but on the stroke of half time, he skewed a drop-goal attempt wide to keep it a three-point game.
The Dragons soon put their foot down and made sure they would avenge last week's 33-20 defeat to the Warriors.
With his first touch after coming on as a replacement Wales centre Morgan darted his way over before prop Hobbs was on the end of a brutal maul.
The home side needed the bonus point if they were to stay four points behind Brive, but centre Adam Warren scuppered two opportunities for the fourth try when he spilled the ball on two separate occasions with the line gaping.
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