Match Report: Newport-Gwent Dragons 26-22 Ulster Rugby

[ADM]

[tag=image]http://uafc.co.uk/images2/Newport_gwent ... _badge.png[/tag][tag=content]Ulster missed the chance to go second in the Guinness Pro12 after losing 26-22 to the Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday afternoon.

It also marks a clean sweep for the Welsh regions over the Irish provinces this weekend with tries from Rhys Buckley, Jonathan Evans and Carl Meyer securing the four points for the Dragons, with Tom Prydie and Dorian Jones providing 11 points between them.

Ulster were particularly lacklustre on the day and were lucky to leave with a bonus point from a game they were second best in, with two tries from Craig Gilroy and a debut try for Ross Adair salvaging a point for them.

The game began with Ulster in the ascendancy, and winger Michael Allen was guilty of spurning an early chance for the visitors when he couldn’t find a supporting player after a clean line break into the Dragons 22.

Where the Dragons were finding success, however, was through the boot of stand-in full-back Carl Meyer and it was they who took an early lead through a 13th minute Tom Prydie penalty.

Halfway through the half and Ulster grabbed the lead with danger man Craig Gilroy deservedly getting a score. The Ulster forwards set up a solid platform and from the back Rory Scholes made the initial break before setting Gilroy over in the corner.

Ruan Pienaar was unable to add the extras from out wide which meant when Prydie slotted a second penalty five minutes later it restored the Dragons’ lead.

By now the Welsh region had gained the upper hand, with Ulster’s kicking game letting them down at times, and centre Jack Dixon nearly had a score just before the break only to be bundled into touch metres short.

Winger Prydie had two efforts late in the half to extend the Dragons’ lead, however he was wayward with both and it remained 6-5 at the interval.

Ruan Pienaar, meanwhile, was having a mixed day with the boot. A minute after pulling a relatively straightforward effort wide of the uprights, the Springbok scrum-half gave his side the lead once more with a penalty seven minutes after the restart.

The lead lasted no more than four minutes as Dorian Jones, now on kicking duty, put over a penalty to put the Dragons into a 9-8 lead.

The momentum then swung firmly in the Dragons favour when prop Callum Black was sent to the sin bin and then substitute Rhys Buckley drove over from the back of a rolling maul for the Dragons’ first try of the game.

The Newport side were to made their extra man pay and five minutes later scrum-half Jonathan Evans found the gap in the defensive line to squeeze over for his side’s second try of the afternoon.

Having offered next to nothing for the majority of the game, Ulster suddenly sparked into life and they got a key score with ten minutes to play with Craig Gilroy the benefactor from Darren Cave’s break to score his second of the game.

But the victory was wrapped up with seven minutes to go when full-back Carl Meyer managed to hold off Cave’s attempts at a tackle to dot down in the corner for four deserved points for the Dragons.

A late try from Ross Adair gave Ulster hope that they might sneak the win at the death, but it was too little too late for the men from Belfast who leave with a losing bonus point they probably didn’t even deserve.

The scorers

For Dragons
Tries: Buckley, Evans, Meyer
Con: D Jones
Pens: Prydie (2), D Jones

For Ulster
Tries: Gilroy (2), Adair
Cons: Pienaar (2)
Pen: Pienaar

NEWPORT-GWENT DRAGONS
(15-9) Carl Meyer, Tom Prydie (Ashton Hewitt 50), Jack Dixon, Ashley Smith, Hallam Amos, Dorian Jones, Jonathan Evans (Luc Jones 75); (1-8) Boris Stankovich (Phil Price 51), T Rhys Thomas (Rhys Buckley 46-53, 64), Brok Harris (Lloyd Fairbrother 75), Andrew Coombs (Matthew Screech 75), Cory Hill, James Thomas (Scott Matthews 69), James Benjamin, Nick Crosswell.

Sub not used: Angus O’Brien.

ULSTER RUGBY
(15-9) Craig Gilroy, Rory Scholes (Ross Adair 75), Darren Cave, Mike Stanley (Sam Arnold 52), Michael Allen, Ian Humphreys (Paul Marshall 63), Ruan Pienaar; (1-8) Callum Black (Andrew Warwick 63), Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst (Bronson Ross 64), Dan Tuohy (Lewis Stevenson 63), Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson (Robbie Diack 52), Clive Ross (Andrew Warwick 57-63), Nick Williams.

Sub not used: John Andrew.
Yellow card: Callum Black (51)

Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ire)[/tag]

[Snipe Watson]

first line is wrong...........they did miss most of the other chances though