BKT URC Round 2 review: Dragons doing it for their fans

Simon Thomas

The Dragons have dedicated their Welsh derby victory over the Scarlets to their loyal supporters who have stuck with them through the “tough times”.

A ten-try thriller at a raucous Rodney Parade ended with the hosts coming out on top 38-26, with hooker Elliot Dee scoring two of their six touchdowns in a Player of the Match display.

“There was an unbelievable atmosphere,” said the 56-cap Dee.

“We talk about doing it for the people in the stands, our families in the stands and we are just really proud of what we have done in front of them.

“Fair play to the Scarlets, they were tough. They kept us out and they kept us out. But I’m just incredibly proud of us converting it at the end and coming away with the win.”

The Dragons were led out by scrum-half Rhodri Williams to mark his 150th appearance for the region.

“Playing at home in a derby is something special at Rodney Parade,” said Williams.

“To do it on my 150th and get a result like that is really special.

“Credit to the squad. I’ve openly said we’ve been through some tough times as a region, but we are really going to kick on this season on the back of the tail end of last year.

“That was far from a perfect performance, there’s loads to work on, but that’s the exciting part.”

Giving his thoughts after the BKT URC bonus point win, skipper Ben Carter said: “The crowd was great.

“The are always really good, but I think they are probably at a level higher again for the derbies.

“The support is huge for us.

“We are a really tight group, we are tight with our families as well, so there is no better motivator for me than knowing they are there supporting me and we just want to make them proud.

“The supporters are an extension of that and we love it when they give us energy and we like to give back by putting in performances for them.

“We love playing in these derbies, particularly at Rodney Parade. Playing against people you know is great, so we enjoyed that.”

‘Physically dominant’

The Wales second row added: “We wanted to be physically dominant and I think we stuck in there throughout the game. The maul and the scrum went really well, so we are really pleased with that aspect.

“It’s good to build some momentum at the start of the season and we’ve got to carry that on.”

Delighted Dragons coach Filo Tiatia said: “The fans were still there long after the end of the game singing and that’s the great thing. It’s awesome.

“I am happy with the win and I’m really proud of the group. We just want to keep growing and going up the ladder.”

The Scarlets led 14-12 at the break after two tries from winger Macs Page, the first of them a solo stunner, while they were in front again going into the final quarter.

But, in the end, they had to settle for one losing bonus point.

Their director of rugby Nigel Davies said: “We battled well, but we were on the wrong side of some big moments that swung the game. It’s frustrating.”

Sharks leading the way

The Hollywoodbets Sharks are the early pacesetters in the BKT URC as the only team with maximum points after the opening two rounds of matches.

The Durban-based side missed out on the play-offs last term, but they clearly mean business this time time around.

They recorded a second successive bonus point victory by

beating defending champions Leinster Rugby 26-20 at Kings Park on Saturday evening.

The Player of the Match award went to their winger Edwill van der Merwe who clinched both the win and a four-try bonus with a touchdown two minutes from time.

“It was a very tiring match with a lot of kick battles,” said Van der Merwe.

“At half-time, we said just keep sticking to our game plan. We knew there were going to be gaps somewhere in the second half and it was about capitalising on our opportunities.

“If you have a pack of forwards like that, it’s nice to play rugby as backs and it was awesome to be at home. We are loving Durban.”

Next up, they will head to Cape Town for a big South African derby against the DHL Stormers.

Cardiff Rugby are sitting in second spot after running in six tries while beating Zebre Parma 47-27 at the Arms Park on Friday night.

They had the bonus point in the bag before the break and led 47-8 after 54 minutes following a brace from young winger Tom Bowen ahead of Zebre staging a final quarter rally to claim a bonus of their own.

Coach Corniel van Zyl said: “For an hour, we stuck to task and were very good at times.

“To be fair, we don’t normally have that kind of lead, so it is unfamiliar territory.

“Then there was the anxiety of being in front and the anxiety of what happens next probably kicked in a little bit.

“There was an error or two here and there, momentum swings and they creep back into the game. It’s something to work on, but we definitely take the win.

“It probably didn’t end up ruthless, but it was okay.”

Cardiff now turn their attention to next weekend’s trip to Dublin where they will take on Leinster at the newly redeveloped Laya Arena.

“We all know they are a mega club with very good players, a good system and good coaches, so it will be a nice challenge for us,” said Van Zyl.

The 10Bet Lions are third thanks to a 35-19 bonus point victory over the Ospreys in Johannesburg, with winger Kelly Mpeku scoring two tries in the space of three minutes as they turned around a 12-10 half-time deficit.

Edinburgh Rugby lie fourth after following up their opening day win away to Ulster Rugby by beating the DHL Stormers 17-13 at the Hive Stadium.

Coach Sean Everitt said: “I am very happy. We haven’t had this for some time. It’s a great start.

“I thought our boys stood up well and showed great fight against a very strong Stormers team.

“Everyone contributed. I am very proud of the boys.”

The decisive score came nine minutes from time when teenage winger Rory McHaffie collected a long pass from James Grayson on the bounce and crossed at the corner.

Fly-half Grayson then added the touchline conversion into the wind to provide an additional buffer as he continued the impressive beginning to his Edinburgh career.

“It’s a great club, great people and a good start to our season,” said the former Northampton playmaker.

“We are trying to play fast and move the ball. There’s an ambition to play what we see in front of us.

“It was testing conditions and I thought we kicked the ball at the right times and also tried to move it at the right times.”

There was a hugely eventful encounter at Scotstoun where Glasgow Warriors and Ulster drew 33-33, with both sides collecting three points.

There were five tries apiece, with Glasgow holding on for a share of the spoils despite being down to 13 men for the last eight minutes after picking up a pair of yellow cards.

Elsewhere, Connacht Rugby claimed a dramatic 22-19 victory over Benetton Rugby out in Treviso and the weekend concluded with a cracking contest at Thomond Park where Munster Rugby beat the Vodacom Bulls 26-22, with 20-year-old Charlie O’Shea scoring two of their four tries.

Outside-half O’Shea, who was named Player of the Match, said: “It was unbelievable.

“I can’t thank the fans enough. That’s probably the loudest crowd I have played in front of in my life.

“That really gave the team energy in the last ten minutes to kick on and get the win. It’s class. I am so happy it went well.”

Skipper Craig Casey added: “The crowd was awesome. Fair play to them, I think they carried us through that game for the last ten minutes because it was tough and the Bulls were coming after us.

“Our fans are brilliant and we can’t thank them enough.”

Scrum-half Casey continued: “I am very proud of the team.

“We wanted to rectify that loss (at home to Glasgow) from last week.

“Coming out at Thomond, we don’t want to lose here and thankfully we pulled through against a tough Bulls side.

“We showed some very good character. It was a great win. This one means an awful lot after last week.”

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.