Dragons v Ospreys Match Report

In what was a frustrating afternoon for the Dragons the one converted try and one penalty scored were not enough to get the men of Gwent back on track and into winning ways in the RaboDirect PRO12.

The Ospreys came out of the starting blocks with a bang as Richard Fussell took the Dragons by surprise and crossed the white wash in a flash, but ref Nigel Owens ruled it out after consulting with the TMO after spotting an earlier knock on just in front of the posts.

 

The Ospreys tried once more for the opening points as they broke through the Dragons defence, this time it was Dan Baker who crosses the line. But the try was ruled out once again as the ball slipped out of his hands before grounding it.

 

During this time Netani Talei was helped off the pitch by medical staff after sustaining an injury and was replaced by Nic Cudd.

 

Half Time: Dragons 0 Ospreys 0

 

In what started off as a slow beginning for the men of Gwent in the first half, international scrum half Richie Rees came out fighting and found his way through the barricade of the Ospreys defence. He crossed the whitewash for the welsh region to add the first set of points to the scoreboard. Burton added to this by converting the try, making it 7-0 to the Gwent region.

 

The Ospreys added their first points to the scoreboard after 53mins from a penalty kick made by Dan Biggar. Soon after this fly half Jason Tovey went down injured and was replaced by Kris Burton, Ospreys also made their own changes with British and Irish Lion Adam Jones replacing Aaron Jarvis. The prop made all the difference for the Ospreys and soon after Tom Habberfield crossed the try line with Biggar converting and putting them on the front foot for the first time.

 

Shortly after this Tom Prydie kicked a penalty goal for the Dragons, evening up the scores once again. But the men of Gwent gave away a silly penalty that cost them as Dan Biggar kicked for goal and nailed it for the Ospreys. It wasn’t then until the 78^th minute when the Ospreys were awarded a penalty try after another powerful scrum from the West region only for Biggar to convert once again. The final scores for the game were Dragons 10 Ospreys 20.

 

Teams

 

Newport Gwent Dragons

Hallam Amos, Tom Prydie, Tyler Morgan, Jack Dixon, Will Harries,  Kris Burton, Richie Rees; Phil Price, T. Rhys Thomas, Duncan Bell, Cory Hill, Matthew Screech, Netani Talei, Lewis Evans (c), Taulupe Faletau.

 

Replacements:  Sam Parry, Owen Evans, Bruce Douglas, Jevon Groves, Nic Cudd, Jonathan Evans, Jason Tovey, Lewis Robling.

 

Ospreys Rugby

Richard Fussell, Jeff Hassler, Jonathan Spratt, Ashley Beck, Hanno Dirksen, Dan Biggar, Tom Habberfield; Duncan Jones, Scott Baldwin, Aaron Jarvis, Ryan Jones, Alun Wyn Jones (c), James King, Justin Tipuric, Dan Baker.

 

Replacements: Scott Otten, Nicky Smith, Adam Jones, Tyler Ardron, Sam Lewis, Tito Tebaldi, Sam Davies, Aisea Natoga.

 

Man of the Match: Nic Cudd

 

Attendance: 30,411