Ulster v Dragons Match Report

Newport Gwent Dragons were denied a win at the Kingspan Stadium after a tight rescheduled match against Ulster Rugby.

 

With tries from Carl Meyer and Adam Hughes, the Men of Gwent were well on the way to taking the win at the Stadium, a stadium in which they hadn’t won since 2008. But a last minute long range penalty from Paddy Jackson saw Ulster nip the Dragons to the win. 

The Dragons began the game well after taking the lead within 5 minutes with a lovely penalty kick from youngster Angus O’Brien. The Men of Gwent continued on their quest, after a pleasing win against Leinster at Rodney Parade the week before, and a try followed. With wing Ashton Hewitt beating off over five defenders the Dragons were back in the Ulster half. Full-back Carl Meyer then put the kick through for Adam Hughes to scoop the ball up and slide across the whitewash. Fly-half O’Brien then added the conversion which saw the Welsh Region take a lead of 10-0.

However, it didn’t take Ulster long to respond to the Dragons lead which Sean Reidy finding space and crossing the try line, only for Ian Humphreys to convert.

Half Time: Ulster 7 – Newport Gwent Dragons 10

It was the Dragons who began the second half well and during the 47^th minute they got their reward with a try from Carl Meyer. It was a lovely pass from skipper Rynard Landman which saw the the full-back cross the try line. However this time O’Brien was wide of the posts.

It was in the 53^rd which saw a penalty try awarded to the home team after Matthew Screech was penalised for pulling the maul down. Screech was also sin binned for this, which saw the Ulster side lead 15-14 with a Paddy Jackson.

Another yellow card from referee Nigel Owens to the Dragons loan player Ben White for a high tackle, saw the Dragons down to 13 men. Ulster made the most of the 2 man advantage and went over for a try. But the TMO went back and it was chalked off for a knock-on, leading up to the try.

Ulster were awarded with another chance to take the lead with a penalty from Paddy Jackson, but the kick hit the crossbar with just a few minutes left. However he was given the chance to kick again and this time he didn’t miss, which saw the home side take the win.

Full Time: Ulster 17 – Newport Gwent Dragons 15