Forza Dragons! Keddie brace books semi-final
Harrison Keddie was the two-try hero as jubilant Dragons RFC booked a place in the last four of the EPCR Challenge Cup with another epic 35-32 victory on the road in northern Italy.
The Men of Gwent went into the fixture in Parma in high spirits after the epic victory over Stade Francais Paris last weekend.
And the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi saw another famous chapter written this season as Filo Tiatia’s team kept European dreams alive for Wales.
The team will now travel to Montpellier at the start of April for a huge semi-final shootout with the Top 14 giants for a place in the showpiece finals in Bilbao this May.
Dragons had been chasing a first European semi-final since 2016 and a tight and absorbing first half saw Fine Inisi and Harrison Keddie grab tries but Dragons also suffer two yellow cards as the teams went in level at the break.
But the second half saw Dragons step it up and tries from Keddie and Dee - plus the accurate boot of O’Brien – kicked them to glory!
The game started to a huge ovation with Zebre left wing Jacopo Trulia looking to make an early break, but Fine Inisi mopped up danger.
Keddie twice unloaded big tackles and Thomas Young won a key turnover on the floor as Dragons scrapped for every ball.
Dragons used the huge boot of O’Brien early on to win territory while Aaon Wainwright and Ben Carter punched holes to win a penalty that O’Brien slotted for the lead.
Giacomo Da Re levelled the scores after the visitors were penalised for offside.
The first try of game arrived when Aneurin Owen spotted space in behind and kicked ahead for Inisi to pounce on the loose ball.
Dragons were having to repel big ball carriers from the home side but looked a constant threat in attack as Tinus de Beer looked to launch Rio Dyer into space.
The visitors were penalised for a pull back on wing Trulla as he kicked ahead – with David Richards yellow carded – and Zebre struck with the same wing going over moments later.
Patient build-up from Dragons was halted when Owen was abruptly sent to the turf by a big tackle and replaced by Fetuli Paea.
Wainwright and Keddie rattled into contact and the resulting penalty went to corner and not the posts.
The brave move paid off as the forwards rattled up and Keddie touched down with O’Brien adding the extras.
A sublime break from Dyer from deep inside his own half put Dragons back on the front foot.
But a yellow card for Inisi again gave Zebre momentum with home centre Giulio Bertaccini crashing over the line to level the scores at the break.
O’Brien nudged Dragons ahead at the start of the second half before a third away try as Paea stormed past tackles and the ball was recycled and punched over by Keddie for a 27-17 lead.
De Ra cut the lead with kick, but momentum was firmly with Dragons and a fourth score from a huge driving maul sent Dee over and the away fans in raptures.
O’Brien settled nerves with a penalty to extend the lead to 15 with less than ten to play.
With nothing to lose, Zebre looked to cut loose and twice scored in the final three minutes but the result was without question. Dragons are heading to the semi-finals.
Timeline:
10m O’Brien p 0-3
13m Da Re p 3-3
15m Inisi t O’Brien c 3-10
25m Trulla t Da Re c 10-10
30m Keddie t O’Brien c 10-17
37m Bertaccini t Da Re c 17-17
44m O’Brien p 17-20
51m Keddie t O’Brien c 17-27
62m Da Re p 20-27
66m Dee t 20-32
76m O’Brien p 20-35
77m Krumov t 25-35
79m Quattrini t Da Re c 32-35
Zebre: Giovanni Montemauri, Mirko Belloni, Giulio Bertaccini, Marco Zanon, Jacopo Trulla, Giacomo da Re, Gonzalo Garcia, Muhamed Hasa, Tommaso di Bartolomeo, Ion Neculai, Matteo Canali, Leonardo Krumov, Alessandro Ortombina, Bautista Stavile, Davide Odiase
Replacements: Giovanni Quattrini, Luca Franceschetto, Juan-Manuel Pitinari, Giacomo Ferrari, Giovanni Licata, Alessandro Fusco, Damiano Mazza, Samuele Locatelli
Dragons RFC: Angus O’Brien, David Richards (Anderson 74), Fine Inisi, Aneurin Owen (Paea 28), Rio Dyer, Tinus de Beer, Niall Armstrong (Lloyd 74); Rodrigo Martinez (Jones 50), Brodie Coghlan (Dee 50), Chris Coleman (James 77), Ryan Woodman (Davies 60), Ben Carter, Harrison Keddie (Lewis-Hughes 71), Thomas Young, Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Wyn Jones, Owain James, Seb Davies, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Morgan Lloyd, Fetuli Paea, Huw Anderson
Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng)
Attendance: 2,524
