Dragons U18s just missed out on the WRU U18s Regional Championship title after a hard fought 15-11 loss to the Cardiff Blues in the final at St Helens last night. In an evenly contested conclusion to the season, the Blues had to withstand a late onslaught from the Dragons before prevailing.
Blues outside half Gareth Thompson traded penalties with Dragons opposite number Ethan Davies before the impressive full back Hallam Amos hit the line like a bullet to speed over from 35m to give the Dragons an 8-3 lead.
The Blues regained the lead on the stroke of halftime after a period of sustained pressure. Joe Raikes kicked the ball deep into the heart of Dragons territory and with the defence in disarray, referee Ben Whitehouse adjudged Ollie Smyth had been tackled without the ball and awarded a penalty try. With Thompson adding the conversion, the Blues went in at the break 10-8 ahead.
The Dragons refused to buckle and edged back in front in the 55th minute with a Davies penalty before the power of the Blues pack made their presence felt again.
From a driving line-out, Ben Roach powered his way over for a well worked try to put the Blues 15-10 in front. Thompson then had a chance to put the game beyond the Dragons reach but he missed a relatively straight forward penalty.
This spurred the Dragons on and they threw everything at the Blues but they couldn't find a way through.
