Dragons make a familiar trip up to face Newcastle this weekend, one they have made several times over the last decade.
There have been some famous iterations of this fixture, with one fixture at Rodney Parade called off in 2017 before the end by referee John Meredith due to heavy rain.
However, it is a fixture two years earlier we are focusing on in this week’s Monday Memories, with Dragons running out winners at Kingston Park with one of the best first half Dragons performances in memory.
Dragons travelled up for to Newcastle having lost the reverse fixture 26-30 at Rodney Parade the previous October but had backed it up with wins at Stade Français along with home and away against Romanian side București Wolves.
Newcastle meanwhile had lost in France against Stade Français following a 30-23 home win versus the same opposition.
The home side started the scoring early doors with a Tom Catterick penalty but minutes later and Dragons were over for their first of five first half tries with Tyler Morgan dummying his way through.
Morgan’s break led to a yellow card for Falcons flanker Richard Mayhew 10 minutes later and Dragons took full advantage as their maul was dragged down illegally giving the visitors a penalty try.
Their next try came from a driving maul too with Andrew Coombs the beneficiary before Morgan again proved the catalyst, setting up Hallam Amos’ bonus-point score within the half hour.
Amos turned provider before half time, his catch and pass finding Rynard Landman allowing the second row to canter in and with it Dragons entered the changing rooms with a 35-3 half-time lead.
Newcastle produced the inevitable fightback in the second half with tries from Juan Pablo Socino and Chris Harris but fears of a second half collapse were eased with Amos’ second and despite late tries from Will Welch and Andy Saull for the hosts, Dragons returned south with the full five points.
The result ensured Dragons’ place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a game to spare, although they would secure a home tie with a 30-19 home win against Stade Français.
There they would enjoy a 25-21 home derby day win against Cardiff Blues before falling in the semis to Edinburgh at Murrayfield.
Newcastle: Hammersley; Penny, Powell, Harris, Tait; Catterick, Tipuna; Rogers, McGuigan, Brookes, Robinson, Thompson, Mayhew, Saull (capt), York.
Replacements: Hawkins, Vickers, Fry, Witty, Welch, Davies, Clegg, Socino.
Dragons: Prydie; Pewtner, Morgan, Dixon, Amos; Dorian Jones, Jonathan Evans; Price, Gustafson, Harris, Coombs, Landman (capt), Thomas, Cudd, Lewis Evans.
Replacements: Dee, Owen Evans, Fairbrother, Hill, Faletau, Luc Jones, O'Brien, Geraint Rhys Jones.
