Seb Davies and Thomas Young grabbed first tries for Dragons RFC but it was high-flying DHL Stormers who claimed a narrow 29-21 victory in the BKT United Rugby Championship at DHL Stadium in South Africa.
Davies tore over for a deserved first half score as Filo Tiatia’s men frustrated the home side, who had early blasted into an early 14-0 lead courtesy of a try brace form Springbok star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The Cape Town side looked to pull clear in the second period but were kept in check by a well-worked score from Young.
Rio Dyer grabbed a late third but Dragons narrowly missed out on a bonus point on the road.
The wait for the Men of Gwent to taste victory over the Stormers and on South African soil in the URC continues.
But they can take heart from a battling show against a side that had lost only once in the last eight games at DHL Stadium.
An early knock on and 50:22 from Feinberg-Mngomezulu put the home side on the front foot and forced Dragons to dig deep and win a turnover on the floor through Harri Kedde.
A break and offload from Levi Douglas looked to release Fetuli Paea on his right shoulder before the home side this time won a penalty on the deck.
The home side opened the scoring after a kick from scrum half Imad Khan was won back and the ball was taken on by JJ Kotzé before Feinberg-Mngomezulu cut a sublime line to race over and convert his own try.
The visitors were having to defend for long spells with referee Andrew Brace penalising the Dragons at the set piece and breakdown.
Pressure finally told as a penalty for offside was kicked to the corner and when the five-metre maul was stopped the ball dropped out the back and fell kindly for Feinberg-Mngomezulu to race over.
Dragons lost Harry Beddall to injury at the midpoint of the half, replaced by Thomas Young, after a blow to the head in the tackle.
Spilled home ball saw Jared Rosser kick ahead, but the hosts raced back to keep possession and clear the brief danger, before more Dragons attacking play saw a penalty against Deon Fourie and Angus O’Brien kick to the corner.
Fetuli Paea and Harri Keddie carried strongly into contact off clean lineout ball before Seb Davies found the gap, with defenders biting in on Douglas, and coasted over for a score. O’Brien added the extras to half the lead.
The visitors nearly scored a sublime second as Aneurin Owen and Rio Dyer hacked into space, but the ball inside to Rhodri Williams saw the scrum half dragged down and denied a try by Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Stormers were winning contestable kicks to the sky, but good foraging work by Woodman won a penalty at the breakdown before more scramble defence as the home side went wide turned over possession.
A hack ahead from Rhodri Williams, after a strip in the tackle, forced Damian Willemse to turn and quickly kick off the field.
Douglas carried powerfully, Paea and Keddie combined with quick hands and Rosser punched holes down the right flank as Dragons looked to finish the half strongly.
The start of the second half saw Feinberg-Mngomezulu almost immediately extend the lead, after Deon Fourie won a breakdown penalty.
A missed penalty by Feinberg-Mngomezulu moments almost turned in the home favour after a knock on by Rhodri Williams behind the posts. The resulting scrum was carried by back row Evan Roos, but the ball was knocked on as they looked to ground through Marcel Theunissen.
Pressure told when a visiting scrum five metres out was blown away and Roos picked up to score from close range.
Dragons hit back as Rosser hit a great line to rattle up close and when Coghlan was also denied the ball popped for Young to roll over the line as score. O’Brien added the extras.
Dan du Plessis produced a great line break in midfield, but a great cover tackle from Owen hauled him down before the ball was held up over the line.
Stormers got the bonus point try with a huge slice of fortune as Wandisile Simelane kicked ahead and a horror bounce of the ball saw it evade Dyer for the wing to score.
Tiatia’s men continued to look to challenge the Stormers with Keddie carrying relentlessly to take the game to the South Africans.
Dyer was denied a superb solo effort as Feinberg-Mngomezulu managed to simultaneous ground the ball with the wing after the Dragon kicked into space.
But he was not to be denied eight minutes from time as a lineout move and inside ball from Owen sent Dyer over to score a third – to cut the lead to eight points with seven minutes left.
Timeline:
09m Feinberg-Mngomezulu t Feinberg-Mngomezulu c 7-0
17m Feinberg-Mngomezulu t Feinberg-Mngomezulu c 14-0
25m Davies t O’Brien c 14-7
44m Feinberg-Mngomezulu p 17-7
50m Roos t Feinberg-Mngomezulu c 24-7
53m Young t O’Brien c 24-14
59m Simelane t 29-14
72m Dyer t O’Brien c 29-21
DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Imad Khan; Vernon Matongo, JJ Kotzé, Neethling Fouché, Adré Smith, JD Schickerling, Deon Fourie, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos
Replacements: André-Hugo Venter, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Sazi Sandi, Ben-Jason Dixon, Paul de Villiers, Hacjivah Dayimani, Stefan Ungerer, Wandisile Simelane.
Dragons RFC: Cai Evans (Lloyd 73), Jared Rosser, Fetuli Paea (70), Aneurin Owen, Rio Dyer, Angus O’Brien, Rhodri Williams (Armstrong 52); Jordan Morris (Jones 60), Elliot Dee (Coghlan 52), Chris Coleman (James 74), Levi Douglas (Langton-Cryer 58), Seb Davies, Ryan Woodman, Harry Beddall (Young 21), Harrison Keddie
Replacements: Brodie Coghlan, Wyn Jones, Owain James, Barny Langton-Cryer, Thomas Young, Niall Armstrong, Jac Lloyd, Fine Inisi
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 114th game
Attendance: 15,079
