The Dragons have dedicated their Welsh derby victory over the Scarlets to their loyal supporters who have stuck with them through the “tough times”, writes Simon Thomas.
A ten-try thriller at a raucous Rodney Parade ended with the hosts coming out on top 38-26, with hooker Elliot Dee scoring two of their six touchdowns in a Player of the Match display.
“There was an unbelievable atmosphere,” said the 56-cap Dee. “We talk about doing it for the people in the stands, our families in the stands and we are just really proud of what we have done in front of them.
“Fair play to the Scarlets, they were tough. They kept us out and they kept us out. But I’m just incredibly proud of us converting it at the end and coming away with the win.”
The Dragons were led out by scrum-half Rhodri Williams to mark his 150th appearance for the region.
“Playing at home in a derby is something special at Rodney Parade,” said Williams.
“To do it on my 150th and get a result like that is really special. “Credit to the squad. I’ve openly said we’ve been through some tough times as a region, but we are really going to kick on this season on the back of the tail end of last year.
“That was far from a perfect performance, there’s loads to work on, but that’s the exciting part.”
Giving his thoughts after the BKT URC bonus point win, skipper Ben Carter said: “The crowd was great.
“The are always really good, but I think they are probably at a level higher again for the derbies.
“The support is huge for us. “We are a really tight group, we are tight with our families as well, so there is no better motivator for me than knowing they are there supporting me and we just want to make them proud.
“The supporters are an extension of that and we love it when they give us energy and we like to give back by putting in performances for them.
“We love playing in these derbies, particularly at Rodney Parade. Playing against people you know is great, so we enjoyed that.”
The Wales second row added: “We wanted to be physically dominant and I think we stuck in there throughout the game. The maul and the scrum went really well, so we are really pleased with that aspect.
“It’s good to build some momentum at the start of the season and we’ve got to carry that on.”
We talk about doing it for the people in the stands, our families in the stands and we are just really proud of what we have done in front of them.
