Clermont Auvergne 46

Dragons 29

NEWPORT Gwent Dragons did themselves, their fans and Welsh rugby proud in Saturday's pulsating European Challenge Cup semi-final against high-flying Clermont Auvergne.

The Dragons never for once froze in the scorching heat of the Massif Centrale. Though they conceded three tries in seven minutes as the sun beat down on the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, they responded magnificently with a performance which even by their standards was very brave.

Putting the whole thing into perspective, Clermont receive a massive budget of around £8m compared with the Dragons' £2.5m, they have a playing squad of 42 compared with the Dragons' 28, they are full of high-ranking internationals from around the globe, they are second in the prestigious French Championnat and unbeaten at home.

So you're not comparing apples with apples, on top of which the Dragons went in without their talismanic figure of Colin Charvis while others were less than 100% fit and they lost more players during the match.

Money, of course, doesn't cause a player to miss touch, as skipper Kevin Morgan did, which eventually enabled opposing captain Aurelien Rougerie to sweep across for their first try, and neither does it allow for a bad overthrow at a line-out by hooker Steve Jones, which presented the second try to Argentina number eight Gonzalo Longo.

But the point is it was never a level playing-field, with one side among the aristocrats of European rugby and the other a decent, honest, hard-working, highly committed side, but without the tools to really do the job.

For all that, the Dragons made their mark, big time. And in jet-propelled winger Aled Brew they even had the player of the match as he put the skids under Clermont and drew widespread praise.

In fact, he scored the game's first try when he took an offload from Michael Owen, rapidly getting back to his best form, and stormed through the home defence with an exhilarating burst.

But when Clermont scored their third quick-fire try after Jamie Ringer got himself yellow-carded and prop Thomas Domingo drove over the line, the Dragons might have capitulated in the heat.

But they didn't, far from it, and the manner of their fightback caused a real scare in the home camp and earned them the respect which their New Zealand coach, Vern Cotter, expressed vividly afterwards.

Clermont is an intimidating place to play, with the 10,000-strong crowd waving their flags en masse and the constant sound of the drumbeat, but the Dragons refused to be affected by it.

They initially drew polite applause when, trailing 27-5, they decided to run a kickable penalty. But the mood changed when from a well-rehearsed move the Dragons lined up, the bemused defence parted and prop Adam Black swept straight through it and over the line unopposed for his fourth try in as many games, earning 9.9 for the swallow dive which preceded it.

Dragons coach Paul Turner received a text from his mate, Will Greenwood, the multi-capped England centre now a Sky TV pundit, telling him that was the finest set-piece try he had seen.

But not content with that effort, the Dragons came again when Phil Dolman, who had replaced the injured Nathan Brew, chipped ahead and Aled Brew was on the ball in a flash for his second try, his 12th of the season.

At 27-19 Clermont didn't exactly panic, but the alarm bells certainly sounded and they sent on big guns Argentinian powerhouse prop Martin Scelzo and current France number eight Elvis Vermeulen.

Clearly rattled, Clermont knew they had to pull something out of the bag and, sure enough, they did, but even then the Dragons almost kept pace to the end as they responded to three more home tries with two of their own.

Centre Terry Marsh responded by crossing near the corner, the ever- brave Ceri Sweeney for once missing a tackle, but the Dragons again refused to lie down and they hit Clermont with the try of the game.

Gareth Cooper, who had a much better game, though still making the odd howler, did a tap and go from a penalty and from there the ball went via Black, Sweeney, Joe Bearman, Paul Emerick, Cooper, Sweeney, Owen, Black, Owen, Morgan and finally a lovely offload by the excellent Jamie Ringer to Ian Gough, who sped triumphantly down the touchline for a wondrous try.

Again Clermont hit back through a driving try from hooker Brice Miguel and they settled it when star scrum- half Pierre Mignoni raced away for another.

But the Dragons had the last word when Dolman chipped over the defence again and won the race for the touchdown.

Two kickable conversions were missed which would have provided even more respectability, whereas Clermont's Australian outside-half Brock James booted 16 points from five conversions and two penalties.

By the final stages Dragons had lost Sweeney (back) as well as Nathan Brew, while Aled Brew and Morgan were affected by a knee problem and cramp respectively. Without Charvis, too, and in such heat, with the temperature up in the 80s, theirs had been a marvellous effort.

The hundreds of fans who somehow or other got to a place in the middle of nowhere with no direct flights gave the team the reception they deserved.

Now the small squad must dredge up a bit more as they face four league games in ten days. Life can be cruel sometimes.

Clermont Auvergne: A Peclie (A Floch 40), A Rougerie (captain), G Esterhuizen, T Marsh (R Chanal 55), V Delasau, B James, P Mignoni (A Pic 73), T Domingo (M Scelzo 43), B Miguel, D Zirakashvili, D Barrier (J Cudmore 47), T Privat, M Dieude (E Vermuelen 51), G Longo, E Etien.

Scorers - tries: A Rougerie, G Longo, T Domingo, T Marsh, B Miguel, P Mignoni; conversions: B James (5); penalties: James (2).

Newport Gwent Dragons: K Morgan, G Wyatt, P Emerick, N Brew (P Dolman 39), A Brew, C Sweeney (A Thomas 71), G Cooper (A Walker 71), A Black, S Jones (B Daly 55), R Thomas (J Corsi 46-55 and 75), I Gough (A Hall 63), L Charteris, J Bearman (N Fitisemanu 67), M Owen, J Ringer.

Scorers - tries: A Brew (2), A Black, I Gough, P Dolman; conversions: C Sweeney (2).