THE Dragons A lost their Celtic Cup opener to Cardiff Blues 37-21 at Rodney Parade.
The new tournament pits the Welsh quartet against the four Irish provinces but the Rodney Parade region are playing catch-up after being outplayed by the men from Cardiff Arms Park.
Hooker Rhys Lawrence, a summer recruit from Ealing Trailfinders, scored in the first half from a driving lineout but the visitors led 25-7 at the break thanks to tries by Dan Fish (2) and Tom Williams.
Williams’ second put the Blues further in control after the restart and then Aled Summerhill went over to make it 37-7.
The Dragons rallied in the final quarter with Wales Under-20s flanker Taine Basham powering over after a run by full-back Will Talbot-Davies before a final score by wing Jared Rosser after back row forward James Benjamin’s offload.
The Celtic Cup sees each team playing six fixtures – four against the teams from their rival country and a pair of derbies. The Dragons host Connacht in Ystrad Mynach next Saturday.
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