URC: Despair for Dragons after Cardiff strike late for 29-24 win

The Rodney Parade club are enjoying something of a revival under Dai Flanagan but the hoodoo against the Blue and Blacks continues after a 29-24 United Rugby Championship derby defeat.

The losing streak becomes 15 games and will stretch into an eighth year after a try in the last minute by replacement prop Corey Domachowski.

It is another case of close but no cigar for the Dragons against their fiercest and closest rivals – it was the 10th time out of 15 successive defeats that they have been beaten by one score.

Flanagan’s men were on top for much of the first half yet trailed 14-11 at the break, that after Wales wing Rio Dyer responded to earlier efforts by his Test teammates Tomos Williams and Josh Adams.

Adams then created Williams’ second score and the Dragons trailed 22-14 going into the final quarter.

However, they showed their character and composure to fight back for a 24-22 lead thanks to captain Harri Keddie’s try and five more points from the boot of JJ Hanrahan.

They were within touching distance of ending the hoodoo to make another statement of intent under the new boss, but there was drama at the death for the Welsh Shield leaders.

A penalty was kicked within five, the pack put on the power and Domachowski sneaked over.

It was an entertaining derby featuring some lovely tries, big hits and several scuffles; just what the bumper crowd wanted in the biggest rugby crowd at the ground for a number of years.

Alas, the Dragons supporters are now drowning their sorrows rather than toasting a first win over Cardiff since 2015.

The players must now lick their wounds for a day or two before flying into the Scarlets to start 2023.

RAPID: Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt outpaces Owen Lane (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

Both sides went close in the entertaining opening skirmishes with Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt denied by the covering Rhys Priestland in pursuit of Steff Hughes’ kick through inside a minute.

That was swiftly followed by Taulupe Faletau being denied on his Newport return because of a forward pass, fit-again lock George Nott scrambling well to force Thomas Young to offload inside under pressure before he was bundled into touch five metres out.

Priestland missed a chance from the tee before Hewitt went even closer, with that man Faletau showing why he is the greatest ever Dragon.

The winger went bursting down the left but the Wales back rower tracked superbly to just drag his legs into touch.

The Dragons were looking lively but lacked composure in the 22, while Cardiff’s breakdown experts were enjoying themselves to rack up the timely turnovers.

The hosts’ strong start was then stalled when hooker Bradley Roberts daftly tried to trip Young in a kick chase, leading to a yellow card for the Wales hooker and a ticking off for the away flanker for his reaction.

However, the 14 men kept looking for the opener and went close again after a botched Cardiff lineout led to them hammering away at the line.

Pressure eventually led to a penalty and JJ Hanrahan making it 3-0 from the tee after 21 minutes, before the Irishman swiftly repeated the trick with a much, much trickier effort after the visitors were offside from their own up and under.

The Dragons won the sin-bin period 6-0 despite their numerical disadvantage and were more than good value for that, but the game turned on its head approaching the break.

First an attack that was at times scrappy ended with Rhys Carre offloading to put scrum-half Tomos Williams over and the Dragons paid the price for Nott sparking a dust-up by getting involved in the visitors’ celebrations.

INFLUENTIAL: Taulupe Faletau was in the thick of the action for Cardiff (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

Replacement Jarrod Evans kicked the conversion, then booted a penalty back down to that end before his neat handling was followed by Owen Lane’s offload to Adams.

Evans converted to make it 14-6 but the Dragons got the swift response they needed before half-time with direct running followed by a lovely long pass by Steff Hughes to the right, where Dyer finished with pace and athleticism.

It was a cagey start to the second half but then Cardiff moved 19-11 in front with another tremendous score.

Tomos Williams sparked the attack with his lively feet and then finished it courtesy of Evans’ fast hands and Adams’ clever grubber.

After Adams limped from the field, Hanrahan made it a one-score game again after 57 minutes only for Evans to respond on the hour.

But the Dragons were right back in it in the 65th minute after a clever Angus O’Brien chip won a penalty that was kicked to the corner for the pack to do the rest.

Keddie got the score and Hanrahan added the extras to cut the gap to a point at 22-21.

The Irishman then punished a lineout offence and the Dragons had eight minutes to hang onto their lead.

An offence gave Cardiff the chance to push within striking distance but Ben Thomas instead opted for a very, very ambitious attempt from halfway that was short and wide.

He wasn’t the hero but his front rower was to get a bonus score and crush the Dragons, who must wait until 2022/23 for another crack at their friends from down the road.

Dragons: O’Brien; Dyer, Hughes, Dixon (Coghlan 19-25, Tomkinson 60), Hewitt; Hanrahan, R Williams (L Jones 74); R Jones (Seiuli 52), B Roberts, Coleman (Fairbrother 52), J Davies (Screech 57), Nott, Wainwright, Keddie (captain, Lonsdale 71), Moriarty.
Scorers: tries – Dyer, Keddie; conversion – Hanrahan; penalties – Hanrahan (4)

Cardiff scorers: tries – T Williams (2), J Adams, C Domachowski; conversions – J Evans (3); penalties – J Evans.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU).