Dragons v Munster Match Report
With the return of skipper Thomas Rhys Thomas, as well as Lewis Evans, Nic Cudd and Taulupe Faletau, the Men of Gwent earned an excellent win against the hard hitting Irish side.
It was the Dragons third win at Rodney Parade in the PRO12 before returning to the European Rugby Challenge Cup next weekend to face Pau.
There was a late change to the Dragons team, after Boris Stankovich pulled out of the team late with Phil Price coming in to cover him and Shaun Knight on the bench.
The Rodney Parade outfit began the game well with a successful penalty kick from fly-half Dorian Jones. However the opposition levelled through the boot of Rory Scannell in the 15th minute. This was closely followed by a try saving tackle from Tom Pryide, as Simon Zebo thought he had crossed the whitewash only for the TMO to deem that it was a double movement.
Munster were intent on scoring a try as they attempted to push over the try line however Nic Cudd forced a knock on over the line by Simon Zebo by Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.
On the 30 minute mark Dorian Jones slotted another penalty kick over the posts, only for Scannell to level the scores once again.
Then came a superb defensive effort from the Dragons saw them back on the attack with a fantastic break from full back Carl Meyer, only for Zebo to tackle him out of touch before half time.
Half Time: Newport Gwent Dragons 6 – Munster 6
The Dragons began the second half well after attacking into the Munster 22, and it was fly-half Jones who stpeed back into posstion to kick a lovely drop goal to make the scores 9-6.
With fly-half Rory Scannell replaced because of injury it was up to replacement Tyler Bleyendaal to take on the kicking game. His first kick however missed the posts in the 54th minute.
The Dragons kept up with their fantastic game however when the opportunity arose to add another three points to the scoreboard Jones missed hitting the posts on the hour. However the fly-half made no mistake during his next chance, slotting the kick perfectly over the posts.
Man of the Match Jones missed another attempt at a drop goal on the 69th minute and then another with just 5minutes to go. But it was Rynard Landman who scored the only try of the match after being handed the ball by Taulupe Faletau, with Dorian Jones adding the extras.
The three points of the match were courtesy of a penalty kick by Jason Tovey after replacing Jones just after his conversion.
Final score: Newport Gwent Dragons 22 – Munster 6
Referee: Gary Conway (Ireland)
Man of the Match: Dorian Jones
Attendance: 5579
