Cardiff Blues v Dragons Match Report
Newport Gwent Dragons named an unchanged starting XV for todays derby clash against Cardiff Blues and after a stunning display against Gloucester last week the Men of Gwent travelled to BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park with their heads held high.
The Dragons made it into the semi-final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup last weekend after beating Gloucester at Kingsholm.
It was the home side that opened their account first with a try from number 8 Josh Turnbull. Fly-half Gareth Anscombe missed the conversion but went on to kick a successful penalty goal after 13 minutes had passed on the clock.
The Men of Gwent put their first set of points on the board after Dorian Jones slotted a penalty just before the 20minute marker. However this kick was closely followed by another penalty kick from the hosts as Anscombe extended the Blues lead to 11-3.
The Dragons hard work finally paid off with the forwards pushing towards the whitewash through a driving lineout. It was Sarel Pretorius who was rewarded with a try however the conversion went wide of the posts.
With just a few minutes left of the first half referee Peter Fitzgibbon penalised Dragons try-scorer Pretorius for a deliberate knock-on, after he attempted an intercept with one hand. The Blues made the most of the man advantage after making their way back down into the Dragons half. Anscombe chipped over for Rey Lee-Lo to scoop the ball up and score a try, with the fly-half converting.
Half Time: Cardiff Blues 18 – Newport Gwent Dragons 8
The Blues pushed further into the lead with a penalty kick from Anscombe, extending their lead to 21-8.
The hosts had the final say after they kicked to the corner with just a few minutes left on the clock. Eventually Anscombe crossed the whitewash for the Blues and he went on to convert his own try.
Final score: Cardiff Blues 28 – Newport Gwent Dragons 8
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Attendance: 8,203
Man of the Match: Gareth Anscombe
