NEWPORT-GWENT DRAGONS 7

Powergen Cup Round Two

Franklin’s Gardens

Saturday, October 8, 2005

Newport may have beaten Leicester in similar conditions last week, but Saints showed a mastery of the weather that kept the Dragons scoreless until the ninth minute of second-half injury-time.

With the wind and rain in their favour Saints went to the air early. The tactic paid dividends immediately when Dragons fullback Sione Tuipulotu spilled a Carlos Spencer bomb. Newport conceded a penalty in front of the sticks in the following play, slotted by Bruce Reihana for a three-nil Saints lead.

Sean Lamont’s pressure on Tuipulotu had created that first score, and three minutes later the Scotsman had opened his Saints account. Another high kick – this time from Reihana – had Gareth Wyatt backpedalling and conceding a lineout inside his 22. From the set-piece Darren Fox ripped into the visitors’ midfield, and from the quick ball Saints ran a simple backline move. Lamont slid into the south-west corner and while it took the television match official to confirm the score, Saints were eight points to nil up.

Wyatt missed a 10th minute penalty attempt as Newport failed to establish any sort of platform in the first quarter. Saints on the other hand had the visitors on the back foot with a succession of garryowens that the Dragons back three were unable to deal with.

In the 16th minute they were further ahead through a Jon Clarke try. Mark Soden and Mark Robinson combined to split the defence and Spencer sliced through to put Clarke in for the simple touchdown, bringing the fans in the newly-extended South Stand to their feet. Reihana slotted the conversion and a penalty on the half-hour to push Saints 18-nil ahead, and though Newport would end the half in the Northampton 22 – thanks to a Spencer pass to ground hacked ahead by Hal Luscombe – the defence held firm until half-time.

Lamont, however, had an extended break, having seen yellow for a shove on Luscombe when the pair were chasing the Welshman’s kick, an offence that could easily have resulted in a penalty try. The sinbinning didn’t have a detrimental effect though and 14-man Saints were seven points further ahead four minutes into the half.

A Dragons spill gave Saints a scrum 60 metres out, not that it mattered to man of the match Robinson. From the base he took off, slicing through the fringe defence. And though he was tap-tackled 10 metres short, he maintained his balance and composure to dive over between the posts. Reihana converted, and Saints were 25-nil up.

Newport rang the changes in an attempt to inject some impetus into their effort and, prompted by replacement scrum-half – and British Lion – Gareth Cooper, were soon camped in Saints’ 22. But thanks to some determined defence the try-line remained out of reach.

With the game now seemingly won, home debuts were given to David Gerard and Sam Harding – the latter making his mark with a speedy break through midfield. The contest up front was heating up as well and Fox and Richard Bryan were both warned for fighting.

Saints needed the bonus point, and in injury-time they had it. Ben Cohen’s powerful burst down the left created space on the right. This was exploited by Spencer and David Quinlan to put Reihana in between the posts. He converted, but some of the gloss on the performance was taken off by Newport’s consolation 89th minute try.

Tuipulotu was sent clear down the right flank, drawing Reihana to put Wyatt in at the corner. Rhodri Davies’s tackle had looked to have pushed Wyatt into touch – but the television match official thought otherwise and Dragons had the score; converted by Craig Warlow in the last act of the match.

Teams:
Northampton Saints – Reihana (capt); Lamont, Clarke, Quinlan, Cohen (Mallon 80mins); Spencer (Davies 80mins), Robinson (Howard 72mins); Smith, Richmond (Hartley 82mins), Budgen (Sturgess 72mins), Boome, Browne, Thompson (Harding 56mins), Fox, Soden (Gerard 49mins).

Newport-Gwent Dragons – Tuipulotu (Morgan 40mins (Tuipulotu 56mins)); Wyatt, Luscombe, Bryant (Warlow 40mins), Breeze; Sweeney, Baber (Cooper 52mins); Maddocks, Brown (Jones 72mins), Thomas (Black 72mins), Charteris, Sidoli (Gough 49mins), Bryan, Ringer (Forster 49mins), Owen (capt).

Scorers:
Northampton Saints – Tries: Lamont, Clarke, Robinson; Reihana; Cons: Reihana (3); Pens: Reihana (2).

Newport-Gwent Dragons – Try: Wyatt; Con Warlow.

Yellow card:
Lamont (40+2-52mins)

Powergen man of the match:
Mark Robinson

Attendance:
11,695

CLOCKWATCH:
3mins Saints: Pen Reihana 3-0
6mins Saints: Try Lamont 8-0
16mins Saints: Try Clarke; Con Reihana 15-0
30mins Saints: Pen Reihana 18-0
40+2mins Saints: Yellow card Lamont
44mins Saints: Try Robinson; Con Reihana 25-0
80mins Saints: Try and Con Reihana 32-0
90mins Dragons: Try Wyatt; Con Warlow