Dragons breathe fire on depleted Munster

Gwent Dragons 29 Munster 6

The 23-point margin of defeat in Newport last night was the worst of the seven losses the reigning Celtic champions have suffered in the two-and-a-bit seasons the three-nation tournament has been running, comfortably outstripping the nine-point reverse suffered against Ulster last year.

There was little or nothing to commend in a pretty one-sided first-half as the home team, missing only a Canadian prop and Scottish number 8, built on the momentum they had gained in beating the Ospreys and Glasgow at home in previous league games.