Leaders Ulster slay Dragons

Dragons 19 Ulster 46

The Irish province made it eight wins from eight this season to pile the misery on the struggling Dragons, who still have just Zebre beneath them in the table.

The Dragons made a sharp start and led 6-0 thanks to a brace of early penalties by full-back Tom Prydie.

However, the leaders struck back on 16 minutes when Ruan Pienaar made a break inside the hosts’ 22 and offloaded for Ireland prop Tom Court to go under the posts, making the South African’s conversion an easy one.

An entertaining half then swung back the Dragons’ way thanks to a converted try by Samoan centre Andy Tuilagi, then back to Ulster with number eight Nick Williams’ close-range score.

Prydie slotted a penalty to inch the hosts back in front only to then see his clearance charged down by Pienaar, who dived on the ball over the line for Ulster’s third try.

He was wide with the conversion, just as he had been with a pair of penalty attempts, and the leaders had to be content with a 19-16 lead at the break.

However, Pienaar made no mistake from the tee when he slotted over a pair of early penalties after the restart to one from Prydie.

And it was all over entering the final quarter thanks to tries by centre Darren Cave, from close in, and wing Andrew Trimble, who intercepted on halfway before dashing between the posts.

Pienaar converted both for a 39-19 lead before replacement centre Jared Payne added to the Dragons’ woes with a try at the death.

* Elsewhere Scarlets consolidated their place in second spot of the RaboDirect by taking all five points from a tense encounter at Murrayfield, winning 29-28 against Edinburgh. A late penalty by Rhys Priestland proved to be the killer blow.

Newport-Gwent D’gons scorers: Tries: Tuilagi. Cons: Prydie. Pens: Prydie 4.

Ulster scorers: Tries: Court, Williams, Pienaar, Cave, Trimble, Payne. Cons: Pienaar 5. Pens: Pienaar 2.

NEWPORT-GWENT D’GONS: Prydie, Harries, Hughes, Tuilagi, Chavhanga, Robling, J. Evans, O. Evans, S. Jones, Buck, A. Jones, Sidoli, Brown, Groves, Faletau.

Replacements: Leach for Tuilagi (71), S. Jones for Robling (63), Davies for J. Evans (67), Williams for O. Evans (49), Parry for S. Jones (56), Way for Buck (67), Nimmo for A. Jones (56), Cudd for Faletau (45).

ULSTER: Bowe, Trimble, Cave, Wallace, Gilroy, Pienaar, P. Marshall, Court, Best, Fitzpatrick, Stevenson, Tuohy, Henderson, Henry, Williams.

Replacements: Payne for Cave (66), L. Marshall for Wallace (56), Jackson for P. Marshall (66), McComish for Tuohy (64), Wilson for Williams (56).

Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland).