Dragons get past Borders for bonus-point win

Newport-Gwent 42 Borders 15

Newport-Gwent came from behind to secure a bonus-point victory at home to struggling Borders and move up to third place in the Celtic League.

Two tries by centre Steve Winn spearheaded an expected Rodney Parade success.

But the Welshmen failed to fire on all cylinders despite a five-try return.

The Borders have never won away from home in the league – and after surrendering an early nine-point lead, they were condemned to a familiar fate.

The Scots stunned the sluggish Dragons with a hat-trick of Charlie Hore penalties in the first 12 minutes.

Percy Montgomery found the target to get the Dragons off the mark, but a series of handling errors in the first quarter-hour lay at the heart of their problems.

A second Montgomery penalty trimmed the deficit to three points before the Borders blew a gilt-edged scoring chance when international winger Simon Danielli and then Stuart Moffat failed to cross after a defence-splitting run by the former.

A fourth Hore penalty nudged the visitors further in front. But on the half-hour a brilliant run and offload by prop Rhys Thomas gave Jamie Ringer a clear run to the line, and the flanker sped 30metres for a fine touchdown.

The conversion by Montgomery wiped out the Borders’ hard earned nine-point lead as the Welshmen edged ahead 13-12.

That score sparked a Dragons attacking flurry – and with the Borders reduced to 14 men when Wayne McEntee was sent to the sin-bin, Dragons number eight Rhys Oakley went for glory from a short-range scrum, only to spill the ball in the act of touching down.

The one-man advantage finally took its toll, the Borders defence offering little challenge to a straight midfield run by Winn who crossed for Montgomery to convert.

A second-half stalemate looked possible as both sides struggled to engineer scoring opportunities until Montgomery completed a penalty hat-trick to put the Dragons firmly in the driving seat.

Despite having centre Callum MacRae yellow-carded, the Borders stayed in contention as Hore kicked a fifth penalty.

But the Dragons ended their hopes when Winn brushed aside the joint challenge of John Weston and Danielli to cross for his second try, converted by Montgomery.

It was mission accomplished for the Dragons when they clinched a bonus-point score nine minutes from time, Gareth Wyatt racing away for an overlap touchdown.

A late try by loose-head Rhys Thomas – who powered over from a line-out, with Montgomery adding the extra points – sealed a solid if unspectacular Dragons display.