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It is round three of the RaboDirect PRO12 and it is Derby time. | :00:23. | :00:38. | |
John Davies in his 100th game. Who will be best when East meets West? | :00:38. | :00:53. | |
It is the first Welsh derby of the season. The draggers -- the Dragons | :00:53. | :01:05. | |
against the Scarlets. John Barclay making his debut for the Scarlets | :01:05. | :01:10. | |
this evening. A real carnival atmosphere. They are expecting a | :01:11. | :01:16. | |
full capacity crowd. The children are being put through their paces at | :01:16. | :01:25. | |
Rodney Parade. The rain has gone and we are in late evening sunshine. | :01:25. | :01:32. | |
Welcome to the programme. Both sides of the East-West divide are | :01:32. | :01:40. | |
represented here. A quick reminder of the fortunes of both teams so | :01:40. | :01:45. | |
far. There is a revolution underway at Rodney Parade. Last year, the | :01:45. | :01:51. | |
Jones boys were either coaching London Welsh or in the studio. Now | :01:51. | :01:57. | |
they are in charge of the Dragons. Gareth Davies has taken over as | :01:57. | :02:05. | |
chief executive. The big story this season was somebody staying. Toby | :02:05. | :02:10. | |
Faletau has put pen to paper on a new contract and resisting the money | :02:10. | :02:19. | |
on offer over the Channel. There was a dream start when they beat the | :02:19. | :02:30. | |
runners-up from last year. But last week was not so sweet. Defeat | :02:30. | :02:36. | |
against Edinburgh. Tonight, they will come the Scarlets will have | :02:37. | :02:48. | |
also won one match and last another. -- last another. They bounced back | :02:48. | :02:51. | |
to beat Treviso in style. An intriguing encounter awaits. As | :02:51. | :03:03. | |
we saw there, the Jones boys at Intel. How quickly can a new regime | :03:03. | :03:10. | |
in both their philosophy and change the fortunes of a side around? They | :03:10. | :03:19. | |
can do it very quickly. He did a fantastic job at London Welsh last | :03:19. | :03:24. | |
year. He will focus on a couple of areas in the game. One of those | :03:24. | :03:32. | |
areas will be the defence. They have only conceded 20 points so far this | :03:32. | :03:35. | |
season and they will look to maintain that. What is he like as a | :03:35. | :03:44. | |
motivator? He has come in. Nobody knows where he is coming from. Every | :03:44. | :03:50. | |
time he speaks, people hang on his every word. He puts in little | :03:50. | :03:56. | |
differences and finishing touches. The detail he puts in gets people | :03:56. | :04:03. | |
attention. These sites have been renowned for their forward power in | :04:03. | :04:09. | |
the past. What do you make of the pack at the moment? I enjoyed | :04:09. | :04:24. | |
playing for Wales with Thomas. He is up against the shared it with Ken | :04:25. | :04:32. | |
Owens tonight. When I was here, Andrew Coombs was on the fringe. He | :04:32. | :04:41. | |
is now a senior player. He is dragging everyone through. It is a | :04:41. | :04:49. | |
massive change. Toby Faletau is a superstar. Everyone thought he would | :04:49. | :04:53. | |
be moving from Wales. But above statement is that the ambition of | :04:53. | :05:00. | |
the club? They have been able to hold onto himself all credit for | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
that. He gets his team on the front foot. When you get that, you are | :05:03. | :05:08. | |
playing with a different type of ball. He is very powerful and | :05:08. | :05:13. | |
unassuming. He is only going to get better. Big things expected from | :05:13. | :05:22. | |
Toby Faletau this season. We have heard all about the coach. A | :05:22. | :05:33. | |
pleasing start. This is a local derby. Big expectation and a big | :05:33. | :05:37. | |
crowd. Comet today up is this the night? First up, it was a high | :05:37. | :05:48. | |
intensity match. The Scarlets will be highly motivated. It is not just | :05:49. | :05:58. | |
five points we have picked up. We have conceded and at 25 points as | :05:58. | :06:03. | |
well which is a big plus for us. We went to make life difficult for the | :06:03. | :06:07. | |
scallops and we will fight for the points. Any worries about their | :06:07. | :06:16. | |
scrum? It is a challenge for as. We have been preparing all week for | :06:16. | :06:20. | |
many facets of their attack. The scrum is one of those. It is a test | :06:20. | :06:27. | |
for both sides this evening. He was very calm ahead of the big test. | :06:27. | :06:37. | |
Sean Holley is our that is in our analysis track tonight. They have | :06:37. | :06:42. | |
spent a lot of time in the breakdown and on defence this summer. When a | :06:42. | :06:48. | |
debt that takes a bit more time to improve an is the set piece. Nigel | :06:48. | :06:53. | |
Owens will really need to be on his mettle. It is interesting that the | :06:53. | :06:58. | |
new protocols allow the opposition mettle. It is interesting that the | :06:58. | :07:01. | |
to know when the ball has been fed in. It results in a bit of pressure. | :07:01. | :07:08. | |
Nigel Owens will be looking for the crooked feet. Will we see an | :07:08. | :07:16. | |
infringement? Asda have a square scrum and apply a lot of pressure so | :07:16. | :07:19. | |
the number eight has difficulty at his feet. They will need all the | :07:19. | :07:32. | |
scrimmage. It is a crucial area in the game tonight. They will need to | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
be on their mettle for this. Take a look at this. It is crucial to stop | :07:37. | :07:42. | |
a rolling maul by dealing with the lifters. They set up their drive and | :07:42. | :07:47. | |
the Dragons will be looking to strip away those lifters, upon them to the | :07:47. | :07:51. | |
floor and in this case they do not do it. The ball is protected at the | :07:51. | :07:59. | |
back where Roger Wilson is holding it. He eventually makes it easy and | :07:59. | :08:06. | |
scores. In contrast, it is a confident area at the moment for the | :08:06. | :08:12. | |
opposition. Look for the Scarlets to keep the ball and impose themselves. | :08:12. | :08:17. | |
Once they have the upper hand, they have the lightning quick Gareth | :08:17. | :08:28. | |
Davies and Shingler. Danny Wilson has worked on this. They will look | :08:28. | :08:33. | |
to squeeze them. A great new signing for the Scarlets. Look out for him | :08:33. | :08:45. | |
tonight. John Barclay. He missed the first two rounds through injury. We | :08:45. | :08:51. | |
can hear the thoughts of the head coach. It has been no secret that | :08:51. | :09:00. | |
the scrum has been a great weapon. How much of a platform are you | :09:00. | :09:05. | |
looking to get from that tonight? We have dealt with the new law is | :09:06. | :09:10. | |
pretty well. It is something that has gone reasonably well fires in | :09:10. | :09:14. | |
the first couple of games will stop game and every front row and forward | :09:14. | :09:21. | |
pack has different good and bad points. We had to make sure we are | :09:21. | :09:28. | |
right for the money. As a rugby man, how are you -- how excited are you | :09:28. | :09:38. | |
about some of the matchups? There are a feel of them. It is great we | :09:38. | :09:42. | |
have an early chance to have a derby game. Hopefully, it will live up to | :09:42. | :09:49. | |
the billing. The pages in superb condition. We are looking forward to | :09:49. | :09:59. | |
the game. Best of luck. The scrum for the Scarlett has become a | :09:59. | :10:03. | |
powerful attacking weapon. Where has it come from? Danny Wilson has | :10:03. | :10:09. | |
brought a different mentality to the pack. Samson Lee has emerged over | :10:09. | :10:17. | |
the last couple of years. Particularly with the new | :10:17. | :10:20. | |
interpretation of the laws for the scrum. He fits the bill perfectly. | :10:20. | :10:29. | |
He is difficult to deal with. Samson Lee has been earning plaudits. I | :10:29. | :10:36. | |
He is difficult to deal with. Samson have no idea what they do in there. | :10:36. | :10:42. | |
I just stick my head where the head does not shine and do what they tell | :10:42. | :10:48. | |
me. They have hurdles and committing practices when we go away. They do | :10:48. | :10:54. | |
not let many people in. They earn their trust there. It will be a | :10:54. | :11:01. | |
crucial battle. A fascinating insight. The centre battle is a big | :11:02. | :11:09. | |
one tonight. An established international partnership with the | :11:09. | :11:14. | |
Scarlets. Jonathan Davies is back. It is fantastic to see him back. He | :11:14. | :11:22. | |
is electric on the ball and is very quick and powerful. He brings | :11:22. | :11:29. | |
defenders towards him. The two young boys in the Dragons will have their | :11:29. | :11:32. | |
work cut out for them. But by no means will it be one-way traffic. | :11:32. | :11:42. | |
They will be relishing the opportunity to go up against a | :11:42. | :11:48. | |
British Lion. Steve Shingler has withdrawn late with an Achilles | :11:48. | :11:52. | |
injury. Phil Steele can tell us more. He has an Achilles injury. | :11:52. | :12:04. | |
Gareth Owen comes into full back. Rhys Priestland, I understand, will | :12:04. | :12:07. | |
take over the goal-kicking duties for the first time this season. A | :12:08. | :12:12. | |
fantastic atmosphere here. Conditions are fantastic. Newport | :12:12. | :12:22. | |
County play here as do the Newport rugby team. Coming into the stadium, | :12:22. | :12:32. | |
people were wearing dragon shirts. You would not have seen that last | :12:32. | :12:40. | |
season. That is a real good -- feel-good factor here. It is very | :12:40. | :12:50. | |
exciting. We are all looking forward to this. That is Welsh language | :12:50. | :13:00. | |
commentary on the red button. It is time to cross to our commentators. | :13:00. | :13:05. | |
Thank you very much. A great crowd and a great atmosphere. Thankfully, | :13:05. | :13:15. | |
good conditions as well. It is a lovely evening at Rodney Parade. For | :13:15. | :13:21. | |
the returning lions and for the rest of them, it could not be any better. | :13:21. | :13:49. | |
John Barclay will not be 27 until next week. It seems he has been | :13:49. | :13:56. | |
around for a number of years. He will be a big influence tonight | :13:56. | :14:10. | |
because he is a genuine open side. They're with evidence is not a | :14:10. | :14:17. | |
natural open side. It could be quite telling later. The fireworks before | :14:17. | :14:21. | |
hand and the home crowd will be hoping for the same once the game | :14:21. | :14:31. | |
commences. Jason Tovey will have a big part to play this evening. | :14:31. | :14:46. | |
Alice Thomas accepted last position for the Scarlet. | :14:46. | :15:27. | |
-- perfect conditions. Immediately, a first touch for Toby Faletau. | :15:27. | :15:39. | |
Getting a few yards under the belt. The ball goes out of play with just | :15:39. | :16:32. | |
eight minutes played. I expect the Dragons to be quite eager | :16:32. | :16:42. | |
defensively. A very good kicking game. I can imagine very similar | :16:42. | :16:49. | |
tonight for them. Too much for Barclay. One of the | :16:50. | :17:55. | |
Dragons players is down, I am not sure who he is. It is good to see | :17:55. | :18:02. | |
the Scarlet onto the target. It was kicked a couple of times early in | :18:02. | :18:08. | |
the game. That was quite a loose pass there. There is no way Barclay | :18:08. | :18:13. | |
was going to get that. John Barclay missed the beginning of | :18:13. | :18:31. | |
the season with an injury. It does not look good. I think he is all | :18:31. | :18:35. | |
right and getting back on his feet. He definitely lost the ball they | :18:36. | :18:56. | |
are, didn't he? He twisted his ankle as he went over. | :18:56. | :19:16. | |
What a contrast to the deluge last week. The former Blues player, Rhys | :19:16. | :19:34. | |
Thomas. You have to plant that puts to get the strike. -- plans that | :19:35. | :19:39. | |
puts. A penalty on its way. That was an | :19:39. | :19:58. | |
interesting decision for Tovey. Hang on. It will be Tom Prydie. He will | :19:58. | :20:11. | |
have a crack at it. That is what the Dragons will do, they will defend | :20:11. | :20:16. | |
and try to get opportunities. Good tackle. I think he rolls away. There | :20:16. | :20:22. | |
is a penalty. Tom Prydie, in his second year with | :20:22. | :20:42. | |
the Dragons. He does not waste any time. That is a great kick. That is | :20:42. | :20:52. | |
an excellent kick from Tom Prydie, and it is the Dragons. No mistake. | :20:52. | :21:00. | |
One line out. Three points. That is just what the Dragons will | :21:00. | :21:22. | |
have wanted, get the building blocks in place. There was no hang time on | :21:22. | :21:31. | |
its, no chase. They get the ball back and it was a very good kick. | :21:31. | :21:38. | |
Why not compete for it? That is a good drive from the | :21:38. | :22:04. | |
Scarlet 's. I am not sure how legal that is. | :22:04. | :22:11. | |
A very good drive, though. If the referee is happy with it, it will | :22:11. | :22:15. | |
carry on. Great play, Andrew Coombs. A good | :22:15. | :22:25. | |
pace. Strong pace. He goes straight over the top. They | :22:25. | :23:11. | |
cannot shift him. That is a very easy penalty, Nigel Owens. | :23:11. | :23:26. | |
Andrew Coombs stepped up to the plate last year, did a great job. | :23:26. | :23:38. | |
Matthew Screech took it down, all right. | :23:38. | :23:51. | |
What a great kick that is. Great play. Dragons, looking to attack | :23:51. | :24:15. | |
again. The Dragons are certainly in command | :24:15. | :24:29. | |
at the moment. I do not know whether Tom Prydie got | :24:29. | :24:45. | |
it down or not. It is a very close call. It is all about the feet. | :24:45. | :25:02. | |
It is a great tackle. Does he get the ball down? I think he is in. He | :25:02. | :25:20. | |
is in touch. That is a great tackle by Priestland. Good tackle. Superb | :25:20. | :25:28. | |
tackle by Rhys Priestland. The Welsh management. They are | :25:28. | :26:15. | |
keeping a close eye on things as the autumn internationals get ever | :26:15. | :26:20. | |
nearer. That was a great bit of work by Rhys Priestland. It is good to | :26:20. | :26:29. | |
see him back at full fitness. They are really putting Davies under | :26:29. | :26:42. | |
pressure. That was not an easy kick. Jon Davies has got a left foot. | :26:42. | :27:03. | |
Rhys Thomas could not cope with the ankle injury. A chance for the | :27:03. | :27:16. | |
Scarlet 's to clear the lines. They do not have much time. | :27:16. | :27:22. | |
Just watch. Great charge by Toby Faletau. The pressure from the | :27:22. | :27:37. | |
Dragons is relentless. They are not letting the Scarlet get away from | :27:37. | :27:43. | |
their own try line. They really are hounding them at every opportunity. | :27:43. | :27:51. | |
Even though they lost their own ball, every time the Scarlet had it, | :27:51. | :27:56. | |
they have no time at all to settle and clear. This is a great position | :27:56. | :28:00. | |
for the Dragons. Lewis Evans did well to support. The | :28:00. | :28:29. | |
two Dragon centres, always an option. I think that was Barclay. | :28:29. | :28:38. | |
This is like a free play now. Give it a crack. Go for it, just go for | :28:38. | :28:49. | |
it. Evans with the first thrust towards the try line. Lovely ball | :28:49. | :28:51. | |
over the top. They did not need the penalty | :28:51. | :29:03. | |
advantage. Phil Price get the Dragons award for all the pressure. | :29:03. | :29:18. | |
Just watch. Gotze to make the tackle. Two men on the tackle. -- | :29:18. | :29:23. | |
got to make the tackle. Great play. His partner is the | :29:23. | :29:32. | |
beneficiary. A lovely strike from Jason Tovey. | :29:32. | :29:48. | |
What they start from the Dragons! Just some there was Rhys Thomas. A | :29:48. | :30:08. | |
left ankle problem. We understand he went over on it so it is a sprain. | :30:08. | :30:14. | |
Is encased in ice in front of me. The Scarlets knew they would have a | :30:14. | :30:28. | |
warm reception at Rodney Parade. The Dragons are on fire in the opening | :30:28. | :30:38. | |
ten minutes. The knock-off came off Jonathan Davies. They were | :30:38. | :30:39. | |
fortunate. No quick flow from the Scarlets. The | :30:39. | :30:59. | |
Scarlett have numbered of correctly. This man is going to come in. He has | :30:59. | :31:05. | |
to stop him. The off-load makes running an. He has to close the | :31:05. | :31:10. | |
ball. The off-load just makes that drive. | :31:10. | :31:32. | |
That was a dreadful pass. They have put themselves under pressure. Just | :31:32. | :31:44. | |
for a moment, the Dragons thought they could sniff a turnover. | :31:45. | :31:58. | |
Advantage was still being played. I think the Scarlets are going to | :31:58. | :32:01. | |
lateral at the moment. They have a lot of ball but they are not making | :32:01. | :32:11. | |
the hard yards. The Dragons are more spread out. I think the Scarlets | :32:11. | :32:19. | |
have got to just take up the middle before they go wide. The Dragons | :32:19. | :32:28. | |
defence is spread well. It is a good tactical game for the Dragons. | :32:28. | :32:33. | |
Nothing fancy. They are taking it up and they are ten points in front. | :32:33. | :32:43. | |
One mistake, penalty kick and a try on the off-load. The Dragons have | :32:43. | :32:49. | |
been very clinical. Nothing silly. The Scarlets just got it away in | :32:49. | :33:30. | |
time. Straight over the ball. There is some fierce competition there. | :33:30. | :33:45. | |
That is against Jack Dixon from Notre tailing off the back feet. | :33:45. | :33:57. | |
They are doing well at the breakdown. Interesting for Rhys | :33:57. | :34:16. | |
Priestland, in the first two games, Stephen Shingler has been the | :34:16. | :34:23. | |
placekicker. After being able to concentrate on his outside half | :34:23. | :34:27. | |
duties, Shingler is absent tonight. That will do nicely for Rhys | :34:27. | :34:55. | |
Priestland and the Scarlett as they get their first points of the | :34:55. | :34:59. | |
evening. A nice easy one for Rhys Priestland to start off. | :34:59. | :35:12. | |
The Scarlets have beaten the Dragons the last ten times. | :35:12. | :35:24. | |
The Dragons this year appear to be a different prospect. They are | :35:24. | :35:33. | |
hounding everything in sight. They have got the ball back. Dan Evans | :35:33. | :35:41. | |
goes straight through. The Scarlett are stretched again. | :35:41. | :36:53. | |
Gareth Owen as down injured. A loose ball. Dan Evans just slept on it. | :36:53. | :37:04. | |
Keeping it alive. Same again from the skipper. Some magic hands | :37:04. | :37:10. | |
keeping the ball alive and away from the touchline. Dan Evans get past | :37:11. | :37:23. | |
his man. Almost up to the try line. They are within striking distance. | :37:23. | :37:36. | |
It is still on. Daniel Evans arrived and the former Scarlett gets a try | :37:36. | :37:41. | |
which took so long in coming. Eventually, they brought the Rodney | :37:41. | :37:51. | |
Parade crowd to raptures. The support kept on coming. A great | :37:51. | :37:58. | |
drive up the middle. It is the pace and the recycling. A quick ball and | :37:58. | :38:08. | |
a late to pass. A lovely run. That was a great tackle. | :38:08. | :38:15. | |
Richie Rees has the confidence to pick his man. A great something | :38:15. | :38:23. | |
tackle from Jonathan Davies. Richie Rees weights and presents to Dan | :38:23. | :38:34. | |
Evans. Well weighted and perfectly weighted. Gareth Owen was on the ten | :38:34. | :38:46. | |
metre line receiving treatment. He lasted a quarter of the game. He was | :38:46. | :38:55. | |
not meant to start. He was a late replacement for Steve Shingler who | :38:55. | :39:03. | |
picked up an Achilles injury. What an opening quarter for the Dragons! | :39:03. | :39:11. | |
The ball was cleared. He only had to get to that man. He holds. He runs | :39:11. | :39:22. | |
up. Great off the ball running by Dan Evans. Good communication. The | :39:22. | :39:30. | |
pace the recycling pushed the defence too far. | :39:30. | :39:41. | |
They are claiming a high tackle on Matthew Screech. Nic Reynolds is the | :39:41. | :40:04. | |
man who has come an. -- come on. The Scarlets have to keep possession | :40:04. | :40:10. | |
now. The forwards have to carry the ball. At the moment, they cannot | :40:10. | :40:23. | |
cope with the Dragons. Ken Owens trying to do what Jonathan was | :40:23. | :40:24. | |
suggesting, carry. Richie Rees comes across and cuts | :40:24. | :41:12. | |
out the danger. The pace of the ball they are recycling makes the | :41:12. | :41:17. | |
difference at the moment. Liam Williams is now back at full-back. | :41:17. | :41:26. | |
Still in play. Toby Faletau sweeps it out immediately to Dan Evans. | :41:26. | :41:36. | |
Jordan Williams pulls out of it that the last moment. If Lewis Evans had | :41:36. | :41:42. | |
been more aware, as it is, the Scarlets could get something from | :41:42. | :41:49. | |
it. The game is playing at an incredible pace. The Scarlets will | :41:49. | :41:54. | |
have to go wide now. They have gone the wrong way. A lot of loose | :41:54. | :41:57. | |
passes. They are taking a lot of possession | :41:57. | :42:09. | |
away, the Scarlets. A lovely step and go from Ken Owens. | :42:09. | :43:06. | |
He could not pick anyone out in the traffic. A lovely run by Ken Owens. | :43:06. | :43:33. | |
Just the loose pass. A lovely step. Just a couple of loose passes. | :43:33. | :43:36. | |
Knock-on. Nigel Owens, grateful of the | :43:36. | :44:02. | |
opportunity for a drop of water. He has an eye for detail. It matches | :44:02. | :44:14. | |
his socks and jersey. He is a fashion icon. He had a haircut this | :44:14. | :44:17. | |
morning ready for the game. The Scarlets needed points and Rhys | :44:17. | :44:33. | |
Priestland supplied them. Plenty for Danny Wilson and Simon | :44:33. | :44:55. | |
Easterby and Mark Jones to be discussing. | :44:55. | :45:17. | |
I think there has been one scrum so far. They have not had a chance to | :45:17. | :45:23. | |
get any pressure. Fast and loose. Great play, Lewis Evans. Wonderful | :45:23. | :46:37. | |
turn over. Jonathan Davies was a tackler, | :46:37. | :47:08. | |
wasn't he? Another great corner cover tackle. | :47:08. | :47:41. | |
Loose ball. The Dragons seemed a lot sharper. Saul the opportunity -- | :47:41. | :47:49. | |
they saw the opportunity. What a brilliant tackle, McCusker. | :47:49. | :48:04. | |
That is great corner flagging from McCusker. I think I heard another | :48:04. | :48:20. | |
commentator sneaked behind us. We have been hearing about the | :48:20. | :48:26. | |
off-loading game. , Chevy put into that? -- how much effort have you | :48:26. | :48:36. | |
put into that? You are not worried about it begins fast and loose? We | :48:36. | :48:43. | |
can break the game up. We can make things happen. There was a great | :48:43. | :48:50. | |
tackle there. This is a good spectacle of rugby tonight. Thank | :48:50. | :48:51. | |
you. What a game eight is turning out to | :48:51. | :50:38. | |
be. -- what a game it is turning out to be. A great tackle. Last ditch to | :50:38. | :50:50. | |
get the ball on the floor. Amos just got there. Jonathan Davies new he | :50:50. | :51:01. | |
could just twirl out of it and get the ball back into play. | :51:01. | :51:24. | |
The pass was held till the last moment. It was close. The Scarlets | :51:24. | :51:37. | |
's are desperate for a score behind -- before half-time. | :51:37. | :51:49. | |
Scott Williams dances his way through. All of that pressure for | :51:49. | :51:55. | |
the Scarlets has turned into points finally. Boy, did they need it. Just | :51:55. | :52:08. | |
watch here. He comes inside. Great step. | :52:08. | :52:17. | |
A lovely step, isn't it? Scott Williams news he was up against the | :52:17. | :52:25. | |
replacement hooker. Priestland wants to make absolutely | :52:25. | :52:59. | |
sure, even though he is well in the 22. | :52:59. | :53:17. | |
Suddenly, it is 2-1. Stop it there. There is a forward bear. -- a | :53:17. | :53:41. | |
forward bear. The whole is too big. That is the defensive area. The gap | :53:41. | :53:54. | |
is too big. Now they are beginning to try and play a bit of rugby | :53:54. | :54:00. | |
again. It cost them early on. I think they were not clinical | :54:00. | :54:04. | |
enough. They had a lots of opportunities and they kicked far | :54:04. | :54:06. | |
too much ball away. Jordan Williams is the smallest | :54:06. | :54:20. | |
player on the field. They needed that, the Dragons. The | :54:20. | :54:35. | |
Scarlets have taken the game by the scruff of the neck. Priestland was | :54:35. | :54:47. | |
hoping, but no, it was inched perfectly by Jason Tovey. | :54:47. | :54:56. | |
The first half has positively flown by. There are four minutes | :54:56. | :55:05. | |
remaining. The Scarlets 's will not want it to end now. They have really | :55:05. | :55:06. | |
come good. The ball was not in his possession. | :55:06. | :55:27. | |
Groves was just a little bit too eager. Fine margins, but as Nigel | :55:27. | :55:34. | |
Owens is explaining, if you are going to take the scrum-half, he has | :55:34. | :55:37. | |
to have the ball in his possession. He has got his hands on it. You | :55:37. | :56:05. | |
cannot blame it Groves for going for it. It is just a matter of | :56:05. | :56:08. | |
interpretation. Nick Reynolds won the battle in the | :56:08. | :56:44. | |
air, but could not control it. That is a lottery. Jonathan Davies was | :56:44. | :56:45. | |
there lurking. Toby Faletau picked it up and went. | :56:45. | :57:01. | |
They have got to give him options. Liam Williams was stretching out his | :57:01. | :57:43. | |
arms. Kept alive by Priestland. One more play. It has been a very | :57:43. | :58:37. | |
entertaining first half. They had back to the changing rooms | :58:37. | :59:16. | |
in what has been a very enjoyable first half. Dragons took the | :59:16. | :59:20. | |
opportunities very well. The Scarlets have clawed their way back | :59:20. | :59:25. | |
into the game. The Scarlets have clawed their way back in. It was a | :59:25. | :59:36. | |
fantastic first have to watch. What was it like to play? We started | :59:36. | :59:42. | |
well. We were disappointed, we have to work harder. If we tighten up our | :59:42. | :59:51. | |
back three, we are looking good. It was really good. We played some good | :59:51. | :59:56. | |
stuff. We will have to start well again on the second half. The | :59:56. | :00:08. | |
Cardiff Blues are trailing against zebra Seabrook. | :00:08. | :00:23. | |
It has been an explosive game so far. The Dragons stretch their lead | :00:24. | :00:35. | |
further. Just when the Dragons appeared to be running away with | :00:35. | :00:44. | |
it, the Scarlets hit back. It is very much game an apt Rodney Parade. | :00:44. | :00:50. | |
-- game on. For a Welsh derby, the first rung of | :00:50. | :01:17. | |
the season, it has everything you would have wanted. You are expecting | :01:17. | :01:23. | |
a strip scrappy game with lots digs going in. But the Dragons opened up | :01:23. | :01:30. | |
superbly. Just what they wanted. They really came out and put the | :01:30. | :01:36. | |
pressure on the Scarlets. They made the Scarlets play in their own half. | :01:36. | :01:43. | |
They made six handling errors. The pressure, they scored a try but they | :01:43. | :01:50. | |
had a feel of clear cut chances. The Scarlets have realised what is going | :01:50. | :01:57. | |
on and they are playing more down at the other end. Are you surprised at | :01:57. | :02:06. | |
the Temple of the first half? It has been a fantastic game of rugby. | :02:06. | :02:12. | |
There has been a lot of kicking. They have put a lot of pressure on | :02:12. | :02:16. | |
the Scarlets. Richie Rees has been at the heart of everything the | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
Dragons have done. He is creating all sort of problems for the | :02:21. | :02:27. | |
Scarlets. Some fantastic last-gasp tackling. That has saved the | :02:27. | :02:39. | |
Scarlets quite a long. They have come back into the game and put | :02:39. | :02:46. | |
pressure on the Dragons. The Scarlets may be fortunate to be only | :02:46. | :02:50. | |
four points down after the first half. They have been no Scarlets | :02:50. | :03:00. | |
scrums in the Dragons half. Let us look at the first try. It is | :03:00. | :03:02. | |
important to see the build-up. They followed on the far side. The | :03:02. | :03:23. | |
foreword for the Dragons pull back. It is a great off-load but they hold | :03:23. | :03:26. | |
their width and it is a great finish. It was a great off-load. | :03:26. | :03:34. | |
Gareth Owen had no choice but to try and come in and take him. It was | :03:34. | :03:40. | |
brave. You are exposing your ribs on that. We can go to the second try | :03:40. | :03:49. | |
now. Only about ten minutes after that, the Dragons went further ahead | :03:49. | :03:56. | |
on the scoreboard. Dan Evans scored that. It is important that we look | :03:56. | :04:03. | |
at the build-up. It happened a long way back. The coach will like this. | :04:03. | :04:13. | |
It is around the halfway line. It is about exploiting off-load and | :04:13. | :04:20. | |
putting people into space. Quick passes and then getting to the quick | :04:20. | :04:26. | |
men. A bit of elevated play. Matthew Screech looks like he will check it | :04:26. | :04:31. | |
out but then he comes behind the Dan Evans. Dan Evans works hard to get | :04:31. | :04:39. | |
on the outside and that is a great score from the Dragons. I guess | :04:39. | :04:45. | |
there was a point there when we thought Toby Faletau had taken the | :04:45. | :04:48. | |
wrong option. But they chose the composure at the Dragons have got to | :04:48. | :04:53. | |
carry on and scored the try. They have great energy as a team. They | :04:53. | :04:59. | |
have good efficiencies in the breakdown. They are keeping their | :04:59. | :05:03. | |
width in an attack individually. They made it difficult for the | :05:03. | :05:13. | |
Scarlets. Dan Evans loved that. Absolutely. He would have enjoyed | :05:13. | :05:18. | |
that. It looked as if it was one-way traffic up until that. But the | :05:18. | :05:25. | |
Scarlets strike back? They had made 45 carries in and only 16 were over | :05:25. | :05:34. | |
the gain line. That is a line-out in the half. Scott Williams looks like | :05:34. | :05:41. | |
he will carry the tape on the Jonathan Davies. They switchblade. | :05:41. | :05:47. | |
They pulled back from the line-out and Gareth Davies does well to | :05:47. | :05:50. | |
exploit the forwards. You can see all of the defensive structure is or | :05:50. | :06:00. | |
that -- is not organised for the Dragons. They exploit the space and | :06:00. | :06:08. | |
the feet of Scott Williams does the work. They have tightened things up | :06:08. | :06:14. | |
as the first half progressed. They were pretty loose in the first 20 | :06:14. | :06:22. | |
minutes. When you go away from home, you do not want to be like that. | :06:22. | :06:26. | |
They allowed the Dragons to rattle them. It was what the Dragons | :06:26. | :06:32. | |
wanted. They want to get in amongst them and make them make mistakes. | :06:32. | :06:42. | |
That first trip sort of set the tone. It went into touch and frumpy | :06:42. | :06:53. | |
and from the ensuing line-out they kicked the first three points. It | :06:53. | :06:58. | |
set the tone for the first 20 minutes. An intriguing second half | :06:58. | :07:04. | |
on the way. There's plenty more action coming your way this weekend. | :07:04. | :07:32. | |
You cannot paper over the cracks. We have to expose them and gouge them | :07:32. | :07:45. | |
out and filled them in properly. That is a possibility that you can | :07:45. | :07:51. | |
play better than your opposite number but the selectors will look | :07:51. | :07:58. | |
at you. You have to educate their thinking and expand the thought | :07:58. | :08:01. | |
process. They are in charge of their destiny. | :08:01. | :08:13. | |
Intriguing stuff there from the coach. He adds laying down the law | :08:13. | :08:25. | |
there for the Dragons. A close encounter for the Cardiff Blues. | :08:25. | :08:43. | |
We can go back to the touchline now. Phil is with Gareth Davies. He is | :08:43. | :09:00. | |
now the chief executive of the Dragons. That drop goal against | :09:00. | :09:10. | |
Newport. What year was that? I think it was every year. What did you | :09:10. | :09:20. | |
think of the first-half performance? It was a good game. The Dragons | :09:20. | :09:26. | |
started stronger and the Scarlets came back in the closing minutes. A | :09:26. | :09:33. | |
cracker of a game. It is a good product tonight. What are the | :09:34. | :09:39. | |
problems facing you as new chief executive? The performances will be | :09:40. | :09:47. | |
critical. A sustainable business moving forward is important. I think | :09:47. | :09:52. | |
the whole question of the region, the identity, the fact a product | :09:52. | :09:58. | |
like tonight should be available for everybody in Monmouthshire and | :09:58. | :10:02. | |
Newport to be able to enjoy and feel proud of the team. What is it like | :10:02. | :10:08. | |
to be applauded by a Rodney Parade crowd? I never thought I would see | :10:08. | :10:25. | |
the day. I am sure some of the old diehards in Cardiff will think I am | :10:25. | :10:28. | |
a traitor. But it is a great opportunity. We can keep the coach | :10:28. | :10:36. | |
very animated in the coach at half-time. We spoke about the | :10:36. | :10:43. | |
motivation. Have you seen anything from the way the Dragons are playing | :10:43. | :10:51. | |
that has his improvement? The control and the confidence. They are | :10:51. | :10:56. | |
actually playing. The Dragons have not beaten the Scarlets for the last | :10:56. | :11:01. | |
ten games. They have come here and all of a sudden you see a different | :11:01. | :11:07. | |
team. All of a sudden, they are putting off-loads together. They | :11:07. | :11:12. | |
have had their own in the scrums and they are holding their own. In the | :11:12. | :11:18. | |
second half, they need to keep the pressure on the Scarlets like they | :11:18. | :11:24. | |
did in the first 20 minutes. Can the Scarlets pull this back? It'll be | :11:24. | :11:30. | |
interesting to see if the Scarlets can hold up the tempo. If they can | :11:30. | :11:36. | |
maintain that, it should be a can hold up the tempo. If they can | :11:36. | :11:42. | |
fantastic game. The players are about to take to the pitch for the | :11:42. | :11:47. | |
second half. Welsh language commentary continues on your red | :11:47. | :11:48. | |
button now. No changes to either side from what | :11:48. | :12:02. | |
I can see so far to the side that finished the first half. I dare say | :12:02. | :12:08. | |
they will be chances for the people on the bench if the game carries on | :12:08. | :12:16. | |
at the same pace. Interesting, I think confidence as Ian Gough said. | :12:16. | :12:25. | |
It is nice to see the ball in hand and they are looking far more | :12:25. | :12:29. | |
confident. The Scarlets were a little bit uneasy and kicked a bit | :12:29. | :12:36. | |
too much ball away. They went lateral far too much. For the | :12:36. | :12:49. | |
Dragons, I feel territory as vital. -- is vital. They have to play in | :12:49. | :12:58. | |
the heart of the Scarlets. Richie Rees into the gap. Immediately, | :12:58. | :13:01. | |
pulling the Scarlets out. Rob McCusker does the first job of | :13:01. | :13:28. | |
taking the pressure off. Rhys Priestland takes it downfield. | :13:28. | :13:52. | |
Good controlled play. I think Rob McCusker may have taken a knock from | :13:52. | :14:02. | |
Liam Williams when they went up for that high ball. | :14:03. | :14:39. | |
Liam Williams just watched the balance. Jordan Williams tries to | :14:39. | :14:46. | |
blag the corners. He does so successfully. That will just put | :14:46. | :14:54. | |
them back on their haunches a little bit. Territory will be a crucial | :14:54. | :15:01. | |
factor. That is where the set piece might become very powerful. They | :15:01. | :15:10. | |
cannot afford to make mistakes in this area. | :15:10. | :15:24. | |
He found his skipper that time. Toby Faletau tries to win a little more | :15:24. | :15:33. | |
time for that partnership. Rees and Tovey did not have the | :15:33. | :15:42. | |
happiest time at the Blues. Good play, Ken Owens. Offside, isn't | :15:42. | :16:25. | |
he? I am not sure if he was offside. I thought Ken Owens may have | :16:25. | :16:31. | |
dislodged the ball there. We will have to see that. Gustafson does | :16:31. | :16:35. | |
well. Just feel momentum. The Scarlets | :16:35. | :16:59. | |
have to pick the tempo up. The ticking has been more accurate for | :16:59. | :17:08. | |
the Dragons. -- the kicking. All the points for the Dragons came in the | :17:08. | :17:13. | |
first quarter. Starlets are clawing their way back, they were clawing | :17:13. | :17:17. | |
their way back before half-time. The Scarlets 's are back within a | :17:17. | :17:53. | |
point. I just feel the Dragons need to get something, though. | :17:53. | :18:09. | |
Toward an Williams, he can play ten, he can play 15. -- Jordan Williams. | :18:09. | :18:37. | |
Evans was defending deeper. Good kick. We have not seen the material | :18:37. | :18:52. | |
Jordan Williams that we have seen in the past. | :18:52. | :19:05. | |
Happy birthday, Jordan Williams, 20 years old today. 20! Do you remember | :19:05. | :19:22. | |
those days? Are -- no. Ross Wardle is only 21. | :19:22. | :19:37. | |
The Dragons have held their ground and managed to clear the deck. How | :19:37. | :20:09. | |
close was that desperate defence from the Dragons? You can see what | :20:09. | :20:15. | |
he was trying to do. He cocked his arms back and went for the long | :20:15. | :20:22. | |
pass. He looks, he looks. Evans is up. Unfortunately, for the Scarlets, | :20:22. | :20:29. | |
it is a great tackle. Great communication. Brilliant play. | :20:29. | :20:35. | |
Brilliant defence by the Dragons. John Barclay was creating the block. | :20:35. | :21:02. | |
He was talking to me about that before the game. Eight minutes into | :21:02. | :21:12. | |
the second half, the Dragons need to get some ball and hold the ball. | :21:12. | :21:17. | |
They have kicked away a lots of possession because of the quality of | :21:17. | :21:25. | |
the kicking of the Scarlets. Look at that. 76% territory. Gustafson is | :21:25. | :21:37. | |
throwing the ball in line now, so there is a lots of pressure on him. | :21:37. | :22:24. | |
The Scarlets have not had the opportunities in this game to get | :22:24. | :22:32. | |
the scrum dominance going. Rhys Priestland fancies a shot from a | :22:32. | :22:37. | |
couple of metres inside the Dragons half. It is a lot about competence | :22:37. | :22:49. | |
with Priestland. If he was not confident, he would not have done | :22:49. | :22:57. | |
this one. They have got to stay square as they are driving. The | :22:57. | :23:05. | |
Dragons are just wheeling it around. Scarlets won the penalty. | :23:05. | :23:16. | |
53 metres is asking a lot. Even for someone who has kicked every single | :23:16. | :23:28. | |
one successfully tonight. He had a good look at that, didn't | :23:28. | :23:57. | |
he? We were looking here. No-one was sure what side of the post it went | :23:57. | :24:00. | |
on. Good yard, good yard. That has gone backwards but that is | :24:00. | :24:35. | |
OK. That is a brilliant recovery kick. | :24:35. | :24:40. | |
At last, the Dragons have got a foot in Scarlets territory will stop -- | :24:40. | :25:00. | |
territory. They wanted to go towards the touch line, but on its went and | :25:00. | :25:11. | |
on and on. He can see the funny side of it. | :25:11. | :25:16. | |
He is taking a bit of stick. You could easily see where he kicked | :25:16. | :25:25. | |
that ball. The assistant referee hasn't got its hopelessly wrong. -- | :25:25. | :25:38. | |
has got. That lying there, look. -- the line. | :25:38. | :26:01. | |
Scarlets not committing too many to the breakdown. The Dragons get a | :26:01. | :26:08. | |
penalty anyway. He likes to get stuck in! Jonathan | :26:08. | :26:25. | |
Davies, calm down, boy, calm down. I do like that in a scruff -- | :26:26. | :26:34. | |
scrum-half. Just keep it right, OK? I thought he was a gentleman for a | :26:35. | :26:42. | |
minute! He turned it all away to slow. | :26:42. | :26:49. | |
He is offside. The scrum-half comes in. | :26:49. | :27:19. | |
The Dragons have spent no time at all in Scarlets territory in the | :27:19. | :27:26. | |
second half, but they are the ones to get the point when they matter. | :27:26. | :27:36. | |
We can speak to you the Scarlets 's forward coach. That's kicked apart | :27:36. | :27:41. | |
there, what have you been doing different? We have tried to play a | :27:41. | :27:50. | |
little bit more rugby. The Dragons have capitalized on our errors. We | :27:50. | :27:55. | |
got back into the game, which was great, but hopefully we can stay in | :27:55. | :28:01. | |
the right areas. Any reason that you have not got that big scrum going | :28:01. | :28:07. | |
yet? It is just not a game for scrums. There were more line outs | :28:07. | :28:12. | |
than scrums. There will be some talking points | :28:12. | :28:31. | |
for Sunday. A prop changer for the Dragons. | :28:31. | :28:36. | |
I would like to see Jordan Williams having a crack. | :28:36. | :28:45. | |
He needs a little bit more confidence at this level. | :28:45. | :28:56. | |
Halfpenny has just got a penalty for the Blues. The Blues got there first | :28:56. | :29:05. | |
try of the season. The crowd, just under 7000. | :29:05. | :29:36. | |
Priestland takes a bit more stick. Priestland has done well there. They | :29:36. | :29:38. | |
thought they had lost it. It is a very open game. He plays for | :29:38. | :30:55. | |
position. Territory is on the minds of both sets of players. The | :30:55. | :31:03. | |
momentum is shifting once again. After ten minutes, the Scarlets had | :31:03. | :31:12. | |
it all. Now, it is the Dragons. Getting those points on the board is | :31:12. | :31:19. | |
vital. They need to put the pressure on them. The Dragons are confident. | :31:19. | :31:49. | |
They are running back at every opportunity. They are trying for it. | :31:49. | :31:58. | |
But they do not need to at the moment. The pass was on as well. | :31:58. | :32:26. | |
Shingler is again the line-out target. A bit of space there. The | :32:27. | :32:45. | |
Dragons develop again. Jason Tovey floated out to Tom Prydie. | :32:45. | :33:02. | |
They put the ball over the top. Just forced out by Jonathan Davies. A | :33:03. | :33:14. | |
field demi- runners have created space. A lovely pass. | :33:14. | :33:29. | |
There are still opportunities. Watch the demi- run. If the ball goes | :33:29. | :33:47. | |
here, the whole is there. But they throw those long missed passes. If | :33:47. | :33:53. | |
they lock up, the demi- runner has done his job. He had fixed Jonathan | :33:53. | :34:01. | |
Davies. The kick or the long pass should be the last option. Richie | :34:01. | :34:14. | |
Rees has had an excellent hour. Jonathan Evans comes on to replace | :34:14. | :34:15. | |
him. It is a big call Richie Rees going | :34:15. | :34:34. | |
off. He has played exceptionally well. | :34:34. | :34:50. | |
Create Java by Toby Faletau. -- great gathering by Toby Faletau. | :34:50. | :36:04. | |
The demi- run is working extremely well for the Dragons. -- the demi- | :36:04. | :36:12. | |
run. A complete new front row for the | :36:12. | :36:47. | |
Scarlets. Rhys Priestland was back waiting | :36:47. | :37:19. | |
it. Dan Evans took his time and | :37:19. | :37:38. | |
approached the touchline before departing at -- depositing it. | :37:38. | :38:13. | |
The Dragons weight -- waste no time. I think George Earle hurt himself. A | :38:13. | :38:33. | |
turnover ball, I think. A dangerous ball flicked on by Jonathan Davies. | :38:33. | :38:39. | |
Again, Jordan Williams does not get the chance. | :38:39. | :38:48. | |
The Dragons started with a win but lost out on a draw against Edinburgh | :38:48. | :39:17. | |
in the closing minutes of their second game. | :39:17. | :39:49. | |
It is going one way then other. It is the turn of the Scarlets again. | :39:49. | :40:57. | |
They have still got possession. 15 phases. They need something to show | :40:57. | :41:18. | |
at the end of it. Tom Prydie had to stay in touch there. | :41:18. | :41:44. | |
Take them on. He is looking to get the step going. He was well covered | :41:44. | :41:56. | |
by Matthew Screech. Great defence by the Dragons. A | :41:56. | :42:29. | |
hundred pass by Josh Turnbull. -- a hurried pass. They have lasted. That | :42:30. | :42:44. | |
man was isolated. Dan Way get the support he wanted. It is on. | :42:44. | :43:05. | |
That is superb defence from the Dragons and then to get it 50 metres | :43:05. | :43:13. | |
away from danger. The most important thing has been their discipline. | :43:13. | :43:19. | |
They have not given a penalty away. They put themselves under pressure. | :43:20. | :43:45. | |
They are very good. One little thing there, they took the second row on | :43:45. | :43:54. | |
the outside shoulder, maybe he could have gone on the outside. They ran | :43:55. | :44:01. | |
on the act straightaway. It was easy for the second row to close him | :44:01. | :44:05. | |
down. Straight at him and then the out would be better. | :44:05. | :44:16. | |
George Earle took a knock earlier. He has been replaced. | :44:16. | :44:49. | |
That is a great kick. That is a superb kick from Tom Prydie, and | :44:49. | :45:09. | |
that could be the match winner, because the Scarlets now need a | :45:09. | :45:10. | |
converted try just to draw level. They have weathered the storm, the | :45:10. | :45:39. | |
Dragons. All square. 16 all. I think we picked the right game tonight. | :45:39. | :45:52. | |
This guy has got to run straight at the second row, then go on the | :45:52. | :46:00. | |
outside and run it on. He runs across and does not force the check. | :46:00. | :46:07. | |
Once you make in check, you can get him on the outside and make it two | :46:07. | :46:19. | |
and one. -- two on one. Final ten minutes and still a one score game. | :46:19. | :47:00. | |
They have got to keep it going. The Scarlets 's are throwing everything | :47:00. | :47:09. | |
at them in the last ten minutes. Good hands, Josh Turnbull. Scarlets | :47:09. | :47:37. | |
still have it. You do not want to go there! And the answer. A little bit | :47:37. | :47:51. | |
narrow, the Scarlets. They have gone very, very narrow, this car lets. -- | :47:51. | :47:59. | |
the Scarlets. They have to force a bigger gap in the defensive line. | :47:59. | :48:08. | |
The Dragons are giving it everything, aren't they? Just | :48:08. | :48:28. | |
looking for that little chink in the armour of the Scarlets. The Dragons | :48:28. | :48:31. | |
just need to get their hands on the ball now. Just get the ball into the | :48:31. | :48:41. | |
Scarlets half. They have been solid tonight, the back line. Wardle, | :48:41. | :48:44. | |
Dixon, anus -- Amos. Very impressive. The Jones, former | :48:45. | :49:10. | |
Dragons hooker, now part of the coaching centre here. | :49:10. | :49:26. | |
Time is slowly heading for the Scarlets. Just eight minutes | :49:26. | :49:32. | |
remaining. The need to get a converted try to get back on terms. | :49:32. | :49:51. | |
The Dragons lost 16-13 in Edinburgh. After losing heavily to Leinster in | :49:51. | :50:02. | |
the opening game, the Scarlets are very relieved to be away from | :50:02. | :50:04. | |
Treviso. I think they lost their footing. A | :50:04. | :50:58. | |
very difficult that, isn't it? That is a big decision, because field | :50:58. | :51:08. | |
position for the Dragons, keep possession... Certainly going | :51:08. | :51:14. | |
forward, then he just goes down. Whether he goes down or slit, I | :51:14. | :51:18. | |
think that is a tough call. -- or slit. They have got nothing to drive | :51:19. | :51:28. | |
against and there is only one place to go, and that is down. | :51:28. | :51:54. | |
The Dragons will want to spend as much time as possible with ball in | :51:54. | :52:02. | |
hand. It does not matter if they do anything with it. Tovey goes for the | :52:02. | :52:10. | |
Hail Mary. Liam Williams is away and running. | :52:10. | :52:19. | |
He could not get the ball in. They just switched off, the Dragons. They | :52:19. | :52:29. | |
kicked it a little bit too far and the chase was not good. The Scarlets | :52:29. | :52:34. | |
are doing exceptionally well. It was just overrun a little bit | :52:34. | :52:41. | |
maybe. I do not think you can do right this | :52:41. | :52:54. | |
game off until that very last whistle. Something is always capable | :52:54. | :52:57. | |
of happening. They have got Kris Burton on the | :52:57. | :53:26. | |
bench, the of trillion international -- the Australian international. | :53:26. | :53:43. | |
Price got things going for the Dragons. | :53:43. | :53:50. | |
The Dragons went ahead. 17-13 at half-time. Two penalties in the | :53:50. | :54:02. | |
second half, although the game hasn't lost any its excitement. -- | :54:02. | :54:11. | |
any excitement. That is pressure, isn't it? Pressure | :54:11. | :54:23. | |
from the scrum. They will do a scrum again, do you | :54:23. | :54:40. | |
think? They have got to sharpen up a bit, the Scarlets. The clock is | :54:40. | :54:45. | |
ticking away. They are taking their time. Get it up. Oh, yes. Zebre are | :54:45. | :54:55. | |
ahead. Leinster have drawn back level... | :54:55. | :55:09. | |
Treviso have drawn back level to Leinster. | :55:09. | :55:27. | |
Good scrum for the Scarlets, very good rum. -- very good scrum. Catch | :55:27. | :55:43. | |
and drive. If you get a scrum, you go for the scrum. That is all you | :55:43. | :55:46. | |
can do. Why are they wasting their time? There is only a few minutes | :55:47. | :55:58. | |
left. How close can Rhys Priestland get them? | :55:58. | :56:14. | |
The Scarlets need a converted try to get back on level terms. Where the | :56:14. | :56:26. | |
try is a scored will also be vital. Scoring it is the first job. | :56:26. | :56:33. | |
Scrum. I would definitely go scrum. Line out is much more messy. | :56:33. | :56:51. | |
Jake Ball will need a bit of treatment first. The clock has been | :56:51. | :56:58. | |
stopped. I thought there was a very good driver here. Do you see how it | :56:59. | :57:12. | |
took McCusker out? Blues gained back a point. 50 minutes to go in that | :57:12. | :57:13. | |
one. Just 90 seconds remaining to stop at | :57:13. | :57:43. | |
the moment, the Scarlets need a converted try. | :57:43. | :58:02. | |
I thought Richie Rees was the man of the match. Andrew Coombs has led | :58:02. | :58:12. | |
from the front and has been in then. He has been in men, carrying and | :58:12. | :58:24. | |
defence. -- in men. The home crowd to try and cheer the | :58:24. | :58:40. | |
team home. I would not get a penalty try. You have got to try and make | :58:40. | :58:50. | |
him score from there. The kick is a little bit tougher if the scrum is | :58:50. | :58:56. | |
strong. Andrew Coombs now knows that one effort is all he needs from his | :58:56. | :59:01. | |
team. The defence has been outstanding all evening. The | :59:01. | :59:08. | |
Scarlets scrum has been a weapon that they are aware of, and they | :59:08. | :59:13. | |
managed to not give away too many scrums tonight, but now, right at | :59:13. | :59:18. | |
the death, they have to hold out the force of this scrum. The clock | :59:18. | :59:31. | |
ticks. This will be the final play. Can the Scarlets pull it out of the | :59:31. | :59:32. | |
fire? Time. It is another flat full stop another | :59:32. | :00:06. | |
chance for the Scarlets. I suppose the play has not been | :00:06. | :00:32. | |
completed. They are changing the rules every day. | :00:32. | :00:46. | |
Drama at the end. Everyone realises exactly what is at stake. | :00:46. | :01:07. | |
Nigel Owens said he would stay there all night until the scrum is | :01:07. | :01:11. | |
complete. Can they complete the scrum this | :01:11. | :01:26. | |
time? It is a penalty for the Scarlets. Scrum. They will go down | :01:26. | :01:39. | |
again. That is no doubt about that. -- there is no doubt about that. | :01:39. | :01:53. | |
Ten minutes to go for the Cardiff Blues. They need a converted try to | :01:53. | :01:57. | |
win. A dramatic end to what has been a | :01:57. | :02:22. | |
terrific game. The scrum has taken more than three minutes. This will | :02:22. | :02:33. | |
decide the outcome. The pressure is on. | :02:33. | :03:01. | |
Not a single supporter has left the ground. The Scarlets are not going | :03:01. | :03:11. | |
to get this out of the scrum, are they? | :03:11. | :03:23. | |
Here we go again. The Scarlets drive again. It has been lost at the | :03:23. | :03:33. | |
crucial time. The Dragons are away and Toby Faletau puts the ball off | :03:33. | :03:40. | |
the park. A tremendous celebration at Rodney Parade. For the first time | :03:40. | :03:46. | |
in 11 games, for the first time in six games, the Dragons have beaten | :03:46. | :03:52. | |
the Scarlets. What an effort that has been from the homicide led by | :03:52. | :03:58. | |
Andrew Coombs. -- from the home side, led by Andrew Coombs. A second | :03:58. | :04:08. | |
win for the Dragons. What a precious when and how have the fans and the | :04:08. | :04:17. | |
team loved that! They were under the cosh in the last few minutes. They | :04:17. | :04:25. | |
did not buckle and they lost control at the back of the scrum. That was | :04:25. | :04:35. | |
it. Great scenes at Rodney Parade. What is that of the season for the | :04:35. | :04:45. | |
Dragons! They went off to a flyer and scored a couple of tries in the | :04:45. | :04:50. | |
opening quarter. The Scarlets clawed their way back at half-time to | :04:50. | :04:54. | |
within one point just after half-time. At two more penalties for | :04:54. | :04:59. | |
the Dragons and it had a terrific attitude and determination and | :04:59. | :05:04. | |
defence means they are the ones to celebrate with a victory. A | :05:04. | :05:10. | |
hard-fought game. A losing bonus point for the Scarlets. A precious | :05:10. | :05:15. | |
win for the Dragons. They are victorious. | :05:15. | :05:25. | |
A dramatic end to a hugely enjoyable game at Rodney Parade. Phil Price | :05:25. | :05:36. | |
with the first and then Dan Evans scoring against his own team with | :05:36. | :05:41. | |
the second. It looked as if the Dragons may run away with it but the | :05:41. | :05:49. | |
Scarlets struck back. They came back within four points. No tries in the | :05:49. | :05:54. | |
second half. Rhys Priestland got the Scarlets back within one point. But | :05:54. | :06:00. | |
a penalty for Tom Prydie was enough to seal victory. Scenes of | :06:00. | :06:05. | |
celebration. The scenes are still going on behind this. A very happy | :06:05. | :06:13. | |
home crowd behind us. The statistics tell a different story. | :06:13. | :06:31. | |
The Dragons have one. They have broken the duck against the | :06:31. | :06:40. | |
Scarlets. The players and supporters are lapping up the applause. Do you | :06:40. | :06:50. | |
think the Dragons deserved it? I think they did. You need something | :06:50. | :06:55. | |
special to win away from home. The Dragons looked like they were on the | :06:55. | :06:59. | |
ropes in the second half. They picked it back up after ten minutes | :06:59. | :07:05. | |
into the second half. They started a hassle the Scarlets again. Both | :07:05. | :07:12. | |
sides looked tired at the end. I think they were worthy of the win. | :07:12. | :07:21. | |
They will be happy with a win. It was a fantastic advert for the | :07:22. | :07:25. | |
league. Compelling and even until the last minute, it could have been | :07:25. | :07:30. | |
a very dramatic ending. I thoroughly enjoyed watching as a spectator. | :07:31. | :07:35. | |
They played some great rugby today. A very solid game. The individual | :07:35. | :07:45. | |
spacing they kept an attack really asked questions from their | :07:45. | :07:53. | |
opponents. That is the first win against the Scarlets in 11 | :07:53. | :07:56. | |
attempts, six years, how does it feel? Great. They are a tough team | :07:56. | :08:04. | |
to beat. We believed in ourselves tonight. You are down on the | :08:04. | :08:13. | |
statistics. That is right. Our defence has improved so much. Our | :08:13. | :08:17. | |
discipline is good and we believe in the system. Credit to the boys and | :08:17. | :08:22. | |
the substitutes coming on. Everybody gave everything. We cannot ask any | :08:22. | :08:31. | |
more. What is the difference this season? It is belief. The coaches | :08:31. | :08:41. | |
have belief in us. That is no doubt here. We want to challenge people. | :08:41. | :08:45. | |
We look forward to our next game in Munster. You go there not as | :08:45. | :08:56. | |
also-rans but with a real chance. We are comfortable with our defence. We | :08:56. | :09:04. | |
went to improve. We will work hard on that. Hopefully things will go | :09:04. | :09:12. | |
well for us. What do you think of your father? Good. Good. The | :09:12. | :09:24. | |
Scarlets are gutted. They came off second best tonight. Andrew Coombs | :09:24. | :09:31. | |
is a man of few words. He is emotional also it has been a real | :09:31. | :09:44. | |
journey. When he first got his international call at, he was a back | :09:44. | :09:53. | |
row and playing for Newport. He stood up and he has and said the | :09:53. | :09:57. | |
critics. It is what you have to do. He is still doing it now. He came | :09:57. | :10:03. | |
through late and it proves to any youngsters out there, you always | :10:03. | :10:07. | |
have a chance. Keep working hard and keep the motivation going. The | :10:07. | :10:13. | |
rewards are there at the end. We have mentioned that it has been a | :10:13. | :10:17. | |
rewards are there at the end. We great advert for the league. What a | :10:18. | :10:26. | |
game exclamation mark I thought two teams entered into it and was went | :10:26. | :10:38. | |
for it. We are quick to chastise poor games. There was some great | :10:38. | :10:42. | |
skill out there and lots of individual flair. | :10:42. | :10:53. | |
He keeps the ball on the chest and transfers it from one hand to the | :10:53. | :11:01. | |
other. They get outside and challenge the heavy defending | :11:01. | :11:10. | |
positions. On the angle, he rakes it 60 yards. A big man, willing to off | :11:10. | :11:21. | |
load. Difficulty with two players underneath. Jason Tovey, not known | :11:21. | :11:30. | |
for his bravery, another ball. At eyes on all the time. Excellent | :11:30. | :11:37. | |
stuff. This is what we call a jackal. Andrew Coombs reading it and | :11:37. | :11:40. | |
getting peace deal. He turns the ball over for his team. It lets | :11:40. | :11:47. | |
tackle and the inside shoulder. Saving a try from Toby Faletau. Do | :11:47. | :11:54. | |
not underestimate the pressure and the technique. It was an enthralling | :11:54. | :12:02. | |
first derby of the season. Great composure from Tom Prydie there. We | :12:02. | :12:10. | |
have messages coming in saying it is a great advert for the game. A game | :12:10. | :12:20. | |
like this is. You had three players in the under 20s World Cup this year | :12:20. | :12:23. | |
full stop it is fantastic to see them coming through for the regions. | :12:23. | :12:30. | |
Some of the skills alluded to their is what is part of the good work | :12:30. | :12:38. | |
going on. We can speak to the losing coach now. It was a fantastic game | :12:38. | :12:46. | |
to watch. The Scarlets played their part. We gave the Dragons too much | :12:46. | :12:55. | |
advantage early in the game. They got up to 17 points without as | :12:55. | :13:02. | |
really doing too much and that, we did get back into the game and we | :13:02. | :13:10. | |
showed some good stuff. But it was always going to be difficult to claw | :13:10. | :13:19. | |
it back. We will have to have a look back at the scrum incident. It seems | :13:19. | :13:26. | |
we were fully formed and they disintegrated. Those are the breaks. | :13:26. | :13:31. | |
They were a well drilled and skilled side. We have to take it on the chin | :13:31. | :13:36. | |
and make sure we do not give advantage away early on in the game | :13:36. | :13:47. | |
again. They were effective in the contact area early on. We dealt with | :13:47. | :13:51. | |
that in the second half. A good round of rugby. They played | :13:51. | :13:58. | |
effectively. I have no issue with that. We, at times, are our own | :13:58. | :14:07. | |
worst enemy. We need to deal with it. Unfortunately, we did not do | :14:07. | :14:13. | |
that early on in the game. Thank you. Simon Easterby giving credit | :14:13. | :14:20. | |
where it is due. Belief was the word Andrew Coombs kept mentioning. What | :14:20. | :14:26. | |
struck me was the fact they were having to -- willing to have a go. | :14:26. | :14:33. | |
If the game was played on paper, when you look at the experience of | :14:33. | :14:46. | |
the Scarlets, to mould 18 and 19 euros in a team against experienced | :14:46. | :14:55. | |
seniors, it is pretty impressive. The Dragons have a bit of solidarity | :14:55. | :15:00. | |
and they try to make this a fortress at Rodney Parade. They have put a | :15:00. | :15:06. | |
marker down. All of a sudden, they have beaten the runners-up from last | :15:06. | :15:13. | |
year and the Scarlets. With a bunch of youngsters as well. | :15:13. | :15:17. | |
We spoke about the fact that, these guys, if they had a problem with | :15:17. | :15:26. | |
centres, they did not show it tonight. They focused on a couple of | :15:26. | :15:35. | |
areas and they believed in what they were doing in those areas | :15:35. | :15:40. | |
defensively. They were efficiently in the contact area. I was mostly | :15:40. | :15:47. | |
impressed with their attack today. First receivers were stepping up. It | :15:47. | :15:53. | |
was a joy to watch them play. I think we can go to a man who has | :15:53. | :15:58. | |
probably got a very raw smile, Kingsley Jones. 18 minutes is enough | :15:58. | :16:11. | |
punishment -- 80 minutes is enough punishment. Great belief shown from | :16:11. | :16:16. | |
the players. They stuck it out. Fantastic. The players deserve a lot | :16:16. | :16:23. | |
of credit. Are you fearing the worst -- were you fearing the worst? I | :16:23. | :16:30. | |
felt tonight we got the ball away from the scrum quickly and that was | :16:30. | :16:35. | |
a strategy that we had. Honestly, the referee tonight, the game was | :16:35. | :16:39. | |
fantastic all stuff I wish I had been up in the box washing it -- | :16:39. | :16:44. | |
watching it. I am sure it was a great game to watch. I feel that | :16:44. | :16:49. | |
Nigel Owens got nearly everything right. Some of the off-loading play | :16:49. | :16:56. | |
of the Dragons in the first 20 minutes was a joy. We want to be | :16:56. | :17:02. | |
positive. Our kicking game was excellent, but we still felt there | :17:02. | :17:08. | |
were opportunities. A fly off came on and on the wing. Well done, enjoy | :17:08. | :17:18. | |
the night. I am sure he will. We can see the Dragons players are | :17:18. | :17:21. | |
celebrating. Lyn Jones leading the charge of moments after the final | :17:21. | :17:27. | |
whistle. Lyn Jones has joined us in the studio this evening. Relieved? | :17:27. | :17:33. | |
Yes. There is always a sense of relief at the end. But we are very | :17:33. | :17:38. | |
pleased with the standard of Robbie. I thought we were very good today | :17:38. | :17:43. | |
and our breakdown work was excellent. -- the standard of rugby. | :17:43. | :17:54. | |
Nigel Owens is a world-class referee. He picked up the legalities | :17:54. | :17:57. | |
in the opposition and we were very, very pleased with the standard that | :17:57. | :18:03. | |
we put them together. We are not a complete aside yet, but at least we | :18:03. | :18:13. | |
have some belief and confidence. You've used the word police and a | :18:13. | :18:17. | |
lot of your players have used that word. -- belief. You seem to be | :18:17. | :18:27. | |
giving the players to have a go out there. It is about empowering your | :18:27. | :18:33. | |
players and that is what we do. That takes time. Experiences are | :18:33. | :18:43. | |
wonderful things. There are experienced players out there. They | :18:43. | :18:48. | |
knew the game and they know when to and when not to. We are getting the | :18:48. | :18:54. | |
balance right at the moment. If we are to achieve our goals, we need to | :18:54. | :19:00. | |
achieve them on the back of back -- victories. That makes it easier for | :19:00. | :19:06. | |
everyone. Munster next up. You mentioned empowering your players. | :19:07. | :19:12. | |
We have seen you playing this week. We have had cameras in the Dragons | :19:12. | :19:17. | |
camp, and we will see the results of that on Sunday's programme. Here is | :19:17. | :19:23. | |
a little taste. We have got to expose them, Dowd 's them out and | :19:23. | :19:29. | |
fill them in properly. -- gouge them out. There is a possibility that if | :19:29. | :19:37. | |
you play better than your opposite number, that means... You need to | :19:37. | :19:44. | |
develop trust with the players that they can make their own decisions on | :19:44. | :19:50. | |
the field all stop you need to expand their thought process. -- on | :19:50. | :19:54. | |
the field. You need to expand their thought process. | :19:54. | :20:03. | |
Intriguing stuff and well worth a watch. Tune in for that and seven | :20:03. | :20:10. | |
o'clock -- at seven o'clock on Monday night... Sunday night. How | :20:10. | :20:16. | |
impressed have you been with the way things have been going with the | :20:16. | :20:21. | |
Dragons? There is a real sense of positivity. When you go into a new | :20:21. | :20:27. | |
set up, you have to focus on the fact that you cannot change | :20:27. | :20:31. | |
everything at once. Belief will come within the group because they will | :20:31. | :20:35. | |
work hard and make sure they deliver things for the team. From that, they | :20:35. | :20:39. | |
can grow. We have certainly seen that here with the Dragons. You | :20:39. | :20:44. | |
mentioned Munster next up. What will you be working on next week? We will | :20:44. | :20:51. | |
be celebrating tomorrow! We are interested in the opposition at the | :20:51. | :20:56. | |
moment. We can play really well and improve our game was stopped there | :20:56. | :21:03. | |
are still areas for us. -- our game. There are still areas for us. It is | :21:03. | :21:07. | |
just growing in confidence and knowing when to kick. Just small | :21:08. | :21:14. | |
things, but that comes. This week, everything is the same. You have got | :21:14. | :21:17. | |
to trust the coaching process to develop a better players. If we are | :21:18. | :21:23. | |
true to our players come and they will eventually play international | :21:23. | :21:28. | |
rugby. Congratulations again. Have a little tipple. Thank you for your | :21:28. | :21:33. | |
time in the studio tonight. Richie Rees was one of the man -- men of | :21:33. | :21:40. | |
the match. He spoke to fill a few moments ago. Richie, it was a | :21:40. | :21:45. | |
fantastic game to watch. What was it like to play in? These are the sort | :21:45. | :21:50. | |
of games that you want to play in as a player. Full credit to everyone. | :21:50. | :21:57. | |
Take us through the last three or four scrums. I am probably not the | :21:57. | :22:02. | |
best person to ask. The boys were criticised at the start of the | :22:02. | :22:08. | |
season. They were superb today. Full credit to them. What was the crowd | :22:08. | :22:17. | |
like? When they are on your side, it makes that extra 10%... It helps | :22:17. | :22:27. | |
with the scrums. You are on a little bit of a role. What will happen in | :22:27. | :22:34. | |
Munster? We will take each game as it comes. We are looking to build | :22:34. | :22:44. | |
for the next two or three years. That makes a happy change. Cheers. | :22:44. | :22:51. | |
Old substitution at the time. Up to that point, Richie Rees had been | :22:51. | :22:57. | |
outstanding. As much as we talk about the coaching process and | :22:57. | :23:02. | |
setting targets for the team, you need individuals on either side to | :23:02. | :23:10. | |
make things tick. As a nine, he is going to need to be one of the best | :23:10. | :23:14. | |
players. I thought he was a superb today, the way he picked his head up | :23:14. | :23:18. | |
and saw what was in front of him and was where he needed to be. It was | :23:18. | :23:24. | |
fantastic. The grounds that he covered. You have got to give him | :23:24. | :23:27. | |
full credit for his individual performance. He is always a tough | :23:27. | :23:40. | |
player to play against. He is a pain in the bum. He is in your face. He | :23:40. | :23:45. | |
is only a small guy but he is a Tahrir. He is in a key position and | :23:45. | :23:50. | |
is a good communicator. That showed the link between himself and Tovey | :23:51. | :23:53. | |
in front of him. That was a key area. I thought he was superb. I was | :23:53. | :24:01. | |
surprised when he went off after 60 minutes. Richie Rees is enjoying | :24:01. | :24:06. | |
life at the Dragons, but his former team is having a bad night. The | :24:06. | :24:12. | |
Blues have lost to Zebre tonight. The Blues did go ahead through the | :24:12. | :24:18. | |
first try. A great rate there. Things were finished off, but they | :24:18. | :24:22. | |
got pretty bad for the Blues after that. Two tries in total for Zebre. | :24:22. | :24:28. | |
This puts the Italians ahead. The lead was extended. Great hands | :24:28. | :24:38. | |
for the third and deciding try from a new signing. The final score, | :24:38. | :24:48. | |
30-25. The first victory Zebre have ever recorded, and that is enormous | :24:48. | :24:56. | |
at that -- at this point. Blues will be disappointed. They had a | :24:56. | :25:00. | |
reasonable start. You would have thought they would have a | :25:00. | :25:03. | |
comfortable win but unfortunately that will not happen. Treviso have | :25:03. | :25:14. | |
ended up beating Munster. The Dragons of course be to the | :25:14. | :25:21. | |
starlets. In Glasgow have had an impressive season, and they won | :25:21. | :25:28. | |
against Leinster. Glasgow have gone top and beaten three from three. | :25:28. | :25:33. | |
Munster going to second. The Dragons have leapt into third. They are in | :25:33. | :25:39. | |
the top four, and Leinster are in fourth. The Ospreys are hoping to | :25:39. | :25:45. | |
keep their great start to the season. There will be a lot of talk | :25:45. | :25:51. | |
about that one. The Ospreys have named their side this afternoon for | :25:51. | :25:55. | |
that match. Where do you see that when going? Only one way. The | :25:55. | :26:02. | |
Ospreys have had a good start. They have been preparing for this game. I | :26:02. | :26:07. | |
do not see anything other than the Ospreys at winning. They need a | :26:07. | :26:13. | |
bonus point. Thank you. All the lines are back. Their front five | :26:13. | :26:22. | |
looks pretty powerful. They've got quite a few people back. Can you see | :26:22. | :26:30. | |
any other outcome? The prediction is great on paper. The only thing I | :26:30. | :26:34. | |
worry about is that if you bring a lot of players back in its disrupts | :26:34. | :26:37. | |
what they have been doing. They have played superbly and had a really | :26:37. | :26:42. | |
good game at Treviso. They went after Leinster and snatched the draw | :26:43. | :26:46. | |
at the end, but you have to hope this guys come in and it does not | :26:46. | :26:49. | |
disrupt the flow of what they have been doing so far. That is the only | :26:49. | :26:56. | |
worry. The bonus point could win, but it doesn't quite go like that. I | :26:56. | :27:01. | |
would not say where cluster are in the table. They have got Northampton | :27:01. | :27:07. | |
tomorrow. I am really looking forward to the game tomorrow. A | :27:07. | :27:14. | |
sell-out crowds. Fantastic team. Northampton have had a great start | :27:14. | :27:17. | |
to their in season. We need to win tomorrow so there is a bit of | :27:17. | :27:21. | |
pressure on us. I am looking forward to the match. It'll be good to see | :27:21. | :27:28. | |
George. All the very best. Thank you for coming tonight. And you two as | :27:28. | :27:33. | |
well. It has been a memorable might for the Dragons at Rodney Parade, | :27:33. | :27:37. | |
and it was of course the first Welsh Derby of the season. The starlets | :27:37. | :27:43. | |
came in very confident. They have -- the starlets came in very confident. | :27:43. | :27:48. | |
They beat the Dragons on this very ground on New Year's Day 2008. | :27:48. | :27:56. | |
Dragons are off to Munster and the Rodney Revolution is firmly | :27:57. | :27:57. | |
underway. | :27:57. | :28:01. |