:00:26. > :00:31.Could the Dragons preserved their unbeaten record. Should the Scarlet
:00:32. > :00:38.'s have won in Leinster? We got into a fantastic position. Disappointed.
:00:39. > :00:50.Could the world's best referee keep up with the pace? Good evening and
:00:51. > :00:54.welcome to the programme. We've reunited two-thirds of one
:00:55. > :00:56.of Wales' finest back rows in Colin Charvis and Martyn Williams,
:00:57. > :00:59.we'll get their take on round 7 of the Pro12 and the rest
:01:00. > :01:02.of the week's rugby news. Beth Clement is here with
:01:03. > :01:04.her Premiership round-up. But we'll start tonight with
:01:05. > :01:19.the Blues against Glasgow. After five consecutive defeats on
:01:20. > :01:29.the road, the Cardiff loos were looking to get their season going.
:01:30. > :01:36.They also had Sam Warburton, Gethin Jenkins and Sam Cuthbert back.
:01:37. > :01:44.Glasgow had 15 international caps in their starting line-up and more on
:01:45. > :01:59.the bench. The rug the community shared a few moments of remembrance.
:02:00. > :02:06.Thought about flicking it through his legs. Last-ditch effort from
:02:07. > :02:13.Lloyd Williams and did well to pull down his opposite number. Two metre
:02:14. > :02:29.short and Glasgow looking ominously close to the try-line. Tackle over
:02:30. > :02:46.the top. You see and go over the top one-handed. Magnificent.
:02:47. > :02:55.Little dummy run from James, who has come off his wing. Williams looks
:02:56. > :03:06.for the. Prop takes it forward. No one is rolling away. Little dummy
:03:07. > :03:14.from Lloyd Williams. An opportunity now. That is Evans. Comes off his
:03:15. > :03:22.left foot. Very good response from Cardiff Blues.
:03:23. > :03:37.Stepped back inside. On his own. So dangerous. Baskett hall style over
:03:38. > :03:49.the top. The big winger is going to go over for an easy try. Little gap.
:03:50. > :03:54.It is the replacement, Ryan Grant who has gone over from close range.
:03:55. > :04:02.Felt there was an inevitability about this Glasgow attack. Grand,
:04:03. > :04:17.looking for his second. Harley is with him. The captain. Has he been
:04:18. > :04:26.turned over? The referee will go to the TML, Gareth Simmonds.
:04:27. > :04:42.Just short of the line. Great tackle coming in. What is the call here?
:04:43. > :04:48.His hand has definitely come in. There is no opportunity for him to
:04:49. > :04:59.scoop the ball into his hands. No more than the Cardiff Blues deserve.
:05:00. > :05:12.Into the 80th minute. Evans. Cuthbert! Almost away. Last tackle
:05:13. > :05:22.from Blair. What a wonderful win this would be.
:05:23. > :05:34.Tap on the leg. It is quite fitting that Nakarawa is the man who pinched
:05:35. > :05:35.the ball. The referee blows the whistle to call full-time on this
:05:36. > :05:49.game. It was a significant improvement.
:05:50. > :05:54.But it is a sixth defeat in a row. They led for long periods, but made
:05:55. > :05:58.some careless slip-ups. Ultimately, where they are the architects of
:05:59. > :06:04.their own demise? It was a much better performance. The Blues have
:06:05. > :06:08.two big issues, one is defence. They are conceding on average, for tries
:06:09. > :06:16.again. The other is composure on game management. 17-8. One minute
:06:17. > :06:21.before half-time. Guys on their feet, they could be options, it is
:06:22. > :06:30.obvious where this ball is going. He gives the ball straight back to
:06:31. > :06:36.Glasgow. Adam Ashe, plenty of time and back to the halfway line. Lose
:06:37. > :06:42.back in control. Good defensive line, albeit in their own half.
:06:43. > :06:45.Sloppy defence. You have got to be disappointed with that as a
:06:46. > :06:49.defender. Ultimately Glasgow score. This is straight from the kick-off
:06:50. > :07:00.in the second half. Lazy defence from the Blues. Grayson Hart has had
:07:01. > :07:06.a great game. Spots the gap. The Blues under pressure again. This is
:07:07. > :07:18.the first minute of the second half. They have gone from 17-8 up, just
:07:19. > :07:22.before half-time to 17-18 down. They have scored more points than
:07:23. > :07:25.anybody, but it is the defence and composure and knowing how to win
:07:26. > :07:31.games. Is that big the behaviour of a team not used to winning? Most
:07:32. > :07:34.teams to get into a slump if you are conceding that many tries and not
:07:35. > :07:40.winning games. Even though they are scoring points. I don't want to say
:07:41. > :07:44.a crisis meeting, but they need to sit down and organise themselves,
:07:45. > :07:52.what are we trying to do here? A minute before half-time, just show
:07:53. > :07:56.some control and composure. If the ball goes into the stands, they can
:07:57. > :08:00.set a defensive line and be very organised. The defence was a bit
:08:01. > :08:05.weak around the fringes. When it comes to game management. The key
:08:06. > :08:11.figures on the pitch knowing exactly what they want to do in different
:08:12. > :08:17.areas when scale lines -- scorelines are such. A lot of scrutiny on Rhys
:08:18. > :08:24.Patchell, his potential move west to the Scarlet. A lot of focus on him
:08:25. > :08:28.and he gave us a timely reminder of what he's capable of? He has
:08:29. > :08:34.everything you want. Kick the ball a mile and he has said the gas. Great
:08:35. > :08:40.distributional. He's not the finished article, and has a lot to
:08:41. > :08:44.learn but is a huge talent. He is a Cardiff voice through and through
:08:45. > :08:47.and for him to go sends out the wrong message. It is not a done
:08:48. > :08:49.deal, but it will be a big loss for the Blues if he does decide to
:08:50. > :08:51.leave. Moving on the Ospreys now, and they
:08:52. > :08:54.too, were hoping to bring a losing run to an end when they hosted Zebre
:08:55. > :09:05.at the Liberty Stadium. With just one win in seven so far
:09:06. > :09:14.this season, The Ospreys welcomed Alun Wyn Jones back. And included
:09:15. > :09:19.Scott Baldwin, James King and Dan Baker. The confident Zebre side
:09:20. > :09:27.travel to the liberty with a convincing win over the Blues and
:09:28. > :09:36.Adam Boro under their belts. Lovely and quick for Leonard.
:09:37. > :09:39.Jonathan Spratt. That is the first try from the Ospreys. Lovely chuckle
:09:40. > :09:54.Brothers stuff between howls and Spratt. Into the 22 and it is the
:09:55. > :10:04.Roman road to the posts for Josh Matavesi. Daniel Evans. To no one in
:10:05. > :10:18.particular. Josh Matavesi has to tidy up. Dan Baker lending his
:10:19. > :10:25.weight. Hint of a gap for the full-back. Here he goes. Alun Wyn
:10:26. > :10:33.Jones, ten metres short. Daniel Berger. Acres of space on the
:10:34. > :10:48.right-hand side for Eli Walker. -- Biggar. Ospreys get a third try.
:10:49. > :10:57.Daniel Evans finding howls in a bit of space.
:10:58. > :11:19.Bigger. Good hands from Josh Matavesi. Justin Tipuric with the
:11:20. > :11:26.bonus point score for the Ospreys. Alun Wyn Jones, first receiver yet
:11:27. > :11:37.again. Electric Eli Walker for his second.
:11:38. > :11:50.This time the runner is Sam Parry. The replacement hooker is over.
:11:51. > :11:56.Sixth try for the Ospreys. We have had a couple of issues around the
:11:57. > :12:02.last couple of weeks. We have found out a lot about ourselves, it was a
:12:03. > :12:06.test of character. We said it was a test of character last year and we
:12:07. > :12:10.found our way through it. We're not where we wanted to be around the
:12:11. > :12:13.league table and it is a bit of adversity for us to come through.
:12:14. > :12:15.A very welcome bonus point victory against opposition that had beaten
:12:16. > :12:18.Edinburgh and the Blues in the previous two rounds.
:12:19. > :12:23.Does this signal a turnaround in the Ospreys' fortunes?
:12:24. > :12:28.One game isn't going to make their season. They should be happy their
:12:29. > :12:32.main players turned up on the day and they performed very well. You
:12:33. > :12:38.shouldn't be running out that many points against Zebre. In the lead up
:12:39. > :12:43.to a European campaign, you should be putting in that kind of display.
:12:44. > :12:47.Next week is a very big step up again for them. We have talked in
:12:48. > :12:53.recent weeks about how they look a different team when the big guns are
:12:54. > :12:59.back and resort evidence of that yesterday, just interprets, man of
:13:00. > :13:02.the match. If rumours are to be believed, his contract runs out at
:13:03. > :13:09.the end of the season. Shane Williams thinks he will stay, what
:13:10. > :13:13.do you think? He is a machine, it doesn't matter what jersey he is
:13:14. > :13:19.wearing, he is an immense second row. He leads by example. I hope he
:13:20. > :13:28.stays. I don't think anybody could blame Alan will Jones -- Alun Wyn
:13:29. > :13:38.Jones if he is looking for pastures new. He has a young family and if he
:13:39. > :13:42.is on the market, the big clubs will come knocking. Hopefully they can
:13:43. > :13:49.put a deal together to keep him in Wales. Those two potential sources
:13:50. > :13:53.of revenue. 30 years of age. You were one region club when you move
:13:54. > :13:57.to the Blues, he has been one region man throughout his career. People
:13:58. > :14:01.will come knocking him and he may be desperate to win silverware on the
:14:02. > :14:05.European stage. I'm sure there were over chores for you from France and
:14:06. > :14:10.England and further afield, any regrets you did stay? There is a
:14:11. > :14:14.slight regret I didn't sample another club. You're lucky
:14:15. > :14:19.internationally you travel and Sample a lot. In Cardiff we had a
:14:20. > :14:23.good team and we were always getting into the latter rounds of Europe
:14:24. > :14:27.will stop if somebody hadn't missed a kick in front of the post, we
:14:28. > :14:38.could have gone into a European final. But with Alun Wyn Jones, he
:14:39. > :14:42.is 13 out and he only has a couple of years and maybe he is thinking he
:14:43. > :14:47.needs to move on to win the elusive European cup. The Osprey fans will
:14:48. > :14:51.be hoping he stays. OK, let's switch our focus to Europe
:14:52. > :14:54.for the next few minutes, because the Pro12's
:14:55. > :15:10.about to take a two week break, World Cup, done. The first seven
:15:11. > :15:14.rounds of the Pro12, done. Next up, Europe and the high-priced Champions
:15:15. > :15:21.Cup. But the Scarlet 's, it is the Pro12 champions Glasgow, racing 92
:15:22. > :15:27.and George North's Northampton. Two tough games travelling to Franklin's
:15:28. > :15:30.Gardens and then racing 92 at home and we have had some good results
:15:31. > :15:37.against Northampton at home but they did beat us there. It is very even.
:15:38. > :15:42.Racing 92 last season and two seasons ago we had a good win in
:15:43. > :15:46.Paris and a draw at home. The fear factor of going away, nothing to
:15:47. > :15:50.lose, we have to make sure we are accurate at home to get the results
:15:51. > :16:01.because the way results mean nothing if we lose at home.
:16:02. > :16:09.The Ospreys found format just the right time.
:16:10. > :16:19.Exeter have the ability to play but also put the width into that game
:16:20. > :16:31.is. They went toe to toe with Toulon. I'm sure they might try to
:16:32. > :16:40.do that against us. Claremont, they are well aware of the crowd they
:16:41. > :16:46.will have. We are leaping into the unknown because you cannot watch
:16:47. > :16:53.Ospreys playing, that will be their challenge. We will not get too
:16:54. > :16:57.carried away with what we think the Ospreys will bring. We will focus on
:16:58. > :17:04.ourselves and the type of rugby that we play in the Champions Cup. It
:17:05. > :17:08.represents the best of the best. Only the group winners are
:17:09. > :17:11.guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals. Some are more
:17:12. > :17:17.difficult than others. The fact that we got Toulon and Leinster, Wasps
:17:18. > :17:26.are on the up as well, playing really good rugby. It is going to be
:17:27. > :17:41.exciting. Toulon's roster of stars has grown. They have had some new
:17:42. > :17:44.signings. In Paris, the world's best fly-half has rolled into town. Stars
:17:45. > :17:50.from the South are flocking north. Is this good for Northern Hemisphere
:17:51. > :17:57.rugby? We should celebrate what is good about what we do rather than
:17:58. > :18:02.trying to find fault. It is great to have quality overseas players to
:18:03. > :18:11.help us, whether from Europe or the southern hemisphere. It is
:18:12. > :18:23.competitions like this that brought star names. We want them to play
:18:24. > :18:26.well for England. You can have a sprinkling of stars. These teams are
:18:27. > :18:51.full of stars. These names... This is not the
:18:52. > :18:56.fantasy 15, just a smattering of the talent available to Toulon. They
:18:57. > :19:02.have won it three times in a row. Can you see anyone standing in their
:19:03. > :19:07.way? They are very good squad. The second 15 is just as strong. They
:19:08. > :19:12.will be difficult to stop. To be in a group with them you will not back
:19:13. > :19:16.yourself because of the talent they've got, which is quite strange.
:19:17. > :19:24.Because most of them are not French they can win away from home. That is
:19:25. > :19:31.the key. The players that Toulon choose our very long in the tooth,
:19:32. > :19:43.well International is that can perform. They are coming in as the
:19:44. > :19:55.finished article. What hopes for the Welsh teams. Are they the most
:19:56. > :20:05.likely to qualify? You look at both of the groups, the Scarlet have got
:20:06. > :20:12.that team... Scarlet is have got an outside chance. You would never
:20:13. > :20:17.write them off. If they can stay fit, you've got to win your home
:20:18. > :20:27.games. If you do that then you might get through because if you look at
:20:28. > :20:35.the groups they are quite tight. I think with Pro12 the regions do not
:20:36. > :20:47.have any excuse. We have got to realise, anything is a bonus. Can
:20:48. > :20:54.you see a Welsh quarterfinalist? I cannot. I think the national team is
:20:55. > :21:02.easily the strongest team in the northern hemisphere but it does not
:21:03. > :21:11.translate down. It is not consistent throughout the whole squad. There is
:21:12. > :21:20.just one or two Mac players that will would not be an international.
:21:21. > :21:28.When you look at Exeter, they are a very strong team. The Ospreys will
:21:29. > :21:31.have their hands full. The Challenge Cup will feature the Dragons like it
:21:32. > :21:44.did last year. These are the pools. It is a competition Cardiff Blues
:21:45. > :21:58.have one before. They've got to go for it. These
:21:59. > :22:02.regions need any feel-good feeling they can. You never know how this
:22:03. > :22:11.other one around the group will feel. I think for both, they have
:22:12. > :22:16.some good factors throughout the region, throughout the club when
:22:17. > :22:21.they got to the semifinals. It is doable for both teams. Both will
:22:22. > :22:22.probably relish the prospect of leaving the Pro12 behind and having
:22:23. > :22:41.a fresh focus. We will start with the
:22:42. > :22:48.Championship. It was one of the results of the season so far as
:22:49. > :22:53.Bridgend took revenge for their drubbing in Round 2. A close first
:22:54. > :22:54.half with the home side leading 8-6 before the Ravens took control with
:22:55. > :23:06.three tries in six minutes. This is Mike Powell. It is two Mac
:23:07. > :23:15.tries in two Mac minutes. It was a late consolation try but
:23:16. > :23:27.they left empty-handed. They had the chance to go top but
:23:28. > :23:40.came away with just a losing bonus point.
:23:41. > :23:49.They repeated their victory to put pressure on the top of the table.
:23:50. > :23:53.One hour down the M4 and other regional derby as Newport enjoyed a
:23:54. > :24:09.bonus point win over Ebbw Vale. There was a battle between the
:24:10. > :24:21.bottom teams. No victories for Meath. The weekend kicked off with
:24:22. > :24:28.quite a match here. Revenge over the blue and Blacks as they got five
:24:29. > :24:34.tries to Cardiff's three. That victory puts ten two second.
:24:35. > :24:48.Last weekend he refereed the Rugby World Cup final at
:24:49. > :24:50.an audience of millions - this weekend he was back home,
:24:51. > :24:57.Rick O'Shea caught up with Nigel Owens.
:24:58. > :25:05.Twickenham to this is a former mining community. It is more famous
:25:06. > :25:09.for being the home of the best referee in the world. It doesn't
:25:10. > :25:14.matter what you achieve in life. As a referee, doing the World Cup
:25:15. > :25:19.final, you should never forget where you come from. As far as I am
:25:20. > :25:22.concerned, the most important part of the game is the community and the
:25:23. > :25:28.grassroots of the game and that is where I came from. From being out
:25:29. > :25:34.here in the field, with the under 16 is every Sunday morning, that is why
:25:35. > :25:37.I think it is important that you go back when you get an opportunity.
:25:38. > :25:43.You must have been aware of this massive groundswell of pride, the
:25:44. > :25:57.centre of which was this village you grew up in. What I saw on social
:25:58. > :26:00.media, it made me cry, to be honest. There is nothing better than
:26:01. > :26:07.bringing you back down-to-earth. On a Saturday night I run my dad and
:26:08. > :26:13.the first thing he said was, how do help -- how the hell did you miss
:26:14. > :26:20.that forward pass? That was the first thing he said. I'm really
:26:21. > :26:30.looking forward to it. I cannot remember the last time when I packed
:26:31. > :26:32.my kitbag at 12:15pm, and ended with a few beers at the end of the night
:26:33. > :26:52.because I never get that chance. Here we are, all aboard the fun bus.
:26:53. > :26:55.I was feeling very proud. He tells me a great story about how he rang
:26:56. > :27:00.you last Saturday night. Tell me what happened. I said, how the hell
:27:01. > :27:15.did you miss that forward pass? What is it like to be watching game
:27:16. > :27:20.to see how well the referee plays? I was watching it closely because I
:27:21. > :27:23.had ?40 on it. Nigel Owens is a great referee because he has empathy
:27:24. > :27:27.for the players but he also has a great wit. He developed a sense of
:27:28. > :27:30.humour when he used to kick a rugby ball because everybody laughed when
:27:31. > :27:38.he used to kick a rugby ball. That is why he got into refereeing. This
:27:39. > :27:39.is division one West. The biggest crowd of the season. They have all
:27:40. > :27:54.come to see the referee. I am here for one reason, to referee
:27:55. > :27:57.a game. That is all that matters. I would not be speaking to you tenets
:27:58. > :28:22.before kick-off into again last week.
:28:23. > :28:39.What does it mean to have the best referee in the world refereeing your
:28:40. > :28:47.boys? Nigel is very good, everybody knows his quirky one-liners. The
:28:48. > :28:50.time is 2:50pm. 20 minutes gone. Everybody is coming down here for
:28:51. > :28:57.him but you have not seen much of him because that is what a good
:28:58. > :29:06.referee does. Faster than last week. This is Paul James's mum! He is
:29:07. > :29:10.quite a character, isn't he? It was lovely to meet him. He is a bit of
:29:11. > :29:23.all right. Not sure you will get a look in there. I know. It is a
:29:24. > :29:28.golden moment for refereeing. We had recruitment and there was only 30
:29:29. > :29:38.people. After the final there will be 50 on it. We have 100 kids
:29:39. > :29:47.signing on to referee courses. It is the nominal what one person's
:29:48. > :29:51.involvement in the game can do. We need to work on our fitness because
:29:52. > :30:02.the game has never flowed so much. He is the world's best. Should I
:30:03. > :30:06.have? You can see they probably tripled the gate. When has a referee
:30:07. > :30:15.ever triple the gates in any club? Never.
:30:16. > :30:23.He is not using the whistle so much, you can hardly hear it. It is
:30:24. > :30:30.normally over by the time he gets to them. Was nice to have him down
:30:31. > :30:36.here, have a big crowd. I have been coming years and never had crowds
:30:37. > :30:43.like this. Nice to have it. Not much wrong with the laws of the game when
:30:44. > :30:50.teams play rugby. It is a lesson for anybody. Last week took on, this
:30:51. > :30:51.week Gowerton, next week too long. Got to love Nigel Owens and you have
:30:52. > :30:55.got to love rugby. Congratulaions to Gowerton,
:30:56. > :30:57.and to Nigel of course, Another man in demand, Jamie
:30:58. > :31:01.Roberts, he's celebrating his 28th birthday today, happy birthday to
:31:02. > :31:04.you Jamie. And, in case you missed it, the part-time medical student
:31:05. > :31:06.made his debut for Cambridge He turned out for them
:31:07. > :31:09.in their friendly against Worcester Cavaliers, though he spent most
:31:10. > :31:12.of the game defending as his team lost 29-7, but he's still hoping to
:31:13. > :31:15.help Cambridge overturn a five-year losing streak when they take
:31:16. > :31:30.on Oxford in the Varsity match Hopefully next time I will see
:31:31. > :31:36.more of the ball. We will wait and see. I enjoyed it. Enjoy playing at
:31:37. > :31:39.that level with those guys. But that to him, who I am sure is celebrating
:31:40. > :31:48.his birthday watching us. Back to the Pro12 now, and
:31:49. > :31:49.the Scarlets were defending a proud unbeaten record when they travelled
:31:50. > :32:13.to Dublin on Friday night. The captain made way that Owens.
:32:14. > :32:18.Behind the scrum, Gareth Davis made his first start since returning from
:32:19. > :32:24.the World Cup while Hadleigh Parkes switch to inside centre. Leinster's
:32:25. > :32:33.strength and depth was visible to the one that the Treviso last week.
:32:34. > :32:45.Great drive on from the Scala line. Deliberate collapse from Dominic
:32:46. > :32:54.that time. He's lip just about holds him up. The me runner and Owen
:32:55. > :33:01.Garrett Davis, well covered by the Leinster defence. This is a very
:33:02. > :33:10.encouraging and confident start from the Scarlets. Gareth Davies waits.
:33:11. > :33:21.Hadleigh Parkes gets over for the try. Superbly worked by the
:33:22. > :33:25.Scarlets. James Davies, slips it onto Rob Evans, who has had a few
:33:26. > :33:40.carries this evening. Gareth Davies, again gets behind the
:33:41. > :33:49.defence and finds Berkeley in support. It is a great try by the
:33:50. > :33:59.Scarlets. The Scarlets desperate to get numbers back. The Scarlet is
:34:00. > :34:11.throwing everything into defence on their own try-line. Quickly recycled
:34:12. > :34:22.and picked up by Cian Healy. Mike Ross is there. Mike Ross gets over.
:34:23. > :34:32.Territorially and possession wise, the second half as long to Leinster.
:34:33. > :34:33.More of a defensive apple for the Scarlets. No letup yet from the home
:34:34. > :34:51.team. Has been one-way traffic in this
:34:52. > :35:00.second half. The gap opens up and the runaround from Johnny Sexton. It
:35:01. > :35:12.is as easy as that in the end. That is the one. The tribe does not
:35:13. > :35:22.count. Will the Scarlets finish with a flourish? It has been a great
:35:23. > :35:33.effort. The try-line is there, within reach. The ball is lost
:35:34. > :35:39.forward. It might be relief from the Leinster fans. The Scarlet 's gave
:35:40. > :35:46.it absolutely everything and came so close. In the end they have to do
:35:47. > :35:53.come away with a losing bonus point. My thought the boys put in a really
:35:54. > :36:01.good effort. The breakdown area, we were disappointed with the referee.
:36:02. > :36:06.Had some turnovers. Interesting point. We have covered the Scarlets
:36:07. > :36:11.a lot in recent weeks. We have spoken in glowing terms about the
:36:12. > :36:16.Scarlet 's back row, James Davies in particular and how his technique
:36:17. > :36:19.over the ball has been winning penalties. They weren't on the right
:36:20. > :36:25.side of Leighton Hodges on Friday night. Some of the decisions he was
:36:26. > :36:33.talking about, what do you think that these? It is such a fine line.
:36:34. > :36:36.It is a clear penalty to me. James Davies is over the ball and in a
:36:37. > :36:45.strong position and on another day the referee could call a penalty.
:36:46. > :36:53.What you have got to do, straight after the game emotions are high,
:36:54. > :36:59.you have got to adjust to the referee on the night. If he is
:37:00. > :37:05.penalising you constantly at the breakdown you become squeaky clean
:37:06. > :37:10.and you give him nothing to referee. I think on Friday night, maybe they
:37:11. > :37:15.should have had a bit of a debrief, 15 to 20 minutes into the game and
:37:16. > :37:20.said, we're not getting anything defensively. If James Davies has
:37:21. > :37:25.been such a defensive weapon in the weeks come by and the Scarlets are
:37:26. > :37:30.relying on him to turn over possession and win possession on the
:37:31. > :37:36.floor, they go in with the same mentality and it is not going their
:37:37. > :37:37.way, where do you go from there? He is not the only person on the pitch
:37:38. > :37:41.not getting his hands anywhere near the ball. In the first half, we have
:37:42. > :37:45.players of their feet, players coming through the scrum-half and
:37:46. > :37:52.players holding on. As a squad, you have to get a feel what the referee
:37:53. > :37:58.is giving you. More in particular, not giving you. The background want
:37:59. > :38:05.to get their hands on the ball and steal it as much as you can, but
:38:06. > :38:08.when three of four penalties have gone against you, you have got to
:38:09. > :38:11.let go and leave it for a few minutes. Regardless of are winning
:38:12. > :38:13.and your is perfect over the ball, you get your hands over the ball and
:38:14. > :38:19.you claim to the refereed attacker isn't releasing the ball on time, if
:38:20. > :38:25.you get penalised for other offences, the referee will build up
:38:26. > :38:31.an accumulative impression and penalise you regardless of what you
:38:32. > :38:35.are doing? The referee is the judge. You have got to adjust on the pitch
:38:36. > :38:40.and that is what the best teams in the world do. They play to the
:38:41. > :38:47.referee. It is a fine margin. People talk about the scrum and it being a
:38:48. > :38:51.complicated and difficult area to referee. So is the breakdown as
:38:52. > :38:55.well. They might be proud of themselves on Friday night, they
:38:56. > :39:01.gave everything and pushed a good Leinster side all the way. I think
:39:02. > :39:07.they should be second, third in the league. They have done fantastically
:39:08. > :39:12.well. An insight into the art of the breakdown.
:39:13. > :39:21.They welcomed Ulster to Rodney Parade earlier this afternoon.
:39:22. > :39:28.Jones made five changes to the side that lost to the Scala 's last week
:39:29. > :39:34.handing the first row 12 start to Ollie Griffiths on the openside
:39:35. > :39:46.flanker. Karl Maier was at full-back and was joined by Pretorius. Stephen
:39:47. > :40:05.Mulholland made his first start for the province.
:40:06. > :40:22.One-handed flick. Interplay between the officials. Jones, certainly the
:40:23. > :40:27.most difficult of chances. One stab, great strike. Very, very good strike
:40:28. > :40:37.in deed. That will take the Dragons 9-0.
:40:38. > :40:55.Advantage being played. That is not a coincidence. You can see his knee
:40:56. > :40:57.coming underneath the ball. I think it is very, very good defensive
:40:58. > :41:25.play. Look out. That is a big call. That
:41:26. > :41:36.is the prop, McCall. That is what you expect from scrum-half. We have
:41:37. > :41:43.seen it from Pretorius. Opened and it was the scrum-half who took
:41:44. > :41:53.advantage. Davies. Griffiths there again. Taking more and more
:41:54. > :41:59.responsibility, the youngster. Evans spins round of the tackle from
:42:00. > :42:05.Stevenson. The captain is going himself. Can he spent over? I think
:42:06. > :42:12.he is just held up. Hands go up from Rhys Buckley. A man outside, has the
:42:13. > :42:18.captain got over the line? No, I don't think he has got that now.
:42:19. > :42:21.When you look at the work the players put in, it is a big
:42:22. > :42:27.improvement. Hammered away. Didn't get the try. I thought we deserved a
:42:28. > :42:30.draw. Big games like that, you need a couple of decisions to go your way
:42:31. > :42:37.and I feel a couple of them didn't. That was the difference in the two
:42:38. > :42:39.teams. After seven rounds, this is how the table stands, three points
:42:40. > :43:06.separate the top three. Talking of the Dragons, they needed
:43:07. > :43:11.25 points to beat Ulster. They are not scoring very many tries, but
:43:12. > :43:15.there were playing expansive league last season but that has deserted
:43:16. > :43:23.them. But their opportunities, they didn't convert any of them? This is
:43:24. > :43:30.at the end of the game. This is a difficult one. The difference to me
:43:31. > :43:36.was in the two teams, Ulster went down to 14 men twice and the Dragons
:43:37. > :43:39.couldn't get over the try-line. The Dragons lose a player just before
:43:40. > :43:49.half-time. That has been their Achilles heel, nine tries in seven
:43:50. > :43:55.games. You need to score. Top teams scoring 26, 27 tries. Last season,
:43:56. > :44:01.even in defeat they were chipping the ball around and scoring some
:44:02. > :44:06.attract tries? One of the things in this game, Ulster are passive at the
:44:07. > :44:10.breakdown at times. One or two guys come in and hit you hard and then
:44:11. > :44:16.they back off. Even with zero Ulster players competing at the breakdown,
:44:17. > :44:21.you still see the Dragons, parking over the ball. If you throw the ball
:44:22. > :44:26.around, throw it quickly. That pause, I think was just enough that
:44:27. > :44:29.the Ulster defence had time to reorganise. Although we saw the
:44:30. > :44:35.Dragons full of endeavour, it was a fraction too slow. Europe will be a
:44:36. > :44:38.welcome diversion for them as it proved last season when they reach
:44:39. > :44:46.the semifinals. But is it from us this evening. We will see you in
:44:47. > :44:51.three weeks when the Pro12 returns. Good night.