Paloise on top in thriller
MATCH REPORT: Dragons RFC were beaten 27-21 by Section Paloise in a thrilling EPCR Challenge Cup contest at Rodney Parade on Saturday.
Pau kept their qualification hopes alive with the victory, having lost to Toyota Cheetahs in Round 1, while defeat for Dragons leaves them winless from their opening two games.
Dragons started the brighter, with Sam Davies kicking three penalties in reply to one from Pau’s Clovis Lebail.
Bradley Roberts got Dragons’ first try of the evening, but the visitors came roaring back in the last minutes of the half, with a try from Thomas Carol and a late penalty taking them into the break just one point adrift.
And despite Roberts crossing for another on the hour mark, Pau would take the lead for the first time with less than 15 minutes to go, wing Eoghan Barrett crossing the line in a crucial moment for the visitors.
In the final play of the game, Dragons thought Max Clark had scored a try that would have brought them back within one point, with a conversion opportunity to follow in front of the posts – but after lengthy deliberation, the referee adjudged it as short of the line.
The two sides go head-to-head again in Round 3 as Dragons head to the Stade du Hameau on January 13.
Points scorers:
For Dragons
Try: Roberts
Cons: Hanrahan
Pens: Davies
For Paloise:
Tries: Roudil, Barrett
Cons: Lebail, Debates
Pens: Lebail
Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Sio Tomkinson, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Harrison Keddie (captain), 6 Sean Lonsdale, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Joe Davies, 3 Chris Coleman, 2 Bradley Roberts, 1 Rhodri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Ryan Woodman, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Max Clark
Section Paloise: 15 Mathias Colombet, , 14 Thomas Carol, 13 Nathan Decron, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Eoghan Barrett, 10 Thibault Debaes, 9 Clovis Lebail, 8 Brent Liufau, 7 Thibaut Hamonou, 6 Martin Puech (captain), 5 Jimi Maximin, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Nicolas Corato, 2 Youri Delhommel, 1 Rémi Seneca.
Replacements: 16 Romain Ruffenach, 17 Siegfried Fisiihoi, 18 Nicolaas van Dyk, 19 Fabrice Metz, 20. Sacha Zegueur, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Elliot Roudil, 23 Grégoire Arfeuil
Referee: Jack Makepeace (England)
Assistant referees: Charlie Gayther (England) & Phil Watters (England)
TMO: Steve Leyshon (England)
Source: @ChallengeCup