ZEBRE 18 – 19 DRAGONS
Dragons provided themselves with the perfect boost ahead of next weekend’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final in Montpellier by picking up another win on the road in Italy.
It had been a win at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi against Zebre that had secured a ticket in the European semi-final for Filo Tiatia’s men and a last gasp try from David Richards earned them a repeat victory in Parma.
As well as clinching four vital points in the BKT United Rugby Championship it also ended a four year wait for an away league win. Richards dived over with the clock in the red to secure a dramatic triumph.
“There is a lot of grit and character in this group and that has been building for a long time. The resolve and the resilience from this group to fight right until then end – I’m really proud of them,” said Tiatia.
“We created a lot of opportunities, but we also gave Zebre opportunities to stay in the game and I thought they were very good. They took chances and put us under pressure, which is what we need moving into next week.
“We had a yellow card and too many penalties, there are things to tidy up for next week, but now we freshen the boys up and get ready for an exciting week in Europe.
“Montpellier is a different challenge coming, but we must enjoy the moment. Semi-finals don’t come around too often, and you must earn them.
“We must earn the right to play well next week, and that means getting our detail right and getting our discipline right.”
Dragons led 7-3 at half-time thanks to a try by wing Jared Rosser, but Zebre responded soon after the restart through hooker Tommaso di Bartolomeo. Co-captain Ben Carter put the visitors back in front after 67 minutes only for Samuele Locatelli to respond almost immediately.
However, Dragons stole the victory with the final play to repeat their quarter-final victory at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi and record their first away win in the URC since beating Scarlets in Llanelli in April 2022 – and their first outside Wales since success at Connacht in October 2021.
It also meant the Dragons, who finished bottom of the URC for the first time last season, were able to climb above Scarlets into 14th in the battle to avoid being Wales worst-performing side this season.
TEAMS
Zebre: Giovanni Montemauri; Malik Faissal, Giulio Bertaccini, Damiano Mazza, Simone Gesi; Giacomo da Re, Alessandro Fusco; Paolo Buonfiglio, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Ion Neculai; Matteo Canali, Leonard Krumov; Alessandro Ortombina, Davide Odiase, Giovanni Licata (captain)
Reps: Shilo Klein, Muhamed Hasa, Matteo Nocera, Bautista Stavile, Samuele Locatelli, Thomas Dominguez, Marco Zanon, Jacopo TrullaDragons: Angus O’Brien (co-captain); David Richards, Fetuli Paea, Aneurin Owen, Jared Rosser; Tinus de Beer, Rhodri Williams; Rodrigo Martinez, Brodie Coghlan, Dillon Lewis, Levi Douglas, Ben Carter (co-captain), Shane Lewis-Hughes, Thomas Young, Aaron Wainwright
Reps: Elliot Dee, Rhodri Jones, Owain James, Matthew Screech, Seb Davies, Morgan Lloyd, Harri Ackerman, Huw AndersonReferee: Ru Campbell (Scotland)