The old rivalry between England and Wales surfaced on the rugby union scene once more, only this time at European rugby’s elite club level rather than the international stage. After a successful start for both sides in the opening round the previous week this was a top-of-the-table clash both sides desperately wanted to win with the Dragons looking to put one past the current Guinness Premiership leaders on their own patch. Gareth Llewellyn renewed acquaintences with many of his former international team mates and the stage was set for a potential Welsh regional victory on English soil in the first away day for a Welsh region in the European Challenge Cup.
In the end, the match proved a scrappy and rugged affair with both sides playing tight rugby attempting to leave it as late as possible to grind a result out. An unconverted Dan Ward-Smith try on 33 minutes, followed by a Jason Strange penalty just before half time following a yellow card for Dragon Aled Brew saw Bristol 8-0 ahead at half time.
The Dragons who had offered very little of a penetrative nature in the opening forty minutes benefitted from Brew’s sin-binning. The Dragons’ winger’s ten minutes on the bench serving to wet his appetite for action, Brew returned to the field and managed to cut the defecit to three points with a 54th minute try which Sweeney duly converted to bring the Welsh region to within a point at 8-7.
The game remained deadlocked for the next twenty minutes with Kieran Crawford joining the field for eight minutes as a blood replacement for Ben Daly the only note of excitement. Richard Fussell replaced Brew on 71 minutes before Bristol struck the killer blow with a second Strange penalty on 76 minutes. Four minutes on the clock and only four points adrift the Dragons pushed ahead looking for a crucial try but to no avail.Â
However the loss by less than seven points kept the Dragons close enough to their opposition to earn a bonus point and ensure second place in the table at the end of Round Two.
