Dragons continue form
DARWIN Dragons fought off the wet-season heat with early intensity to win 27-21 over University Pirates at University Oval yesterday.
The Dragons went on the attack from the kick-off, applying pressure in the Pirates’ half and using their forwards power to push their tight-head prop Hare Winitana over for a try.
The front-rower was back in the scoring soon after, with Dragons benefitting from Pirates’ dropped ball to score their second try and settle themselves into a lead.
University looked to end the opening half with a score of their own, battling hard on the Dragons line, but the big Darwin forwards knuckled down forcing a knock on.
Dragons extended their lead early in the second half with Nicholas Bierman kicking a penalty while new French import Mickael Becat-Narbey scored a try as reward for his efforts.
Pirates looked like they let another chance go begging when Eli Taulelei ran down the wing only to knock on, however, an illegal tackle gave the home side a penalty try and a spot on the scoreboard.
The visitors were quick to reply with fullback Becat-Narbey kicking perfectly into space to feed a Hirini Murfitt score soon after in what would become the game-winning try.
University stalwart and player-coach Robbie Butcher put his foot down thereafter, making two try-scoring line breaks, one for himself and another for Thomas Blackwood putting the game within a score.
However, Butcher was soon sent off for repeated infringements and University were forced to defend with only 14 men with the game nearing its close.
Dragons failed to get past the Pirates’ wall and once Butcher came back on a late-game stealer looked on the cards, though a botched throw at the lineout saw an end to the comeback.
Darwin captain Drew Tobin was pleased to come away with the win, following a game he classified as his team’s proper introduction to wetseason rugby.
“It was an exhausting game. We knew it would be hot playing in the wet and that was probably our first real taste of a wet game,” Tobin told the Sunday Territorian.
“We always want to play with as much energy as possible when the ball is in play.
“With it being hot we took some time between breakdowns but when play was on we played with as much energy as we could.
“In that second half it was all about trusting in our systems and just pulling back into our pattern. The main thing when we were tired was just to keep making our first-up tackles and keep at it.”