CHRISTIAN A HERO & VILLAIN

Scores try but fluffs winning kick

NEWPORT Gwent Dragons and Ulster fought out an dramatic Pro14 League draw at Rodney Parade with visiting fly-half Christian Lealiifano both hero and villain.

First Ulster looked to have won it through Angus O’brien’s late try before the Welsh region hit back through Lealiifano but he missed a straightforward conversion which would have won the game.

Wing Ashton Hewitt scored two for the Dragons, with lock Matthew Screech and hooker Liam Belcher also touching down before full-back O’brien’s score. Gavin Henson kicked a penalty and two conversions.

Wing Craig Gilroy crossed twice for Ulster with scrum-half Paul Marshall also scoring.

The referee also awarded a penalty try while Lealiifano kicked a penalty and a conversion but was crucially off target at the death. Dragons centre Jack Dixon handed an early initiative to Ulster when he was sin-binned after just four minutes for a high tackle.

Lealiifano (inset) hita 30-metre penalty from Dixon’s indiscretion Gilroy raced in for his first.

The home side hit back by moving 15-8 ahead. Screech was at the back of a driving maul over the line for the first try which Henson converted before adding a penalty after a great charge from captain Ollie Griffiths.

A neat grubber from Dixon then saw Hewitt touch down but the dingdong battle took another turn when the Dragons pulled down a maul on their line for ref Marius Mitrea to award a penalty try. It was 15-15 at the break but scrum-half Marshall leant over a ruck on the blindside to score. By the hour Ulster had their try bonus and put themselves 12 points clear when Gilroy nabbed his second touchdown.

But Dragons came fighting back with two tries in six minutes from Belcher and O’brien.

Then, inside the final two minutes, Henson fed O’brien in the Ulster 22 who passed wide for Hewitt to nab his second.

It went unconverted which could have been costly when Lealiifano scored near the posts for Ulster’s fifth try. But, with a kick to win it, he also missed to end a breathless game.