Zebre earn their stripes as Dragons reach a low point
ZEBRE ............................... 28 N-G DRAGONS ................ 14
NEWPORT Gwent Dragons went down to their ninth loss in succession when they came off distinctly secondbest against Zebre in Parma for the second year in a row.
The Italian outfit climbed off the bottom of the Guinness Pro12 with a fullydeserved bonus-point victory.
Here’s five things we learned from the men of Gwent’s latest calamity.
The Welsh Rugby Union’s takeover of the Dragons can’t come quick enough
You can say that again! The Dragons are in freefall, with their last victory coming against Russian team Enisei-STM in Europe’s second-tier Challenge Cup three months ago.
Dragons have won just eight of their 29 competitive fixtures this season, losing 21.
They have lost all 11 away games in all competitions this season and have not enjoyed a Pro12 win outside their Rodney Parade lair since beating Treviso in March 2015.
Dragons’ last away win in a tournament came a year ago when they stunned English club Gloucester 23-21 in Europe’s second-tier Challenge Cup.
Plenty went wrong against Zebre
Their losing streak on the road was extended to 23 in league action as their scrum was demolished and line-out flopped at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
They should have known what was coming because Zebre had hammered them 47-22 at the venue last season and beaten Pro12 champions Connacht last time out.
The future for the Dragons looks bleak if Newport RFC’s members turn down the deal with the WRU
The result of next month’s vote at the Black and Ambers will determine the future of not only the Dragons, but Newport RFC and Rodney Parade.
Dragons’ chairman and benefactor Martyn Hazell has suggested the famous ground could be sold off to raise money towards paying off creditors if the sale to the WRU doesn’t go ahead. That would also put a giant question-mark over the future of Newport RFC, who are one of Wales’ most famous clubs.
Rejecting the buyout may not mean the end of regional rugby in Gwent
Should the Dragons go out of business the WRU could start a new regional team with a clean balance sheet.
Rodney Parade would be the obvious home for most of its matches but, if the stadium was levelled or unavailable, they could stage fixtures elsewhere in Gwent.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that and, let’s be honest, the WRU want to acquire the Dragons and Rodney Parade to improve rugby in Newport and Gwent.
They haven’t got an ulterior motive and without them or other investors, you have to ask whether there’s any point the Dragons carrying on because their shocking results and performances wouldn’t be doing much for the confidence or self-esteem of their promising young players.
Dragons are in danger of finishing bottom of the Pro12
Zebre’s victory turned it into a three-way scrap to avoid propping up the table with just three rounds of matches remaining.
Zebre overtook Treviso, who were hammered in Llanelli by the title play-off chasing Scarlets, to close the gap on the 10th-placed Dragons to just two points.
Treviso are three behind countrymen Zebre with the pair having something major to play for with Italy’s sole place in next season’s showpiece European Champions Cup up for grabs.
Dragons may have been Wales’ worst finisher in the league more often than not since being formed 14 years ago, but they have never ended up bottom.
However, that’s not beyond the bounds of possibility with fixtures to come against the Scarlets, at the Principality Stadium on Judgement Day, at Edinburgh and against Cardiff Blues in Caerphilly.
Teams and scorers
Zebre: E Padovani, K Van Zyl, G Bisegni, T Boni, L Greeff (T Castello 58); C Canna (S Bordoli 64), M Violi; A Lovotti (B Postiglioni 58), T D’Apice (O Fabiani 46), D Chistolini (P Ceccarelli 46), G Koegelenberg (J Furno 64), G Biagi (capt), J Meyer (M Mbanda 54), F Ruzza, D Minnie. Tries: F Ruzza, D Minnie, E Padovani, J Meyer; cons: C Canna (3); pen: Canna.
Yellow card: S Bordoli (68) Dragons: C Meyer, A Hughes, T Morgan (A Warren 77), S Beard, P Howard (T Prydie 66); A O’Brien (D Jones 61), C Davies; P Price (S Hobbs 38), R Buckley (D Harris 77), B Harris (L Fairbrother 38), C Hill, R Landman, N Crosswell, L Evans (capt), O Griffiths (N Cudd 45). Tries: C Hill, A Hughes; cons: A O’Brien (2).