Ulster Rugby vs Newport Dragons

In difficult conditions last weekend, the Dragons put on a wonderful display of rugby against Leinster seeing the Region continue its European Rugby Challenge Cup form into the Guinness PRO12. Tries from Man of the Match Ashton Hewitt and Jason Tovey – not forgetting the additional 13 points though his boot – saw the Men of Gwent get back to business in the PRO12. The Welsh Region have played 12 games in the league and with wins against Zebre, Treviso, Munster and Leinster all at Rodney Parade, the Region now look to take their home form on the road. Before taking on Leinster last weekend in the PRO12, the Dragons took on a difficult Ospreys team during the Christmas period. As well as missing out during this match, they also lost out by one point to Cardiff Blues the week before. Prior to this the Dragons took on Munster at Rodney Parade and won 22-6 but before that match the only wins in the Guinness PRO12 came against the two Italian sides. However, the Dragons have secured a different fate in the European Rugby Challenge Cup after sealing a spot in the quarter-finals for the second year running. After beating Sale Sharks and Castres at Rodney Parade, and doing the double over Pau, this year the Region will travel to Kingsholm, the home of Aviva Premiership team Gloucester Rugby, on Saturday 9th April. Last season the Dragons took on Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade in a quarter-final showdown which saw the Men of Gwent take the win and travel to Edinburgh for the semi finals. Unfortunately, the Region missed out on a place in the finals that year, but look forward to going one step further this year. With the focus now back on the Guinness PRO12, the Region look forward to this evening’s clash against another Irish side, Ulster. With three players on international duty (Taulupe Faletau, Hallam Amos and Tyler Morgan) as well as a long list of injuries to many of the first team players, the Dragons will be looking to play with some consistency, reigniting the form they had in the Challenge Cup and against Leinster. As the Ulster men currently stand in 5th in the PRO12 table, the Dragons will have a difficult challenge on their hands this evening. Therefore, it looks to be an intriguing matchup for the two teams this evening at Kingspan Stadium as the Dragons will be keen to get back on track in the Guinness PRO12 competition. The Newport Gwent Dragons now head into the second half of the 2015/16 season and after securing a win against Leinster at Rodney Parade, the Welsh Region now look to kick the remaining fixtures of the tournament into gear.

OPPOSITION

CLUB STATS //Location Newport, Wales //Founded 2003 //Ground Rodney Parade //Capacity 9,082 //Last Game

Leinster (H) 23-13 (W) Fri 29 Jan 2016 at 19:05 //Next Game Connacht Rugby (H) Thu 11th Feb 2016 at 19:30 //Recent Form L W L L W STAFF // Head Coach Lynn Jones/Kingsley Jones //Captain Thomas Rhys Thomas

CONTACT Rodney Parade Newport Gwent NP19 0UU Wales Tel 01633 670690

TICKET OFFICE Tel +44 1633 674 990

www.newportgwentdragons.com

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