Newport Gwent Dragons 14 - Glasgow Warriors 20: Fired-up siblings help Warriors to slay Dragons in rare away win

Published on Sunday 30 March 2008 23:07

BROTHERS-in-arms Thom and Max Evans helped to steer Glasgow to this rare away win in Wales, building on the platform set by outside-half Dan Parks and the Killer B's back row.

Two tries for Thom and an impressive performance by brother Max in only the second game they have ever started together was a suitable reward for the pair and sank the resistance of the home side.

"It was great to play well together and hopefully one day we will be able to do that in the full Scotland side," admitted Thom afterwards. "It is the first time I have ever been on the winning side in Wales, so that is a good win for us down here – the team showed real character with the forwards stepping up.

"Max only joined Glasgow last year after qualifying as a golf pro and since then I have had a lot of niggling injuries, so this was only the second game we have started together and I went off injured early the last time. We are always competitive, but in a good way, so that tends to get us going to try and get one over each other."

The moment which would have rounded off the partnership perfectly came early in the first half when Max broke away from the Glasgow line and then the ball came out for Thom to burst forward with a kick and chase which was close to bringing the first try.

If they provided the cutting edge, then it was Parks who masterminded the victory, making a half break to create the space for Thom's first try and providing the pinpoint kick for the second.

Although there were periods of the game when the Dragons held the upper hand and created more chances, you always felt Glasgow had the players with that extra element of class to dictate the game – particularly in the back row of John Barclay, Kelly Brown and John Beattie. The victory also saw scrum-half Sam Pinder rack up his 100th appearance for Glasgow.

However, the Dragons had their chances, outside half Aled Thomas missing three relatively simple kicks at goal, but it was Glasgow who got off the mark first. A half break by Parks sucked in the defence for flanker Brown to put the right wing in for the first try. Parks converted and added a penalty from 35 yards when players supporting a Graeme Morrison break were impeded off the ball.

In unusually good weather conditions, the game became much looser and the Dragons came back through a pair of Thomas penalties.

Glasgow were unlucky not to go further ahead after full-back Bernardo Stortoni brilliantly re-gathered a Parks up-and-under. As the ball went out to supporting prop Moray Low, his overhead pass was cut out by 6ft 10 lock Luke Charteris – the only player tall enough to have prevented the try.

Worse was to come just before the break when the Dragons turned defence into attack from a Glasgow hack through, with centres Ashley Smith and Rhodri Gomer-Davies combining to create space on the right for full-back Kevin Morgan to give right wing Gareth Wyatt a clear run to the line.

Thomas missed the conversion from wide out but landed a 40-yard penalty with the last kick of the half. Glasgow will still have been bemused to have gone in trailing 14-10 at half-time.

It was the Dragons who came out the stronger after the interval, but Thomas had his third penalty miss and, when Parks landed a similar penalty chance at the other end, the teams were brought back to within a point of each other.

Then Parks and Thom Evans were to have the decisive last word, a cross kick by Parks saw Newport No8 Joe Bearman defending the corner but he was undone by the accuracy of the kick and Evans was able to catch and score with ease. Parks slotted an excellent conversion from touch.

There were a few nervous moments towards the end, but they managed to hold on to that lead to make up for the disappointing home defeat against the Dragons.

It was not a convincing all-round display, but it was a win on the road and contained enough signs that Glasgow have something to build on for the final weeks of the season.

Scorers:

Newport Gwent Dragons: Try – G Wyatt. Pens – A Thomas (3)

Glasgow Warriors: Tries - T Evans (2). Pens – Parks (2). Cons – Parks (2)

Newport Gwent Dragons: K Morgan; G Wyatt, R Gomer-Davies, A Smith, R Fussell; A Thomas, A Williams; D Pattison, S Jones, R Thomas, A Jones, L Charteris, J Bearman, J Ringer, C Charvis (Capt). Subs: B Daly for Jones 58, G Robinson for Pattison 69, P Sidoli for Charteris 74, M Owen for Ringer 58, P Emerick for Smith 64, M Thomas for Morgan 64, W Evans for Williams 58.

Glasgow Warriors: B Stortoni; T Evans, G Morrison, D Gibson (Capt), M Evans; D Parks, S Pinder; J Va'a, D Hall, M Low, O Palepoi, D Turner, K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie. Subs: F Thomson for Hall 53, E Kalman for Va'a 53, J Eddie for Palepoi 72, D MacFadyen, C Gregor for Pinder 58, S Barrow on for Gibson 49, H O'Hare for M Evans 69.

Referee: A Rolland (IRFU).

Attendance: 5,949.