Newport Gwent Dragons 49-28 Edinburgh: Play-off hopes turning to ashes

AFTER travelling down by train and by coach because of the volcanic ash, it was Edinburgh's Magners League play-off hopes which went up in smoke in the Newport sunshine.

They were brought crashing back down to earth by a Dragons side whose win keeps their own play-off hopes alive, but which left Edinburgh's blowing in the wind.

It leaves Edinburgh in fifth, two points behind Glasgow, who occupy the final play-off place and are level on points with Munster who got a key win in Connacht yesterday. A big reaction will be needed when Ulster visit Murrayfield on Sunday.

Coach Rob Moffatt was disappointed with his side's defence as they conceded seven tries, three to Sevens specialist Will Harries on the Dragons' right wing, with few Edinburgh players impressing the watching Scotland coach Andy Robinson.

"Giving away seven tries and some soft tries at that was the basic problem," said a frustrated Moffatt afterwards.

"Some simple things, missed tackles – the Dragons scored some good tries but we made it very easy for them.

"Every team prides itself on defence and we will have a good hard look at it. When conditions are like this then you struggle if you miss one to one tackles."

A fairly dull opening exploded into action after a quarter of an hour. It was the Dragons who scored after a penalty on halfway, kicked into the Edinburgh 22 and drove from the resulting lineout.

Prop Hugh Gustafson peeled off and when he was held up just short was able to slip the ball for scrum half Wayne Evans to go over in the corner.

Home outside half Jason Tovey missed the touchline conversion and that stung Edinburgh into a reaction straight from the kick off.

They regained possession, attacked with venom and centre John Houston made a half break towards the line. They got quick ball from the ruck and outside half Phil Godman was able to feed supporting flanker Alan MacDonald for a try, converted by Godman.

Again the Dragons came back, but with injured players strewn round the pitch it was 13 men on their feet for the home side against 14 for the visitors.

However that proved to be enough. With the Edinburgh defence taking their eye off the ball, Dragons right wing Will Harries broke through in midfield while centre Ben Cairns was upfield getting treatment.

He passed to Dragons centre Ashley Smith who cut back to go over under the posts.

With Tovey injured and about to go off, Evans added the conversion from in front.

Rodney Parade is an old fashioned rugby ground and can create quite an atmosphere with a few thousand people in the crowd – that certainly started to happen with some decisions going the way of the Scots.

Edinburgh maintained the pressure and Godman got over the line only to be held up by the defence when he had had several spare men on the outside.

However Edinburgh were able to turn up the heat in the resulting scrum and home prop Gustafson was sin-binned for collapsing.

After two more driving scrums went to ground replacement referee James Jones, the Welshman filling in for Ireland's John Lacey because of the travel problems, ran under the posts to signal a penalty try for the visitors – heralding massed boos from the crowd.

They were a bit happier by half-time though. First James Arlidge, on for Tovey, slotted a penalty to put the Dragons ahead and then just before the break wing Richard Fussell broke through the midfield for Harries to score his first in the corner.

It meant the Dragons led 20-14 after an even first half, which made what was to follow all the more surprising.

The Dragons extended that lead through an Arlidge penalty and then Edinburgh missed a golden opportunity when Dutch wing Tim Visser was clear down the right.

He chipped ahead and pushed Dragons full back Martin Thomas out of the way to get the ball first and was penalised.

The Dragons hit straight back through Harries, a sort of right footed Shane Williams in physique and style, as he beat two men in virtually no space to tear down the touchline for his second try.

This was a moment of crisis for Edinburgh and they needed some of their international stars to stamp their authority on the game. Instead Harries sliced through the midfield once more to grab his hat-trick.

Edinburgh did get a try in fortuitous fashion when they reclaimed a bouncing ball and centre Ben Cairns was able to take advantage of the confusion to race through and score. Godman converted.

Left wing Richard Fussell, following up a kick ahead, and full back Martin Thomas, from a 60 yard run, finished off the demolition job, but Edinburgh did grab what could be an important bonus point when Ross Ford went over for the fourth try from a forward drive. It keeps them in the mix for the play-off places, but now they are on the outside looking in.

Scorers: Dragons: Tries – Evans, Smith, Harries (3), Fussell, Thomas. Pens – Arlidge (2). Cons – Evans, Arlidge (3). Edinburgh: Tries – MacDonald, Penalty Try, Cairns, Ford. Cons – Godman (4).

Newport Gwent Dragons: M Thomas; W Harries, M Watkins, A Smith, R Fussell; J Tovey, W Evans; H Gustafson, T Willis, P Palmer, R Sidoli, L Charteris, J Bearman, G Thomas, T Faletau. Subs: L Burns for Willis 61, B Castle for Bearman 28-38 and for Palmer 46, H MacDonald for Charteris 54, A Coombs for Bearman (42), T Riley for Watkins 40, J Arlidge for Tovey 22, A Walker for Evans 70.

Edinburgh: J Thompson; M Robertson, B Cairns, J Houston, T Visser; P Godman, M Blair (Capt); A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, S MacLeod, J Hamilton, A MacDonald, R Rennie, D Callam. Subs: A Kelly for Ford 74, K Traynor for Cross 57, F McKenzie for Rennie 59, R Grant for Callam 49, G Laidlaw for M Blair 74, D Blair for Webster 70, S Webster for Visser 66.

Referee: James Jones (Wales).

Attendance: 7,156.