Here are your rugby morning headlines for Monday, December 22.
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Monday, December 22.
Dragons players bask in long-awaited league win
Dragons’ players have been basking in a long-awaited league win – having ended their 15-month wait for a victory in the United Rugby Championship.
Saturday night’s win over Connacht was their first win since the opening day of the previous season, while – following last weekend’s Challenge Cup win over Lyon – marked their first back-to-back victories since March 2022.
“It’s something we really deserve after everything we have been through over the last few months,” said wing Rio Dyer. “We have worked so hard.
“I know we have all the scepticism outside of the rugby, but we are such a tight-knit group. Despite all the stuff going on in Welsh rugby, we have all stayed tight.
“We continued to pile the pressure on and we got the result we wanted. It’s amazing.”
Flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes added: “In the end, we just had to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves are we doing everything we can to be the best team we possibly can and for the fans that come out every single week, no matter what.
“It’s the pay back to them, but also respect for ourselves and our families who come to watch us every week.
“We are immensely proud of that performance.
“We have come on leaps and bounds. We have been hurting for a while as a team, but with that performance, we showed the pride. We just need to build from here now.”
Second-row Ben Carter said: “We might not have had a win for a very long time, but there’s been some good performances and people don’t really notice those.
“The win we got last week gave us a bit of confidence and it was nice to get a convincing one now.
“It’s definitely going to be one of my best memories here. It feels amazing.”
Welsh captain promises honest review
Cardiff captain Liam Belcher says there will be an honest review of their defeat to the Scarlets on Friday night.
The home side dominated possession and territory, with the Scarlets also picking up three yellow cards. However, Cardiff managed just two tries in more than 20 visits to the 22 – denying them the chance to move top of the URC.
“I think it’s a reality check in the sense we have been flying,” said Belcher. “We are not happy with that, I have got to be honest with you. That’s not what we are about.
“We had 22 entries into their 22 and I think they had two into ours. The Scarlets are a gritty team. You take your hat off to them. They were the better team in the sense of capitalising on opportunities.
“It’s a lesson for us. We have had systems in place close to the line where we have been good all season. But, being honest, we probably went too individual.
“We will have a review and it has to be an honest one, probably more from players. The coaches did their job.
“They put a game plan in place. When you have 22 entries, that’s not on the coaches, that’s on players. Hopefully, we can write the wrongs on Boxing Day against the Dragons.”
Wales international impresses in rare start
Wales prop Archie Griffin made the most of his first start of the season for Bath, crossing for a try in their 50-14 win over Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park.
The tighthead had played more for Wales than his club side this season, having made just two appearances off the bench in the Gallagher Prem until this weekend.
However, having had to sit behind the likes of Thomas du Toit, Will Stuart and Vilikesa Sela for much of the season, he was handed his first start of the season in club rugby on Sunday.
And he delivered, forcing his way over to hand the reigning champions a 19-14 lead at half-time.
“Satisfying performance. We gave Newcastle the respect they deserve,” said Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan.
“They’ve been competitive the whole season. So they started well, we punched straight back, they scored, we scored and we tidied up one or two things at half-time, then won the second half by 31-0.
“To score 50 points here, away from home, that’s real testament to the group, the squad, the coaching and the staff. Very happy with the five points.”
