Dragons v Leinster

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TAULUPE Faletau returns to the Newport Gwent Dragons starting XV for Sunday’s clash with Guinness Pro12 champions Leinster at Rodney Parade.

The Wales number eight started last weekend’s European Rugby Challenge Cup quarter-final win against Cardiff Blues on the bench, as did openside Nic Cudd.

However, the pair slot into the back row alongside Nick Crosswell for the Leinster encounter with James Thomas moving forward to lock and James Benjamin named among the replacements.

Director of rugby Lyn Jones has been true to his word and fields his first team despite the semi-final against Edinburgh at Murrayfield looming.

Tyler Morgan replaces Pat Leach in midfield but other than that he sticks with the side that have beaten Ulster, Treviso and Cardiff Blues.

Loosehead Luke Garrett is rewarded for a series of impressive performances for Wales Under-20s and Cross Keys with a place on the bench while Matthew Screech covers lock.

“We’ve got to use Leinster in a five-day turnaround as a really good training session, incorporating it in our preparation for Edinburgh,” said Jones earlier this week.

“We’ve got our feet firmly on the floor. We quickly put the Blues to bed, we enjoyed the moment but our thoughts turned directly to Leinster on Monday.

“European rugby is nice and we will think about that next week but now it’s about Leinster and we are not in the position where we can rest players."

Leinster’s matchday squad includes 12 of the 23 that were on duty against Bath in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup last weekend.

With a huge game against Toulon in Marseille looming, coach Matt O’Connor opts to leave out Ireland stars Jamie Heaslip, Cian Healy, Sean O’Brien, Rob Kearney, Ian Madigan, Devin Toner, Mike Ross and Sean Cronin.

However, they can ill afford to slip up at Rodney Parade in the battle for the playoffs and still boast a side with plenty of experience and class in the shape of Gordon D’Arcy, Eoin Reddan, Shane Jennings, Dave Kearney, Jimmy Gopperth and Zane Kirchner They boast a powerful tight five of Jack McGrath, Richardt Strauss, Martin Moore, Ben Marshall and Mike McCarthy.

Dragons: J Tovey, T Prydie, T Morgan, J Dixon, H Amos, D Jones, J Evans, P Price, R Thomas (captain), B Harris, J Thomas, C Hill, N Crosswell, N Cudd, T Faletau. Replacements: R Buckley, L Garrett, D Way, M Screech, J Benjamin, L Jones, P Leach, G R Jones.

Leinster: Z Kirchner, D Kearney, B Te’o, G D’Arcy, D Fanning, J Gopperth, E Reddan, J McGrath, R Strauss, M Moore, B Marshall, M McCarthy, D Ryan, S Jennings (captain), J Conan. Replacements: A Dundon, M Bent, T Furlong, R Molony, J Murphy, L McGrath, N Reid, L Fitzgerald.

Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/dragons/12882983.Faletau_starts_as_Dragons_stick_with_first_team_against_Leinster/

maestegmafia wrote:

The Saint wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

The Saint wrote:Dixon still too suspect in defence for me, he's missed too many on Te'o already.

He is highest in the tackle count so far mate... Put in two awesome hits in the first quarter.

What and that makes the tackles missed okay? If you watch Dragons more often, and it sounds like you don't, you'd be able to see that he isn't a good defender when the opposition isn't playing from phase play. Both missed tackles on Te'o were in broken play. Dixon either struggles to set the defensive line or just doesn't set it. Dragons defence is making Leinster's average attack look good, they're gaining ground too easily.

Dragons 106 tackles by half time...!

Dixon may have missed a couple but if he hadn't made the ones he did Dragons would be in a worse position than they are now.

Huh, I'm struggling to see your point? And I thought I made mine quite clear.

Well that's just guess work, and yes he made a couple good tackles but again I'm not sure why you're making that statement either.

Ooh look at that now.  Ben Te'o has finally come out of his shell - must be the warmer weather or something.

Can Leinster get an unexpected bonus point win out of this game?

That's why I don't rate Benjamin.

Pot Hale wrote:Ooh look at that now.  Ben Te'o has finally come out of his shell - must be the warmer weather or something.

Can Leinster get an unexpected bonus point win out of this game?

Hope not for The Ospreys sake...

Nice work down the there... C'mon dragons, one more pass...!!!

Has to be a yellow now surely...

Good try Dixon...!


That will make up for a missed tackle surely???

Come on Leinster, get the extra try and make the last few rounds nail biters.

No, he would need to score two tries to make up for the two missed tackles .

The Saint wrote:No, he would need to score two tries to make up for the two missed tackles .

Well let's hope he does...

And now it's a yellow surely....

Yellow card for Te'o

Your wish for a yellow is granted.

Good stuff Te'o - just what your team mates needed

I thought that was a good tackle by Te'o, unless he committed the next offence? I was out the kitchen when it was dished out.

That was a good try IMO .

Great charge down...! Will it be enough???

That try was the absolute shizzle!

The Saint wrote:I thought that was a good tackle by Te'o, unless he committed the next offence? I was out the kitchen when it was dished out.

I don't disagree. I don't think he intentionally shoulder barged...

Bad miss by Tovey there

Could be a great last ten minutes

Oh lordy. Te'o is going to be real popular in the dressing room after.

2 point deficit and Dragons have another 4 mins of yellow card time to overtake.

Dragons playing really well and Leinster trying to self destruct!

What a try well played Dragons

Bonus point win for us it could be, Pot Hale .

Superb from the Dragons.

Terrible attempt at a tackle from Murphy. I think he is a great player but he hasn't had his best game.

The Saint wrote:Bonus point win for us it could be, Pot Hale .

I don't disagree.

And deserved it will be too.

Jeez - Leinster really are their own worst enemy.

Phew we needed that from Leinster. Manic couple phases of play.

C'mon Dragons

Toulon must be sh!ttin themselves.

Yikes.

maestegmafia wrote:

The Saint wrote:No, he would need to score two tries to make up for the two missed tackles .

Well let's hope he does...

For a second there I thought he would too...

Man of the match performance apparently by Dixon

Leinster of old would now engineer the score they need.

That's their league season over.

Congrats Dragons.

FecklessRogue wrote:Toulon must be sh!ttin themselves.

FecklessRogue wrote:Toulon must be sh!ttin themselves.

They'd be silly not to be with some double 6 Nations winners to come back into the team.

Big game by the Dragons... Great result

Nice double over Leinster this season... I haven't said that often in my rugby spectating days. Well done Dregs, commiserations Ladyboys.

Great win by the Dragons. Surely That is Leinster out of the playoffs now!

Great win, it was deserved against what looked like a scratch team. The Dragons should have beaten this team easier but made hard work of it missing tackles in the first half.

Well done Dragons punishing their what looks like their lack of respect for the home team.

I don't think Leinster showed a lack respect. Rotated and rested, but they have bigger fish to fry in Europe coming up. All teams rest players at times, even us!

Thank you Dragons! Hopefully that means they will not be as invested in their next  league game as they might have been.

First time ever Dragons have done the double over Leinster. Some achievement

The Saint wrote:Jon Evans has become a much improved player this year. Bath have a good buy there, and we are set to lose two good scrum-halves.

We are also signing one very good 9 with an eye for the line.

We did give Ben Te'o too much space for most of the game. His yellow was fair too.

Good result. Nice to beat them twice. Also, it might've been a weakened Leinster team, but certainly not scratch That type of team has beaten Dragons plenty of times before.

Great bit of momentum for Friday. Can't wait to go up to Edinburgh now, whereas at 22-8 down I felt pretty flat about it

Not sure about the yellow myself Rev but agree that while it might have been a weakened Leinster it was no way a scratch side and in seasons gone by we would have lost that. To score 17 unanswered points is a great effort.

glamorganalun wrote:Great win, it was deserved against what looked like a scratch team. The Dragons should have beaten this team easier but made hard work of it missing tackles in the first half.

Well done Dragons punishing their what looks like their lack of respect for the home team.

Agreed, at one point Leinster had 3 easy points to take but decided to opt for a scrum instead which showed a lack of respect. Dragons no longer have the powder puff pack they had a couple of seasons ago.

Here's a question, could we sneak into 6th or the 7th place play off position.

I know it will mean other teams above us have to lose but there is 7 points between us Scarlets and Connacht and 6 between us and Edinburgh.

We have 3 game left Scarlets at the MS (though our home game), Edinburgh home and Munster away.

If we could win those 2 home game we are taking points off the teams immediately above us.

Edinburgh have 2 home (Zebre and Leinster) and 1 away Us.
Connacht have 2 home (Ospreys and Ospreys) and 1 away Zebre
Scarlets have 1 home (Blues) and 2 away Us and Treviso

Connacht seem to have the worst run in as both Galsgow and Ospreys will be gunning for top 4 still

On the t'eo yellow - harsh I thought but certainly a penalty and not unreasonable to get a yellow

Mitrea another good game overall I thought bar missing the leinster prop pulling down at every scrum

Yeah agree on the T'eo, did think it was harsh but these days not surprised he got a yellow

Great fightback from the dragons tho. Real spirit and team performance

Risca Rev wrote:

The Saint wrote:Jon Evans has become a much improved player this year. Bath have a good buy there, and we are set to lose two good scrum-halves.

We are also signing one very good 9 with an eye for the line.

I didn't know that, and I thought we were definitely losing Rees. Spill the beans.

The Saint wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:

The Saint wrote:Jon Evans has become a much improved player this year. Bath have a good buy there, and we are set to lose two good scrum-halves.

We are also signing one very good 9 with an eye for the line.

I didn't know that, and I thought we were definitely losing Rees. Spill the beans.

I think he means Pretorius, announce a few months back.

The Saint wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:

The Saint wrote:Jon Evans has become a much improved player this year. Bath have a good buy there, and we are set to lose two good scrum-halves.

We are also signing one very good 9 with an eye for the line.

I didn't know that, and I thought we were definitely losing Rees. Spill the beans.

RR being given a coaching role I believe.