Scarlets and Dragons share spoils in URC finale
TL;DR
Scarlets and Dragons ended their United Rugby Championship match in a 35-35 draw, with both teams scoring five tries. The match featured standout performances from players like Plumtree and Young.
Key points
- Scarlets and Dragons drew 35-35 in the URC finale
- Scarlets scored five tries, led by Plumtree
- Dragons also scored five tries, including a penalty try
- O'Brien was pivotal for Dragons with penalties and conversions
United Rugby Championship
Scarlets (14) 35
Tries: Plumtree 2, Macleod, Taylor, Page Cons: Hawkins 5
Dragons (22) 35
Tries: Young, Coghlan, Wainwright, penalty try Cons: O'Brien 2 Pens: O'Brien 3
Scarlets and Dragons shared the spoils with a thrilling nine-try derby draw in the United Rugby Championship (URC) finale.
Dragons finish the season as the bottom Welsh region but number eight Aaron Wainwright at least scored a try in his final game before leaving for Leicester.
There were further scores from flanker Thomas Young, hooker Brodie Coghlan, a penalty try and 13 points from full-back Angus O'Brien.
Scarlets number eight Taine Plumtree produced a virtuoso player-of-the-match display with two tries, including a spectacular individual effort.
Plumtree was also heavily involved in scores for flankers Josh Macleod and Jarrod Taylor.
Macs Page crossed late on with Joe Hawkins converting from the touchline to ensure the draw before he missed a last-gasp long-range penalty attempt.
Both sides finished level on the same league points with Scarlets finishing 14th and above Dragons on virtue of one more victory.
Dragons might have completed the season as the lowest Welsh-ranked side in the league table but it was a much improved season for Filo Tiatia's side.
This was a remarkable fourth draw to go alongside three victories as the Gwent region finished above bottom side Zebre.
Departures and retirements
Image caption,
Aaron Wainwright made his Dragons debut in 2017
Retiring Scarlets and Wales lock Jake Ball bid farewell to the fans before the game with his wife and four children.
Scarlets were led out by Josh Macleod on his 150th game and wing Tom Rogers and lock Max Douglas made final appearance before their departures.
Scarlets fielded six of their nine Wales summer tourists but centre Eddie James, wing Ellis Mee and fly-half Sam Costelow were injured along with influential number eight Fletcher Anderson, who missed his first game since arriving from New Zealand in November because of a groin strain.
Plumtree stepped into Anderson's shoes and produced a brilliant early effort after collecting his chip and diving acrobatically in the corner.
Wainwright was determined not to be undone by his Wales back-row colleague and produced a couple of bursts.
That laid the platform for flanker Young to cleverly dot the ball over Scarlets' line. O'Brien converted and slotted over a penalty to take the lead.
Scarlets' indiscipline, which has blighted their season, helped Dragons attack again and hooker Coghlan was driven over from a line-out.
O'Brien converted to complete a 17-point spree in 10 minutes but that was interrupted by Plumtree's second try.
The wet weather made handling difficult for both sides, while O'Brien demonstrated why many felt he was unlucky to miss out on a Wales call-up with two superb searching kicks into Scarlets' territory.
There was a scoring lull before Wainwright grabbed the farewell try he deserved. He was the beneficiary after O'Brien sparked a break that was followed by good work from scrum-half Niall Armstrong, Young and centre Aneurin Owen.
Scarlets second-half recovery forces draw
Dragons led 22-14 at half-time and O'Brien extended the lead to 11 points early in the second half with his second penalty.
Among the second-half replacements were Dragons flanker Harrison Keddie after his Wales call-up.
Wales hooker Elliot Dee also came on but his first involvement saw his long line-out throw partially intercepted by Plumtree with Macleod, one of the high-profile omissions from the Wales squad, pouncing to score.
Dragons wing Rio Dyer, another unlucky player to be overlooked by Wales coach Steve Tandy, appeared to have scored despite defensive efforts from Joe Roberts and replacement Gareth Davies.
But the former Wales scrum-half Davies, who had signed a new contract this week, was shown a yellow card for an illegal tackle and Dragons were awarded a penalty try.
Scarlets ignored their one-man disadvantage with Plumtree charging down an Armstrong clearance kick and Taylor pouncing.
The home side were reduced to 13 men when replacement Carwyn Leggatt-Jones was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on.
The hosts negotiated the yellow cards confidently and when they returned to a full complement, a clever Leggatt-Jones kick was gathered by Page in the right-hand corner.
Hawkins converted from the touchline to level the scores before his speculative long-range penalty to win the game fell short.
How they lined up
Scarlets: I Jones; Rogers, Page, Roberts, Murray; Hawkins, Blacker; Morse, Elias, Holz, Price, Douglas, Taylor, Macleod (capt), Plumtree.
Replacements: Harry Thomas, Sam O'Connor, Harri O'Connor, Davis, O Williams, G Davies, Leggatt-Jones, J Davies.
Yellow cards: G Davies 58, Leggatt-Jones 63
Dragons: O'Brien (co-capt); Richards, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; de Beer, Armstrong; W Jones, Coughlan, D Lewis, S Davies, Carter (co-capt), Woodman, Young, Wainwright.
Replacements: Dee, R Jones, Coleman, Douglas, Keddie, R Williams, Ackerman, Anderson.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (Wales), Carwyn Sion (Wales)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales).
Q&A
What was the final score of the Scarlets vs Dragons match?
The final score was 35-35, resulting in a draw.
Who scored the tries for Scarlets in the URC finale?
Scarlets' tries were scored by Plumtree (2), Macleod, Taylor, and Page.
How many tries did the Dragons score in the match?
Dragons scored five tries, including a penalty try.
What were the key contributions from O'Brien in the Dragons match?
O'Brien contributed with two conversions and three penalty goals.
