Warriors slay the Dragons
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:33
Scotland international Dan Parks did the business for Glasgow Warriors in difficult conditions at Rodney Parade on Friday, as his four penalty successes guided the visitors to a 12-6 Magners League victory over Newport Gwent Dragons.
It was the Glasgow outfit's first win on the opening weekend of the Magners League in five years.
The Warriors also won an early advantage in their season-long tussle with the Dragons, who they face not only in the Magners League but also the Heineken Cup.
Despite appalling conditions, the Warriors controlled their game and those four penalties from Parks was enough to secure the spoils.
Man of the Match Dan Parks said: "The weather was pretty heavy. Everything was wet, especially the boots, even during the warm-up, but in the end we came out on top.
"We know how tough it is to come down here but we were really happy with our defence."
Glasgow captain Al Kellock added: "We knew we had to front-up, especially in the front five, and we did that exceptionally well. Despite the conditions, we played to the game plan and Dan controlled the game perfectly. He’s one of the best in the league at doing that."
Head coach Sean Lineen concluded: "Our defence was outstanding. The team showed a lot of spirit and stuck in there."
It was a tribute to the excellent drainage of the Rodney Parade pitch that the game actually went ahead, as the volume of water made it look like a tributary of the nearby River Usk.
Despite a low-scoring first-half which ended 3-3, both sides tried their best to play some decent rugby and entertain those that braved the elements.
However, their efforts were only rewarded with a penalty each, as the Dragons' new Kiwi flyhalf James Arlidge landed a simple shot between the sticks after four minutes, with Scottish international Dan Parks replying on 26 minutes with a 40 metre kick.
The scrummage was a problem for both sides as referee George Clancy continually whistled for infringements.
But the ultimate difference between the two teams was the tactical nous of flyhalf Parks.
He played the elements well, pumping the ball towards the Dragons corner flags continually during the second-half.
And his huge boot played a significant part in the scoreline too. Three times after the half-time break Parks landed penalties from near the half-way line when the home team infringed.
The Dragons did not help themselves either when replacement fullback Shaun Connor, who had come on early after Ashley Smith suffered a bad leg injury, went into the sin bin during the second-half for a late tackle.
Yet the home side had their chances to get within striking range of Glasgow.
New captain Tom Willis asked Arlidge to boot to touch twice near the visitors' 22 when within range of the posts only to see Glasgow clear the danger.
And, when it did not matter, Connor was given a shot to goal from 30 metres, which he landed, in order to claim a losing bonus point.
The scorers:
For Newport Gwent Dragons:
Pens: Arlidge, Connor
For the Glasgow Warriors:
Pens: Parks 4
Yellow cards: Shaun Connor (Newport Gwent Dragons, 59), Johnnie Beattie (Glasgow Warriors, 79)
Teams:
Dragons: 15 Ashley Smith, 14 Tal Selley, 13 Rory Sidey , 12 Marc Stcherbina, 11 Richard Fussell, 10 James Arlidge, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Lewis Evans, 7 Richard Parks, 6 Joe Bearman, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Adam Jones, 3 Rhys Thomas, 2 Tom Willis (captain), 1 Adam Black.
Replacements: 16 Hugh Gustafson, 17 Lee Harrison, 18 Jamie Ringer, 19 Grant Webb, 20 Shaun Connor, 21 Gareth Maule, 22 Robert Lewis.
Glasgow: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Lome Fa'atau, 13 Max Evans, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11
Thom Evans, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mark McMillan, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock (captain), 4 Tim Barker, 3 Moray Low, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Justin Va'a.
Replacements: 16 Eric Milligan, 17 Kevin Tkachuk, 18 Opeta Palepoi, 19 Stevie Swindall, 20 Colin Gregor, 21 Andrew Henderson, 22 Ruaridh Jackson.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Touch judges: Phil Fear (Wales), Phil Connett (Wales)
TMO: Huw Lewis (Wales)
