Pro14: Ospreys 20-20 Dragons
- Published
Ospreys wing George North was sent off after 14 minutes for taking out Ashton Hewitt in the air
Pro14: Ospreys v Dragons |
|---|
Ospreys (20) 20 |
Tries: North, Parry Cons: Myler 2 Pens: Myler 2 |
Dragons (15) 20 |
Tries: Hewitt 2, Brown Con: S Davies Pen: S Davies |
Wales wing George North suffered the first red card of his professional career but 14-man Ospreys hung on for a Pro14 draw against Dragons.
After scoring an early try, North was sent off in the 14th minute for a dangerous challenge on Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt.
Hewitt crossed twice, including a last-minute try that tied the scores.
But ex-Ospreys fly-half Sam Davies was wide with the touchline conversion that would have won it for Dragons.
The result meant Ospreys head coach Toby Booth avoided defeat in his opening game in charge.
All Scarlets and Cardiff Blues players had taken a knee the day before their match to show their support for rugby against racism.
Pro14 highlights: Ospreys 20-20 Dragons
The Ospreys followed suit just before kick-off, with Dragons front-rowers Richard Hibbard and South African prop Brok Harris the only players to stay standing, as the pair marked the unity moment in their own way.
Lions hooker Hibbard chose to stand over Wales prop and Dragons team-mate Leon Brown with his hand on his shoulder.
Ospreys centre Kieran Williams proved man-of-the-match as Wales midfield man Nick Tompkins made his Dragons debut after signing for a year on loan from Saracens, but Jamie Roberts was unavailable after testing positive for coronavirus during the week.
Fly-half Sam Davies made a first return to his former region and captained the side, while second-row Joe Maksymiw also made his debut after arriving from Connacht.
British and Irish Lions trio Alun Wyn Jones, North and Justin Tipuric were named alongside Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb, who returned for his second Ospreys stint and impressed with a controlled performance against Dragons.
Webb lined up alongside ex-England fly-half Stephen Myler, 36, who has linked up with the Welsh region as cover for the injured Gareth Anscombe.
Myler opened the scoring with a penalty, before Ospreys' star names were heavily involved in the opening try.
Lock Jones, in his first league game for 463 days, provided two deft passes, with Webb making a sniping break before North powerfully finished off the move.
Myler converted from the try-line, but following an outstanding Ospreys opening the game swung back towards the visitors.
Dragons initially responded with a clever try from Hewitt after initial good work from Jack Dixon, with Myler being forced off for a few minutes after being injured in his defensive effort.
This brought on rookie outside-half Josh Thomas for his first league appearance and his opening involvement was to provide the restart kick which resulted in the game's defining moment.
Hewitt jumped up to claim the ball and North ran into him in an uncontrolled fashion, resulting in the Dragons wing landing dangerously after being sent somersaulting in the air.
North immediately held up his hands in apology for his clumsy, rather than callous, challenge, but referee Adam Jones, officiating in his first league game, consulted the television match official before brandishing the red card.
Tipuric turnover king
Justin Tipuric was at the heart of Ospreys' efforts against Dragons
Ospreys captain Tipuric proved his class in adversity with a couple of tremendous turnovers that kept Dragons at bay, but eventually the pressure told and Wales prop Leon Brown gave his side the lead by sprinting 20 metres to score.
Myler returned to slot over his second penalty, before rampaging Ospreys hooker Sam Parry sprinted over after a try-scoring pass from powerful centre Kieran Williams.
The conversion followed from Myler before Sam Davies, who had missed two earlier kicks, slotted over a penalty to reduce the half-time deficit to 20-15.
After an action-packed opening half, the third quarter descended into a scrappy kicking battle.
Davies and Webb kept their opposing sides going forward, with Myler missing a kick at goal which would have opened up an eight-point lead for the home side.
Dragons full-back Dafydd Howells had a try disallowed after the former Osprey lost the ball in the act of scoring, as the incessant Dragons piled on the pressure in a frantic finale.
Hewitt crossed in the left-hand corner to level the scores, only for Davies' match-winning conversion attempt to sail wide.
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth: "There was so much to be positive about and a lot to be unhappy about.
"The number one thing to takeaway was the character shown.
"Moments change games. It did not matter what I made of the red card. The man made the decision and we move on.
"George is disappointed and he has apologised to the team and everybody knows George is not a malicious guy."
Dragons director of rugby Dean Ryan: "The red card made us try and make every play a big play and we showed some inexperience and exuberance.
"It (the red card) was pretty obvious. I always feel for somebody in that situation because I don't understand what I would do, but in terms of the law it is a red card and don't think it needs any further debate."
Ospreys: D Evans; G North, O Watkin, K Williams, L Morgan; S Myler, R Webb; N Smith, S Parry, T Botha, A Beard, A Wyn Jones, O Cracknell, J Tipuric (capt), M Morris.
Replacements: D Lake, G Thomas, N Thomas, B Davies, W Griffiths, R Morgan-Williams, J Thomas, T Thomas-Wheeler.
Dragons: D Howells; O Jenkins, N Tompkins, J Dixon, A Hewitt; S Davies (capt), T Knoyle; B Harris, R Hibbard, L Brown, J Maksymiw, M Screech, B Fry, R Moriarty, T Basham.
Replacements: E Shipp, C Maguire, C Coleman, J Davies, A Wainwright, L Baldwin, A Robson, A Warren.
Referee: Adam Jones (WRU).