Zebre claim third straight win by beating Dragons

Zebre have won five out of 12 league games this season

United Rugby Championship

Zebre (14) 31

Tries: Licata, Stavile, Prisciantelli, Paea Cons: Da Re 4 Pens: Prisciantelli

Dragons (21) 21

Tries: Coghlan 2, Westwood Cons: Reed 3

Zebre climbed five places to 10th in the United Rugby Championship table with a bonus-point win against bottom side Dragons in Parma.

Dragons hooker Brodie Coghlan crossed for two tries before full-back Huw Anderson created a score for centre Joe Westwood as Dragons led 21-7 just before half-time.

Number eight Giovanni Licata had crossed early on for the hosts, and flanker Bautista Stavile started the Zebre revival after the Dragons' flurry by scoring a fine try at the end of the first half.

Zebre full-back Geronimo Prisciantelli scored a third try early in the second half from lock Rusiate Nasove before centre Fetuli Paea dived over for the bonus-point score.

The hosts benefited from the strength of their bench in the second half and held on for victory, despite having replacement scrum-half Alessandro Fusco shown a 71st-minute yellow card for a professional foul.

Prisciantelli's late penalty ensured Dragons left Italy with no points. The rejuvenated Italian side celebrated a third successive league victory for the first time in seven years.

In contrast, it is an 11th successive defeat for Dragons who remain rooted to the bottom of the URC table, now 15 points adrift.

One small positive was wing Ashton Hewitt coming through his first Dragons appearance in more than a year after suffering a serious knee injury, but Filo Tiatia's side are still missing almost 20 players.

Zebre: Geronimo Prisciantelli; Scott Gregory, Fetuli Paea, Damiano Mazza, Simone Gesi; Giacomo Da Re, Gonzalo Garcia; Muhamed Hasa, Luca Bigi (capt), Ion Neculai Rusiate Nasove, Leonard Krumov, Giacomo Ferrari, Bautista Stavile, Giovanni Licata.

Replacements: Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Luca Rizzoli, Juan Pitinari, Matteo Canali Davide Ruggeri, Alessandro Fusco, Giovanni Montemauri, Jacopo Trulla.

Sin-bin: Fusco 71

Dragons: Huw Anderson; Rio Dyer, Joe Westwood, Aneurin Owen (capt), Ashton Hewitt; Will Reed, Dane Blacker; Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Joe Davies, George Nott, Ryan Woodman, Taine Basham, Shane Lewis-Hughes.

Replacements: James Benjamin, Owain James, Paula Latu, Steve Cummins, Barny Langton-Cryer, Che Hope, Harri Ford, Scott Williams.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)

Assistant referees: Filipo Russo & Lorenzo Negro (FIR)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU).