Dragons denied at the death by TMO call
DUBLIN, IRELAND: October 23: Bradley Roberts #16 of Ulster during the Connacht V Ulster, United Rugby Championship match at Aviva Stadium on October 23rd, 2021 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Dragons …………. 21pts
Tries: Roberts 28, 62
Conversions: Hanrahan 63
Penalties: Davies 3, 15, 17
Pau ………………….27pts
Tries: Carol 32, Roudil 58, Barrett 66
Conversions: Lebail 39, 58; Debaes 67
Penalties: Lebail 12, 39
Hooker Bradley Roberts' two tries weren't enough to stop the Dragons slumping to a disappointing defeat to a second-string Pau side at Rodney Parade.
The former Ulster player crashed over for two copycat driving lineout tries but it wasn't enough to stop the Top 14 side running away with an against the odds victory in Newport.
Dragons looked as if they had clinched a win in the dying minutes when replacement centre Max Clark crashed over near the visitors' posts but referee Jack Makepeace went to his TMO and ruled out the score due to an obstruction earlier in the move.
JJ Hanrahan would have landed the simple conversion to clinch victory.
Fly-half Sam Davies got the ball rolling for the home side with an early penalty and they were lucky when Pau's rangy winger Eoghan Barrett had a try ruled out for offside by the TMO.
It was an early warning for the Dragons of the threat the visitors posed and they soon replied with a penalty by impressive scrum-half Clovis Lebail to level the scores at 3-3.
Davies replied with two quick penalties to give his side a six-point cushion before Roberts was powered over from short-range after a driving lineout to make it 14-3.
Pau hit back after a sweeping attacking move left the home side chasing shadows and wing Thomas Carol beat some disappointing defence to claw his side back into the contest.
TEAMS
DRAGONS: J Williams 6; Dyer 6, Tomkinson 6 (Clark 52, 6), Dixon 6, Hewitt 6; Davies 7 (Hanrahan 52, 6), R Williams 6 (L Jones 70, 6) ; RJones 6, Roberts 7, Coleman 6, J Davies 6, Screech 6, Lonsdale 6 (Woodman 70, 6), Keddie (c) 6, Wainwright 6 (Moriarty 48, 6) Not used: Coghlan, R Evans, Fairbrother PAU: Colombet 6; Carol 6, Decron 6 (Roudil 45, 6), Vatubua 6, Barrett 6; Debaes 6, Lebail 6; Seneca 6 (Fisiihoi 47, 6) , Delhommel 6 (Coughlan 57,6), Corato 6 (Metz 51, 6), Auradou 6, Maximin 6, Puech (c) 6, Hamonou 6 (Zegueur 65, 6), Liufau 6 Not used: Ruffenach, Van Dyk, Robson, Roudil, Arfeuil
REFEREE: Jack Makepeace (RFU) ATTENDANCE: 3,013
Star man Bradley Roberts -Dragons
Lebail added the extras and a second penalty to keep the visitors in touch and make it 14-13 at halftime to the Dragons.
After the break, Pau took the lead after a slick backs move close to the line saw replacement centre Elliot Roudil crash over for his side's second try.
Roberts replied for the Dragons with his second try almost straight from the restart, again driven over from short-range in an almost copycat lineout move as his first try.
Replacement outsidehalf JJ Hanrahan added the conversion to give the Dragons a 21-20 lead just past the hour mark but Pau hit back after a wing Eoghan Barratt latched onto a crossfield kick to run in unopposed for an easy try which fly-half Thibault Debaes converted to give the visitors a six-point lead.
Clark's disallowed try would have given the Dragons the win but referee Makepeace had other ideas.
