By Zippy
September 24 2004

Not a game for the faint hearted, both sides quite literally fought for the match. The result leaves the Warriors under pressure to make it into Europe and the Munster game at Sardis has added significance. For match review and opinion read on. The 1st half was ferocious both sides giving 110%, no yard was given lightly punch ups a plenty. Two kicks a piece left the score at 6-6 at half time.

The ref could not handle the violence and did eventually sin bin Booth and Black towards the end of the 1st half.

Jenkins nosed the 13-man Warriors in front with a penalty, before the Dragons hit back when Gareth Baber charged down Kevin Morgan's kick for Forster to get the first try of the game.

Three more Jenkins penalties put the Warriors 18-13 ahead, but the dismissal of Molitika was the turning point.

The Dragons mounted a last desperate attack in the final minute and Black eventually forced his way over after a succession of rucks near the Warriors line.

It was left to former Springbok Montgomery to kick the crucial conversion.

I left the match gutted, I simply could not believe we had lost, who did I blame for this yes you guessed it the ref.

The Dragons instigated most of the trouble yet we had 4 yellows to there 1, how does that work? I'll give an example, Budgett late tackled and was then had his lights punched out on the floor, he got sin binned fair enough, did the Dragons player? No retaliation is accepted in this part of the world.

Another time a player was lying on the wrong side of the ball and got a shoeing and rightly so, Horsman was sent to the sin bin.

Thankfully I was stood in the Argus stand with the 300 or so Warriors fans who braved the lions den.

The fans chanted nothing but "Newport" all night we corrected them on occassion. Some of the better chants included "Wheres your Ruddock gone?" and "Come on Ebbw".

You can hear them chant it on TV but to hear it first hand is a disgrace, they are a pathetic bunch of people.

On our performance,much improved Budgett was good in the line out, the scrum when we had a full 8 dominated, the backs when the Dragons were not offside looked sharp.

And so its off to Sardis to play Munster in that not very important game.

We need a win, I know they can do it

Dragons (6) 20
Tries: Black, Forster.
Cons: Montgomery 2.
Pens: Montgomery 2.
Celtic Warriors (6) 18
Pens: N Jenkins 6.
Att: 4,366

Dragons: Tuipulotu, Brew, Montgomery, Marinos (capt), Luscombe, Warlow, Baber, Snow, S Jones, Black, Gough, Sidoli, Beattie, Forster, Skinstad.

Replacements: Brown, Thomas, Edwards, Ringer, R Jones, Jarvis, Breeze.

Warriors: Morgan, Wyatt, D James, Bryant, Mustoe, N Jenkins, John; Booth, Rees, Horsman, D Jones, Budgett, Molitika, Harris, Parks.

Replacements: Balshen, M Jones, Bryan, R Jones, Kelly, Martens, S. James.