RUGBY MAGNERS LEAGUE: Ulster 25 Dragons 23:ULSTER CONTINUED their push to a play-off place by dramatically seeing off the Dragons to lift them into fourth spot.
Ruan Pienaar stepped up at Ravenhill with a last-gasp drop goal which soared through the posts moments after Jason Tovey had done the same for the Dragons which looked to have sealed them an unlikely but deserved win.
Indeed, had Tovey been more accurate with the boot the Gwent side would have shaded the game; the outhalf missed his first three, fairly straightforward, kicks.
As for Ulster, they looked to have lost their shape when trailing 17-10 mid-way through the second half and conceded three tries to the visitors, but they battled back and late scores from replacements Tommy Seymour and Darren Cave kept them in the hunt.
Ulster, fielding a callow backline with Paddy Jackson, Luke Marshall, Craig Gilroy and Conor Gaston all starting, opened their account after only eight minutes when a Marshall pass saw Nevin Spence surge through a gap and score under the posts.
Then Tovey was horribly wide with an 11th-minute penalty.
However, lack of concentration from Adam D’Arcy, when he allowed an Aled Brew kick through to bounce over his dive, let the visitors in when Brew hacked through for Tovey to take the bounce and race over.
Pienaar slotted a penalty before the half hour to give the home side a 10-5 lead at half-time.
Flanker Lewis Evans crashed over after the Gwent side moved the ball at pace in Ulster’s 22. Adam Hughes converted.
Poor first-up tackling from Ulster allowed Will Harries surge through and Brew got on the end of a pass to make the line.
Pedrie Wannenburg put fellow Ulster replacement Seymour clear and the winger made the line. Pienaar, however, was wide with the conversion and the Dragons led 17-15.
The Dragons hit back with Matthew Jones’ penalty putting them five points in front. A rare sortie into the Dragons’ 22 saw Conor Gaston put Cave over at the posts. Pienaar converted to put Ulster ahead, but there was more drama to come with the two drop goals.
ULSTER: D'Arcy; Gaston, Spence, L Marshall, Gilroy; Jackson, Pienaar; McAllister, Kyriacou, Fitzpatrick, Muller, Barker, Henry, Faloon, Diack. Replacements: Tuohy for Barker (46 mins), Cave for L Marshall (49 mins), Cronin for Fitzpatrick, Wannenburg for Diack (both 60 mins), Seymour for D'Arcy, P. Marshall for Jackson (both 63 mins). Not used: Brady, Young.
NEWPORT-GWENT D'GONS: M Thomas; Harries, Hughes, Leach, A Brew; Tovey, W Evans; Price, Burns, Way, Charteris, A Jones, Coombs, L Evans, Bearman. Replacements: Riley for Leach (47 mins), M Jones for M Thomas (63 mins), Faletau for Bearman (65 mins). Not used: S Jones, Palmer, Gustafson, Brown, Leadbeater.
Att: 7,661.
Referee: James Jones (WRFU).
