Newport-Gwent Dragons 12 Bath 15: Bath set up a Heineken Cup Group Five showdown with Toulouse next Sunday after a hard-fought victory over Newport at Rodney Parade. After Toulouse's shock defeat at home to Glasgow yesterday, Bath moved top of the pool with the narrow win.
Bath admitted before the match they had taken the Dragons too lightly in their first meeting at The Recreation Ground last October, and vowed not to do so again.
Their intent showed early on when pressure inside the home 22 saw England front row duo Lee Mears and Matt Stevens combine before Stevens sent wing Joe Maddock over from 10 metres for an unconverted try.
Bath’s only further score in the opening period came from a 42-metre penalty by Butch James after Kiwi number eight Grant Webb was offside at a ruck.
The Dragons played tactically well to keep Bath out for 10 minutes when Luke Charteris was sin-binned for holding onto the ball at a ruck.
And the pendulum swung towards the Welsh region on the stroke of half-time when Hooper was also given 10 minutes in the sin-bin for persistent infringements in the loose.
Almost straight after the break, Bath were down to 13 men when number eight Dan Browne was sin-binned for a late tackle on home scrum-half Wayne Evans.
The Dragons took immediate advantage to make the score 8-7 as fly-half James Arlidge chipped over the defence 20 metres out for wing Richard Fussell to collect the ball and dive over for a converted try.
Seconds later the Dragons nearly scored again but centre Ashley Smith’s ball to Rhodri Gomer-Davies was ruled forward.
Bath got back to a full compliment of players but still could not break the home defence. And, on the hour, they suffered a big blow when a deft kick into the corner saw flanker James Scaysbrook commit a terrible mistake.
He threw the ball over his own line and Evans pounced to put his team in front for the first time. It did not last, though, as a drive though the middle by centre Alex Crockett set Browne on his way to put Stuart Hooper in for a converted try which proved decisive.
