Dragons have faced Bristol twice in the European Challenge Cup before as the teams met during the 2006/07 season. Ahead of Friday’s showdown, we look back at those two games and start with the clash at the Memorial Stadium…
Bristol 11 Dragons 7 – October 27, 2006
Ex-Newport outside-half Jason Strange booted the Dragons to Challenge Cup defeat at the Memorial Stadium in Round Two of the 2006/07 European Challenge Cup.
The Welshman kicked a penalty in each half as the English Premiership leaders Bristol edged a scrappy and rugged match.
Bristol back-rower Dan Ward-Smith bagged the only try of the first half, but in-form Dragons winger Aled Brew cancelled it out after the break.
Ceri Sweeney's conversion cut the gap to one and - despite Strange's second kick - the Dragons left with what could be a crucial bonus point.
After a successful start for both sides in the opening round of games the previous week, this was a top-of-the-table clash that both sides desperately wanted to win.
Gareth Llewellyn renewed acquaintences with many of his former international team-mates and the stage was set for a potential Welsh regional victory on English soil.
In the end, the match proved a niggly affair with both sides playing tight rugby attempting to leave it as late as possible to grind a result out.
An unconverted Ward-Smith try on 33 minutes, followed by a Strange penalty just before half-time, following a yellow card for Aled Brew, saw Bristol 8-0 ahead at half time.
Dragons offered very little in the opening forty minutes, but seemed to benefit from Brew’s sin-binning.
The winger’s ten minutes on the bench only seemed to whet his appetite for action as he returned to the field and to cut the deficit to three points with a 54th minute try which Sweeney converted.
The game remained deadlocked for the next twenty minutes with Kieran Crawford joining the field for eight minutes as a blood replacement for Ben Daly the only note of excitement.
Richard Fussell replaced Brew on 71 minutes before Bristol struck the killer blow with a second Strange penalty on 76 minutes.
Four minutes on the clock and only four points adrift the Dragons pushed ahead looking for a crucial try but to no avail.
However, the loss by less than seven points kept the Dragons close enough to earn a bonus point and ensure second place in the table at the end of Round Two.
Bristol: C Morgan; Stanojevic, Higgitt, Cox, Lemi; Strange, Perry (O’Riordan 40); Clarke (Hilton 79), Regan, Hobson (Thompson 51); Winters, Llewellyn; Budgett, To'oala (Short 44), Ward-Smith
Replacements: O'Riordan, Hilton, Thompson, Short, Blaney, Gray, Arscott
Dragons: Morgan; N Brew, Emerick, Smith, A Brew (Fussell 73); Sweeney, Cooper; Black, Daly (Crawford 49), Harrison; Gough 9Corsi 53), Charteris (Sidoli 50); Owen, Charvis, Fitisemanu (Hall 35)
Replacements: Walker, Crawford, Hercus, Fussell, Corsi, Sidoli, Hall
Attendance: 8,130
Referee: Eric Darriere (France)
Membership Renewals for Season 2020/21 are now available, select buy tickets at the top of the page to log in and renew your membership or CLICK HERE to Register for new memberships to be amongst the first to know when new memberships go on sale.
Bristol back-rower Dan Ward-Smith bagged the only try of the first half, but in-form Dragons winger Aled Brew cancelled it out after the break...
