Dragons dedicated their Welsh derby victory over the Scarlets to their supporters, while Sale produced a stunning comeback against Saracens despite playing with 14 men for much of the match.
Dragons prevail in ten-try thriller
The Dragons beat the Scarlets 38-26 in front of a raucous Rodney Parade crowd, with hooker Elliot Dee scoring two of their six tries in a Player of the Match performance. The 56-cap Wales international said the atmosphere inside the stadium made the victory special.
“There was an unbelievable atmosphere,” said Dee. “We talk about doing it for the people in the stands, our families in the stands and we are just really proud of what we have done in front of them. Fair play to the Scarlets, they were tough. They kept us out and they kept us out. But I’m just incredibly proud of us converting it at the end and coming away with the win.”
Dragons captain Ben Carter also paid tribute to the home support, saying the atmosphere was even more intense than usual for a derby. “The crowd was great. They are always really good, but I think they are probably at a level higher again for the derbies. The support is huge for us. We are a really tight group, we are tight with our families as well, so there is no better motivator for me than knowing they are there supporting me and we just want to make them proud.”
Scarlets rue familiar problems
Scarlets director of rugby Nigel Davies accepted his side were left to rue familiar problems and admitted they are really missing two key players. Defensive issues at driving line-outs and needless penalties again proved costly, with captain Josh Macleod’s second-half yellow card adding to their problems as they lost a second consecutive Welsh derby against the Dragons.
“There were probably three or four big moments which the game turned on,” said Davies. “Those moments added up eventually to a yellow card and we were under pressure in the last 20 minutes.”
Scarlets are also without influential back-rowers Fletcher Anderson and Taine Plumtree through injury. “There is no doubt those two are high-quality players and would bring ability and quality to any team,” said Davies. “It would be nice to get them back and have them as options.”
Sale stun Saracens despite red card
Sale defied Jacques Vermeulen’s first-half red card to dispatch Saracens 21-17 with Tom O’Flaherty emerging as the star of a slug fest at StoneX Stadium. Vermeulen was shown a 20-minute red for a dangerous tackle on Tomos Williams at a point in the first half when Alex Lozowski was in the sin bin because of the same offence.
Saracens then took control but it was only temporary and in the 41st minute O’Flaherty produced the match’s pivotal moment by racing over for a dynamic solo try. It was part of a dominant second half from Sale, who capitalised on the hosts’ lifeless performance to bounce back after losing to Bristol on the opening weekend with their hooker Nathan Jibulu also outstanding.
Sale led 21-10 and Saracens’ dismal afternoon continued when Theo Dan limped off while his fellow hooker Jamie George watched from the stands, sidelined by a pubic injury. Charlie Bracken combined with brother Jack to race over with eight minutes to go and the Sharks then let another commanding position slip away because of a penalty close to the line, but they had already done enough to see off Saracens.
