Dragons kicking themselves after dramatic draw

Dragons may have ended an 18-match losing streak in the United Rugby Championship (URC) but blew a golden opportunity to claim that elusive win.

A 17-17 draw with Sharks may have been a good result on paper but it was the decision to turn down a drop goal attempt as the clock ticked past 80 minutes that they will surely regret..

Dragons' last victory against South African opposition was against Cheetahs in 2020 when Sam Davies slotted a penalty with the last kick to claim a 13-10 win.

Tinus de Beer could have been the hero on Friday night when the forwards hammered away to within a metre of the try line.

Dragons were in front of the posts and it was a simple drop goal, even in the slippery conditions of Storm Amy, but the pass back to the pocket never came.

The ball was instead flung to the right, full-back Angus O'Brien went close to a try and then tight-head prop Rob Hunt, who was back on because replacement Chris Coleman was in the sin bin, knocked on when picking up at the resulting ruck.

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'One that got away'

"We're absolutely gutted, it was one that got away," said Wales scrum-half Rhodri Williams, who played the full game and was one of those calling the shots with 84 minutes on the clock.

"We thought we were going to snatch it at the end. We've got to take those opportunities, I am so disappointed.

"The boys dug in right until the end and I am absolutely gutted that we didn't finish the job off.

"It's up to us half-backs to control it and the forwards were doing well, it just didn't come off.

"There wasn't much pressure on the ball and we were making yards. If we had scored in the corner then nobody would be talking about a drop goal, so you can't look at outcomes too much."

Dragons' last URC win was against Ospreys on the opening weekend of 2024-25 when they showed composure in the 'red zone' to score a try from the last play.

They went through 26 phases for Luke Yendle's score on that occasion but against Sharks, who stole victory in the 85th minute in the 2024-25 meeting, they failed to execute under pressure.

Players' heads were in hands and there was stunned silence in the stands from supporters who have gone 10 games without a win in Newport.

"You could see that Tinus was ready to go and was in the pocket. I really trust the players to make decisions on the field and it just didn't go to his hands," said Tiatia.

"We got to the edge, got momentum and put them under the pump. I felt there were a couple of advantage opportunities but the man in the middle and touch judge didn't see it like that."

Dragons have three more opportunities to get a win in the first block of the URC with a tough trip to Glasgow followed by home derbies against Cardiff and Ospreys.