United Rugby Championship: Dragons 13-12 Scarlets – Missed Sam Costelow kicks prove crucial

Two missed kicks from returning Wales fly-half Sam Costelow cost Scarlets victory against Dragons in the battle of the United Rugby Championship (URC) strugglers at Rodney Parade.

Number eight Aaron Wainwright scored a try on his 100th Dragons appearance and was named man-of-the-match.

Home full-back Cai Evans kicked eight points in atrocious conditions.

Opposing coaches Dai Flanagan of Dragons and Scarlets’ Dwayne Peel were under pressure after dismal starts to the season, with both teams having lost eight out of their opening 10 matches. A ninth defeat in 11 games for Peel will only now increase the scrutiny.

Dragons lift themselves above Sharks and off the bottom of the URC table, with Scarlets climbing to 13th place with a losing bonus point.

The match was played in front of 7,617 supporters and the Rodney Parade playing surface coped comfortably with the relentless driving rain.

There were two matches played at the Newport ground on the same day after Gwalia Lightning came out on top in the inaugural Celtic Challenge Welsh derby against Brython Thunder.

Costelow returns

Scarlets welcomed back Costelow for his first regional appearance of the season, while Lloyd switched to full-back.

After being part of Wales’ World Cup squad, Costelow has been missing since early November after suffering hamstring and shoulder injuries while playing against Barbarians in an uncapped international.

The 22-year-old was named in the side to face Ospreys on 26 December but pulled out of the fixture after failing a fitness test.

Number eight Vaea Fifita returned from injury, but Sam Lousi was a late withdrawal with flanker Ben Williams starting.

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan had promised there would be changes after the 55-21 Arms Park drubbing by Cardiff.

There were eight starting alterations with no room in the squad for Wales forwards Taine Basham and Bradley Roberts with flanker Dan Lydiate and hooker James Benjamin outstanding against Scarlets.

Wings Rio Dyer and Ashton Hewitt were injured, which allowed brothers Jared and Ewan Rosser to start a professional match together for the first time.

Centre Harri Ackerman, 19, made his first Dragons start, while Evans switched to full-back with Will Reed coming in at fly-half.

Evans opened the scoring with a penalty before missing with a long-range effort, before Scarlets imposed themselves on the game with their first meaningful attack.

Costelow’s impressive 50/22 kick set up an attacking line-out and the fly-half linked up with Lloyd to create the opportunity for wing Rogers to crash over. Costelow converted.

Scarlets lost wing Steff Evans to a head injury and was replaced by Ioan Nicholas, while Fifita continually disrupted the Dragons line-out.

The home side regrouped and Wainwright burrowed over, with Evans converting to give Dragons a 10-7 half-time lead.

Evans extended that advantage early in the second half with a second penalty after a rampaging Dragons driving maul.

Scarlets’ hopes of coming back were initially hampered by handling mistakes in the relentless rain as the Dragons defence held firm.

The extra class in the backline eventually told as full-back Lloyd glided over from a well-worked move orchestrated by Costelow, but the fly-half missed the conversion and the chance to restore Scarlets’ lead.

Lloyd demonstrated his class with a searing counter-attack from full-back which almost led to a Fifita try, but it was ruled out following a discussion with television match official Wayne Davies.

Dragons had conceded a penalty which appeared a simple kick for Costelow but he contrived to put his 73rd-minute effort wide.

This set up a frantic finale at a raucous Rodney Parade with the home crowd celebrating victory.

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan: “The raw emotion is pride. We asked the group to come out and front up physically and we looked a different side.

“We have to make sure this is not a one-off, there is a cycle we have to break.

“I just want to make a special mention for Sam Costelow, who I worked with for a while. That was very strange for Sam and people can’t hold that against him. He is a fantastic player and we have to back him.”

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel: “It was (heartbreaking). We put ourselves in a position to win the game.

“We put a lot of pressure in that 22. The deemed no try, but from where I was sitting it looked like Vaea got over, so I was disappointed with that call.

“Then, obviously missed the kick and they put us under pressure. It’s a tough one to take. That’s just one of those things. You don’t expect it but it’s happened. It’s tough on Sam but he’ll bounce back.”

Dragons: Cai Evans; Jared Rosser, Aneurin Owen, Harri Ackerman, Ewan Rosser; Will Reed, Rhodri Williams (capt); Rodrigo Martinez, James Benjamin, Lloyd Fairbrother, Sean Lonsdale, George Nott, Dan Lydiate, Harri Keddie, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Brodie Coghlan, Rhodri Jones, Leon Brown, Joe Davies, Ryan Woodman, Ollie Griffiths, Dane Blacker, Corey Baldwin.

Scarlets: Ioan Lloyd; Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Steff Evans; Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies; Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias, Sam Wainwright, Alex Craig, Morgan Jones, Ben Williams, Josh Macleod (capt), Vaea Fifita.

Replacements: Eduan Swart, Wyn Jones, Joe Jones, Jac Price, Shaun Evans, Kieran Hardy, Jonathan Davies, Ioan Nicholas.

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)

Assistant referees: Gareth Newman & Dewi Philips (WRU)

TMO: Wayne Davies (WRU)