Newport Gwent Dragons never looked like losing during their 13-0 GUINNESS PRO12 victory over Zebre but it was a frustrating night for their fans at Rodney Parade. The Dragons only managed one try through man-of-the-match Ed Jackson in a game where they had a realistic chance of gaining a bonus point, especially after the Italians had a man sent to the sin bin in each half. Newport looked lively from the start and created a number of openings but too often they were wasteful when it counted most, as they attempted to force the final pass or offload. The impressive Jackson was one of those who looked set to go over before a knock-on deep in the opposition 22, but he would eventually receive the score he deserved. Two Jason Tovey penalties had already put the Welsh side 6-0 up when George Biagi was sin-binned following several warnings for Zebre players. The home side made them pay immediately as the lineout was gathered and Jackson wrestled the ball from the driving maul to go over for a converted try. Despite being down to 14, the visitors almost grabbed a try as they went over after a good passage of play; however, referee Lloyd Linton had already called an end to their advantage and extra salt was added to the wounds as Ulrich Beyers missed the penalty. The South African would be wayward with another penalty before the break as the Dragons went into the interval 13-0 ahead. Zebre held their own in the second half but they were finding it hard to break down Newport’s defence. They didn’t help themselves as when they were gifted the chance to kick to the corner in the final quarter of the contest, Beyers’ disappointing night with the boot continued as he kicked the ball dead. And their hopes of victory all-but ended when Dries van Schalkwyk became the second Zebre player to receive yellow with 12 minutes remaining. Despite cruising to a comfortable win, it was a frustrating night for the Dragons fans as their side continued to waste glorious opportunities. Minutes after a forced pass ended a promising move deep in the Zebre half, Beyers had a kick charged down only for replacement Dorian Jones to knock on under no pressure. The scrappy contest concluded without a single point added to the scoreboard in the second half. Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12
