The Newport Gwent Dragons swatted away the challenge of Italian side Calvisano in Friday night’s play-off encounter, maintaining their Heineken Cup status thanks to a six-try success at the Centro Sportivo San Michele. Facing up to ‘the Italian job’ for the third season running, the Dragons secured the 24th and final spot in next season’s Heineken Cup with what coach Paul Turner termed ‘a great performance.’ Certainly the first half saw the Welshmen put their stamp on the game and they built up a 28-10 half-time lead, with Japanese international James Arlidge converting all four tries. Calvisano, who lost to Treviso in the recent Italian Championship semi-finals, leaked two further tries before Valerio Bernabo touched down late on for a consolation score. The result will see Turner’s side join their fellow Welsh regions – the Ospreys, the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues – in the upcoming pool draw for the 2009/10 Heineken Cup, while Calvisano will be playing in the European Challenge Cup. In what was effectively a cup final for both sides, the men of Gwent had a considerable injury list to contend with and were without the likes of Colin Charvis, Joe Bearman, Adam Jones, Marc Stcherbina and Richard Parks. Hoani MacDonald and Ashley Smith both made their returns from injury to make the starting line-up. Jason Tovey replaced Martyn Thomas at full-back, with Arlidge coming in at number 10 and Rory Sidey joining Smith at centre. Arlidge’s opposite number Gerard Fraser opened the scoring for Calvisano, landing a 40-metre penalty after some concerted pressure from the home forwards. Calvisano boast an impressive home record and the nerves were obvious early on for a Dragons side that finished ninth in the final Magners League table. Arlidge struck a post with an early penalty but the visitors moved ahead on 8 minutes when a forwards-initiated attack, which include some impressive footwork from prop Rhys Thomas, ended with winger Richard Fussell crossing the whitewash. Arlidge added the conversion for 7-3 and the Dragons pounced for a second try, close to the quarter-hour mark, when Wales lock Luke Charteris dotted down. The score came about after flanker Danny Lydiate had got up to block a clearance kick from Fraser, the fit-again MacDonald helped put Charteris into space out wide and he got the better of David Dal Maso to make the line. Arlidge converted and then made it three successful kicks after centre Smith got his name on the scoresheet. Dragons captain Tom Willis went close to scoring before MacDonald came up with a lineout steal and a neat pass from Arlidge sent Smith cantering over. Four minutes before the interval experienced prop Adam Black, who has signed for Worcester Warriors, pounced from close range for the first of his two-try salvo. Black, a Rodney Parade stalwart after six years with the region, followed up on a short burst forward from Rhys Thomas to claim the Dragons’ fourth try which Arlidge converted. Calvisano, who had made a promising start, just about kept themselves in touch with a late first half try. Winger Gonzalo Garcia scooted past Fussell’s challenge to score and Fraser converted for 28-10. The Italian outfit impressed and got on the front foot on the resumption, enjoying a decent spell of possession but the Dragons defence held firm and Calvisano’s errors – ball-handling and otherwise – began to mount. The visitors got back on the try-scoring hunt after 56 minutes. Calvisano contributed to their own downfall when their Rodney Parade-bound prop Ali McKenzie lost control of possession and Dragons centre Rory Sidey took his chance to seal another seven-pointer. The game was over as a contest when Black piled through for his 24th try in his 163rd and final appearance for the Dragons, seven minutes from the finish. Closing out the scoring, Calvisano claimed a third try through Bernabo which his fellow replacement Giovanni Raineri converted. Speaking afterwards, Dragons coach Paul Turner said: "We haven’t played for two weeks and we’ve had six or seven major injuries so to come over here facing a side who are always good on their own patch – they hadn’t lost in the league this season – it was a great performance. "It was always going to be difficult and we had a cracking first half and played some good stuff – as good as we’ve played most of the season and the game was virtually over at half-time."
