By Alys Haynes
Dragons interim coach Filo Tiatia remains optimistic of his team’s prospects, despite suffering another difficult defeat at the hands of rivals, Cardiff.
The Dragons added a 19th successive loss against Cardiff to their decade-long streak, after a gruelling 31-23 defeat at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday night.
Despite playing their first match under new head coach Tiatia, the Dragons failed to alter the course of their losing pattern this season.
But two back-to-back tries in the final quarter of the game – for Morgan Lloyd and Aki Seiuli – showed an element of fight from the visitors and a determination to change their fate.
Tiatia, in his first match in charge since taking over from Dai Flanagan, said: “I’m disappointed.
“We built a lot of pressure in the first half but didn’t really capitalise on the opportunities.
“I really enjoyed the fight back and that the young players who came on stuck a bit of life back in the Dragons.
Matt Sherratt and Callum Sheedy chat to @TomShanklin after @Cardiff_Rugby‘s win against Dragons in today’s derby ⚫
“Really pleased with [Cam Winnett] but I think all the boys showed a lot of effort.” ️ pic.twitter.com/qd0S70oMLB
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 30, 2024
“My main learning though is that we can’t chase the game.”
Despite yet another defeat against their nearest neighbours, the visitors’ coach insisted: “The past is the past. We can learn from it, but we don’t have to get stuck there.
“We have a young group here which makes it exciting to keep building and improving our game.”
After an active first half saw the visitors take an initial lead of 9-3 as 40 minutes neared, two surges of power and clever play from Cardiff secured a solid lead of 17-9 by half-time.
Tries scored by replacement Alex Mann in the 31st minute and by Harri Millard in the last seconds of the first half gave the home side the confidence boost they desperately needed to push on and claim the win.
Cardiff fly-half Callum Sheedy, overlooked by Wales during the Autumn Series campaign, secured his team the win with a seamless kicking game as well as contributing to the try count.
The bonus point try was added by Rey Lee-Lo, taking him to a career tally of 30 for Cardiff.
“@Cardiff_Rugby are proving the dominant force!” ️
Callum Sheedy scores his side’s third try in this Welsh derby against Dragons ⚫ pic.twitter.com/b0yoBAhbtl
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 30, 2024
But a realistic defence coach Gethin Jenkins, reflecting on Cardiff’s performance, said: “We got off Scot-free with that result.
“It is a satisfying win and great that we got the five points. But there’s definitely a lot of stuff we were disappointed with.
“Our discipline wasn’t good enough. We gave them a lot of territory and chances but I’m happy we managed to turn the tide at the end of the first half and add some momentum going into the second half.”
Looking ahead to next week, when Cardiff will travel to France to take on Lyon in the Challenge Cup, Jenkins noted: “It’s a chance for us to see if we can imprint our game on some of these teams in Europe and to give some of our boys good game time.”
The Dragons will take on Montpellier at home next week in the Challenge Cup as to try their hand again to claim what would be only their second victory of the season.
Tiatia added: “The French are unpredictable so it will be interesting to see what team they bring to Rodney Parade.
“It’s a short turnaround, but we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Cardiff have advanced to fourth in the URC table whereas the Dragons have dropped to bottom of the table, fllowing Zebre’s victory over the Ospreys.