European Club Rugby : Newport Gwent Dragons v Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque

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Imanol Harinordoquy (43%)
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Newport Gwent Dragons v Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque

Newport Gwent Dragons	8 - 26	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque
Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli Att: 672
Referee: Alain Rolland
Saturday 19th December 2009, 13:35
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Match report

Dimitri Yachivili's 23-points haul all but booked Biarritz's Henieken Cup quarter-final place with a hard-fought win against the Newport-Gwent Dragons.

The scrum-half proved the difference as the French side maintained their 100 per cent record in the competition.

And the defeat all but left the Welsh side starring elimination at the group stage. Paul Turner's men knew they had to topple group leaders Biarritz if they were to reach the knockout stages. But after an impressive first-half display, the Dragons fell away.

The Welsh region, and ever-improving under Paul Turner, had suffered a blow before they had even kicked off.

Switching from their fortress Rodney Parade home to Llanelli's Parc y Scarlets stadium following a frozen pitch on Friday night, much of the Dragons' success on their own turf.

On neutral territory and a low-key atmosphere 80 miles down up the M4 motorway, it was always going to be a tough afternoon for the Dragons.

Yet after failing behind to Yachvili's early penalty, the Dragons responded almost immediately through Richard Fussell's try.
Joe Bearman, who had the presence in mind to know he didn't have the gas to go all the way, chipped ahead for flying winger Fussell to touchdown in the corner.

Bearman, a strong-running No.8, has been tipped to win a Wales call for the Six Nations and he didn't do his cause any harm here.

Not that his fellow team-mates didn't play their part as the the Dragons battered at the French side's door. Fussell again came closing to capitalising on Arlidge's clever chip, with Karmichael Hunt having to come to the rescue.

It wasn't the last time last-ditch tackling would deny the Dragons as only a defence scrambled back to deny another surge from Bearman.

Despite their domination, the Gwent region's discipline wasn't so spot on. Yachvili and Arlidge swapped penalties before the Turner's men were penalised on the stroke of half-time by the pint-sized scrum-half.

The power had shifted and after Yachvili had missed a penalty, Aled Brew was sin-binned moments after the break.
It proved a key moment as after another break from the veteran French scrum-half, Damien Traille slotted over a drop goal to add another nail into the Dragons' coffin.

Any doubts evaporated when that man Yachvili wrapped up the win with his side's first try after 61 minutes. Taking the lineout from the top in a set move, the 29-year-old burst through unchallenged, before adding the extras.

Full-back Martyn Thomas should have sent Lewis Evans in for a consolation try. It summed up the difference between the two teams and the clinical visitors added insult to injury as Yachvili combined with Arnaud Mignardi to wrap up the win with a touchdown underneath the posts in the dying moments.

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Newport Gwent Dragons

Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque

Pos

Player

Pos

Martyn Thomas

Nicolas Brusque

Aled Brew

Ilikena Bolakoro

Tom Riley

Karmichael Hunt

Matthew Watkins

Damien Traille

Richard Fussell

Ayoola Erinle

James Arlidge (capt)

Julien Peyrelongue

Danny Lee

Dimitri Yachvili

Alistair McKenzie

Fabien Barcella

Steve Jones

Romain Terrain

Peter Bracken

Campbell Johnstone

Hoani MacDonald

Jérôme Thion (capt)

Robert Sidoli

Pelu Taele

Joe Bearman

Magnus Lund

Gavin Thomas

Trevor Hall

Grant Webb

Samiu Vahafolau

Replacements

Tom Willis

Benoit August

Hugh Gustafson

Eduard Coetzee

Gethin Robinson

Rémy Hugues

Lewis Evans

Mosese Moala

James Harris

Jean-Baptiste Roidot

James Leadbeater

Valentin Courrent

Shaun Connor

Arnaud Mignardi

Rhodri Gomer-Davies

Laurent Tranier

Penalty Tries

First half timeline
3	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Penalty kick - D Yachvili
6	Newport Gwent Dragons	Try - R Fussell
16	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Penalty kick - D Yachvili
25	Newport Gwent Dragons	Blood sub - T Willis on for S Jones
30	Newport Gwent Dragons	Blood sub - S Jones on for T Willis
39	Newport Gwent Dragons	Penalty kick - J Arlidge
40	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Penalty kick - D Yachvili
Second half timeline
41	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - T Willis on for S Jones
41	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - B August on for R Terrain
47	Newport Gwent Dragons	Yellow card - A Brew
51	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - J Roidot on for S Vahafolau
52	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Drop kick - D Traille
55	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - H Gustafson on for A McKenzie
55	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - G Robinson on for P Bracken
57	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - A Mignardi on for K Hunt
57	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - E Coetzee on for T Hall
57	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - S Connor on for J Arlidge
58	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Try - D Yachvili
60	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Conversion - D Yachvili
62	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - J Harris on for G Thomas
62	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - L Evans on for G Webb
66	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - R Hugues on for C Johnstone
67	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - J Leadbeater on for D Lee
68	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - M Moala on for P Taele
73	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - L Tranier on for N Brusque
75	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Substitution - V Courrent on for J Peyrelongue
78	Newport Gwent Dragons	Substitution - R Gomer-Davies on for R Fussell
79	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Try - D Yachvili
79	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Conversion - D Yachvili

Results so far

Newport Gwent Dragons

Date	Stage	Opposition	Score
24/1/10	Pool 2	Gloucester Rugby	L 23-32
15/1/10	Pool 2	Glasgow Warriors	L 25-29
19/12/09	Pool 2	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	L 8-26
13/12/09	Pool 2	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	L 13-49
16/10/09	Pool 2	Glasgow Warriors	W 22-14
9/10/09	Pool 2	Gloucester Rugby	L 17-19

Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque

Date	Stage	Opposition	Score
22/5/10	Final	Toulouse	L 19-21
2/5/10	Semi Finals	Munster	W 18-7
10/4/10	Quarter Finals	Ospreys	W 29-28
24/1/10	Pool 2	Glasgow Warriors	W 41-20
16/1/10	Pool 2	Gloucester Rugby	L 8-23
19/12/09	Pool 2	Newport Gwent Dragons	W 26-8
13/12/09	Pool 2	Newport Gwent Dragons	W 49-13
17/10/09	Pool 2	Gloucester Rugby	W 42-15
10/10/09	Pool 2	Glasgow Warriors	W 22-18

Previous Heineken Cup meetings

Date	Stage	Home	Score	Away
Sat 19th Dec 09	Pool 2	Newport Gwent Dragons	8 - 26	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque
Sun 13th Dec 09	Pool 2	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	49 - 13	Newport Gwent Dragons

Heineken CupHistory

Newport Gwent Dragons

2009/10 - Pool 2

2008/09 - Pool 5

2007/08 - Pool 1

2005/06 - Pool 1

2004/05 - Pool 5

2003/04 - Pool 1

Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque

2009/10 - Runners up

2008/09 - Pool 6

2007/08 - Pool 4

2006/07 - Quarter Finals

2005/06 - Runners up

2004/05 - Semi Finals

2003/04 - Semi Finals

2002/03 - Quarter Finals

2001/02 - Pool 3

2000/01 - Quarter Finals

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