Dragons thrash Connacht to end URC winless streak

United Rugby Championship

Dragons (28) 48

Tries: Burrows, Hope 2, Rosser, penalty, Dyer Cons: O'Brien 5 Pens: O'Brien 2

Connacht (7) 28

Tries: Gilbert, Prendergast 2 Cons: Gilbert 3

Dragons climbed off the bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) with a remarkable 48-28 victory against Connacht that ended a 15-month league winless streak.

The Rodney Parade club backed up their European Challenge Cup success against Lyon to win successive games for the first time since October 2022.

Hooker Oli Burrows, scrum-half Che Hope and wing Jared Rosser went over before a penalty try earned a 28-7 half-time lead.

Shell-shocked Connacht, who opened the scoring through full-back Sam Gilbert, were taken out of the contest at an increasingly raucous Rodney Parade by a pair of Angus O'Brien penalties.

The wheels had come off for the Irish province against their slick hosts, with wing Rio Dyer finishing superbly and then setting up Hope for a second.

Flanker Cian Prendergast went over for a double to ensure Connacht were chasing an undeserved consolation bonus at the death and they got it with the clock in the red through Sean Jansen.

Stuart Lancaster's side have taken at least a point from every game this season but the scoreline flattered them in Newport.

Dragons recorded their first URC win since beating Ospreys on the opening weekend of 2024-25 while it was their first five-point haul in the league since the Judgement Day success against Scarlets in April 2023.

At one stage they were threatening to beat their 48-0 victory against Borders in 2007 - their biggest league winning margin.

Filo Tiatia's men now go in search of ending their most embarrassing streak – the 20-game losing run against fierce rivals Cardiff that stretches back to the Challenge Cup quarter-final win in April 2015.

They make the short trip to the Arms Park on 26 December (15:00 GMT) before hosting Scarlets on New Year's Day.

Dragons do so buoyed by one of their finest performances in recent times, arguably the best since Munster were stunned in the first game of the Dai Flanagan era in 2022, and with welcome selection headaches.

There were plenty of huge performances with number eight Harrison Keddie, resurgent wing Dyer, influential centre Aneurin Owen, blind-side flanker Ryan Woodman, scrum-half Hope and full-back O'Brien – all homegrown players – having strong arguments for man of the match.

It was Dyer that got the official honour.

Connacht hit the front in the 10th minute when direct running on the line was followed by fly-half Josh Ioane putting Gilbert over with a pop pass, the full-back adding the routine extras himself.

Dragons, who did not risk talisman Aaron Wainwright ahead of their festive derbies because the Wales number eight had a niggle, responded impressively to lead 14-7 after 26 minutes.

Pressure in the 22 led to hooker Burrows smashing over from a quick tap and then the hosts profited from some good fortune for Hope to race over after gathering the loose ball from a botched line-out.

Full-back Angus O'Brien converted both scores and then provided the final pass to Rosser to put the buoyant Dragons over for their third try in the 32nd minute.

A 21-7 lead represented a good half for the hosts but it got even better after Connacht opted to keep playing inside their own territory with the clock in the red.

Centre Fine Inisi intercepted a pass, Dragons won a penalty and kicked for the corner to get their driving lineout moving.

Connacht number eight Paul Boyle slipped and the maul was prevented from going over the line by his body; accidental but still resulting in a penalty try and a yellow card.

Bonus point secure, Dragons maturely stretched their lead to 34-7 with a pair of O'Brien penalties soon after the restart.

They kept the foot down and a fifth try followed when Dyer raced around scrum-half Ben Murphy in the 22.

Dragons flanker Thomas Young was denied a sixth shortly after coming on by a forward pass but Dyer turned provider on the hour by sprinting down the left and then keeping his cool to put Hope over.

Connacht went hunting a consolation try bonus with seven minutes to play and found it thanks to a brace by flanker Prendergast.

Pressure at the death was rewarded by replacement back-row forward Sean Jansen crashing over.

Connacht will end 2025 with just one away success in the URC – a victory against Zebre in Parma in May.

Stuart Lancaster's side will feel they should have won on two previous visits to Wales this season, at Cardiff in round three and when they blew a commanding lead at Ospreys in the Challenge Cup.

However, they were comprehensively outplayed by Dragons and are now under pressure for a home fixture against Ulster on 27 December (17:30 GMT) and a 3 January trip to Dublin to face Leinster (17:30 GMT).

Connacht will hope this humiliation sparks a reaction.

Dragons: O'Brien; J Rosser, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; De Beer, Hope; Martinez, Burrows, Hunt, Douglas, Carter (capt), Woodman, Beddall, Keddie.

Replacements: G Roberts, Morris, Dlamini, Lewis-Hughes, Young, R Williams, Westwood, Anderson.

Connacht: Gilbert; Mullins, Forde, Aki, Bolton; Ioane, Blade; Duggan, Heffernan, Illo, D Murray, N Murray, Prendergast (capt), O'Brien, Boyle.

Replacements: Tierney-Martin, Buckley, Bealham, J Murphy, Jansen, B Murphy, Carty, Gavin.

Yellow card: Boyle 40,

Referee: Ru Campbell (Scotland)

Assistants: Rob McDowell, Jonny Mackenzie (Wales)

TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Attendance: 4,188