Connacht defeat 14-man Newport Gwent Dragons in Guinness PRO12
Last Updated: 22/02/15 7:23pm
Newport Gwent Dragons captain Rynard Landman could find himself in hot water after being sent off during his side's 30-25 Guinness PRO12 defeat to Connacht at Rodney Parade.
The South African second row was dismissed for a high tackle on Connacht fly-half Jack Carty just 15 minutes into the game after Scottish referee Lloyd Linton looked at the big screen and consulted with his fellow officials.
It may see Landman handed a ban which could be as long as eight weeks, potentially ruling him out of the Dragons' European Challenge Cup quarter-final with Welsh rivals Cardiff Blues on April 4.
It was part of an eventful match which saw the teams share six tries. Craig Ronaldson, Eoghan Masterson and replacement Mick Kearney went over for the visitors, with Hallam Amos (2) and Jack Dixon touching down for the Dragons.
Having fallen behind to Tom Prydie’s early penalty, Connacht then scored 17 unanswered points in 19 minutes.
Ronaldson drove over in the middle after an attacking line-out put the Dragons under the cosh, and Carty added a penalty to his conversion a few minutes later.
Landman's needless high tackle and dismissal on the halfway line wrecked the Dragons' flow and left them facing an uphill task.
No 8 Masterson added a further five points when he drove from five metres through the desperate Dragons defence on their own line, with Carty adding the extras.
However, the Dragons had the final say of the first half as Welsh international Amos went diving through the mud and over the Connacht line after a move from the base of a ruck.
It looked like Connacht would inch their way to a comfortable victory as the Dragons gave away a couple of penalties within reach of Darragh Leader, who took over the kicking duties when Carty was replaced.
But the Dragons kicked on again and they got to within five points when Dixon scrambled his way over from a well-worked move.
The Welsh outfit sensed an unlikely win but Connacht wrecked those hopes when Kearney charged down Amos’ attempted clearance and pounced on the loose ball.
Leader converted to put Connacht 12 points ahead with just minutes remaining, but the Dragons secured a losing bonus point when Amos found a gap in the visitors’ defence to go over from 20 metres.
