Dragons 59 Timisoara 3: Nine tries in comfortable Euro rout

Six players crossed to get their names on the scoresheet in a 59-3 success as Ceri Jones’ side avoided coming a cropper like Leicester to emerge with their dignity intact.

It was a comfortable evening for the Dragons in the European Challenge Cup, although they could easily have done a lot more damage to threaten the record 11 tries and 69 points that they scored against Bucharest Wolves in 2014.

That may appear a little churlish but at times they failed to click and made frustrating errors; the perils of a team being flung together with new combinations while the big guns put their feet up after the bruising festive derbies ahead of Friday’s daunting encounter with Clermont Auvergne.

Nonetheless, they knew that the Saracens would tire and so it proved as a 17-3 half-time lead turned 59-3 romp.

The gulf in class was clear – especially when Wales international Hallam Amos got his hands on the ball and when talisman back row forward Ollie Griffiths made his return from a knee injury after the break – but it wasn’t the most riveting of evenings in Newport.

Nonetheless, it was one to remember for 20-year-olds Chris Coleman and Ben Fry, who made their first starts at tighthead and blindside respectively.

Coleman grew into the game after a tricky start at the scrum while Fry worked hard throughout, was a willing carrier and scored a second-half try.

Jones had rung the changes and opportunity knocked, although such games against lowly opposition make it hard to impress too much.

There were flashes of inspiration from individuals and wing Will Talbot-Davies looked especially sharp and confident, clearly profiting from his Wales 7s experiences.

Timisoara were in very natty black and amber jerseys but there was no chance of the Romanians repeating County’s Rodney Parade cup heroics from Sunday’s upset of Premier League Leicester.

It was always going to be a case of by how much the Dragons won rather than whether they would be victorious.

Nonetheless, it was Timisoara that struck first courtesy of a strong scrum and a subsequent penalty for fly-half Luke Samoa, who had played at Rodney Parade for Bucharest Wolves in 2014.

The visitors’ worrying set piece dominance continued for another effort from the tee for the New Zealander, now a Romania international, but this time he struck the left post.

The Dragons’ start was sluggish – trying to go too wide, too soon – but they got their settler in the 13th minute when Wales international Amos scored a try that he made look easy.

The wing/full-back, enjoying his second start of the season at outside centre, was given too much room and raced over from just inside Timisoara’s half with an arcing run.

Patience had to be order of the night with the Saracens taking every opportunity to slow things down but the hosts were guilty of forcing things in the opening quarter.

Their error count was rocketing with Coleman pinged for holding on just inside the Dragons’ half only for Samoa to push his long-range effort from the tee.

The Dragons made the most of that escape to score number two approaching the half hour after number eight James Benjamin cut a lovely line off fly-half Jason Tovey on halfway.

He put centre Jarryd Sage, who was on for the injured Dafydd Howells, in motion and when he was dragged down a yard short the hosts stayed calm to put Amos, now on the wing, over for his second in the left corner for a 10-3 lead.

It was a frustrating first half in which the Romanians’ physio had racked up the GPS mileage such was the tendency to ask for treatment to slow the pace.

But the Dragons had the final say to head to their changing room 17-3 up courtesy of a superb pickup by right wing Will Talbot-Davies after a rather unsympathetic pass at the Wales 7s international’s toes by full-back Jordan Williams.

It was 24-3 almost straight from the restart when Timisoara’s clearance was run back by Amos and Jordan Williams to put scrum-half Davies under the posts for the bonus points.

Hopes that the floodgates would open were dashed by Dragons sloppiness as they failed to do the fundamentals that usually lay bare a gulf in class.

The home supporters had to wait until the 57th minute for the fifth try to cheer when, after Sage and Talbot-Davies had combined to go close down the right, lock Matthew Screech carried hard and then reached over for a try that Tovey converted for 31-3.

The Sarries were shattered and seven more points were added on the hour after Talbot-Davies stepped off his right foot before coasting under the posts.

It was similarly easy for Jordan Williams when he jogged through midfield for the seventh, Tovey adding another two to his regional points record with the simple extras.

He swiftly repeated the trick when Gavin Henson, on his first outing since the opening day of the season because of a knee issue, gathered the restart, sidestepped and then put Fry over from halfway.

It was just as simple in the 70th minute when Jordan Williams put Davies over for his second, which to the relief of the Romanians was the end of the scoring.

Dragons: J Williams, D Howells (J Sage 23), H Amos, J Dixon (G Henson 58), W Talbot-Davies, J Tovey, R Davies (R Williams 72), G Ellis (D Suter 69), R Hibbard (captain, R Lawrence 62), C Coleman (N Thomas 74), J Davies, M Screech (H Taylor 58), B Fry, N Cudd, J Benjamin (O Griffiths 49).

Scorers: tries – H Amos (2), W Talbot-Davies (2), R Davies (2), M Screech, J Williams, B Fry; conversions – J Tovey (7)

Timisoara Saracens: M Simionescu; DV Zaharia, T Manumua, F Popa; S Shennan; L Samoa; G Conache (captain), S Taupaki, E Capatina, H Pungea, D Lazar, M Iftimiciuc, T Whitehurst, V Neculau, M Stewart. Replacements: A Radoi, G Militaru, S Halalilo, I Muresan, V Rus, G Rupanu, V Moala, G Tatarus.

Scorer: penalty – L Samoa

Referee: Ludovic Cayre (France)

Argus star man: Will Talbot-Davies