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Newport Gwent Dragons
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Welsh Rugby Regions 2003
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The Newport Gwent Dragons are a regional Rugby Union team from Wales, playing in the Celtic League and European Rugby Cup/European Rugby Shield.
Club History
The club came into being in the summer of 2003 when the WRU controversially elected to reduce the current top tier of Welsh professional rugby from nine clubs into five regions, attempting to mirror the successful formats in Ireland and the Southern Hemisphere countries of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
The Dragons officially represent the whole of the traditional county of Monmouthshire, based mostly around the city of Newport although friendly (pre-season) games have been played at a number of other grounds around a region that includes well-known club sides such as Pontypool RFC, Newbridge RFC and Abertillery RFC.
Largely drawn from the Newport RFC and Ebbw Vale RFC sides of the preceding year, the Dragons were considered one of the weaker regions in the Welsh game, although their coach Mike Ruddock was considered one of the best. However, this in a way worked for them as they were disrupted less than other regions by missing players during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. A creditable third place finish in the Celtic League was the result, impressing WRU bosses enough for Ruddock to be offered the vacant Welsh coaching job in the summer of 2004. Some good off-season signings promise good things for the Dragons in the coming year, but how they will cope without Ruddock is yet to be seen.
Home Ground
The Dragons play their home matches almost exclusively of Newport's Rodney Parade (home of Newport RFC).
Statistics
| Season |
Pos |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Bonus |
Points |
| 2003/2004 |
3rd |
22 |
16 |
0 |
6 |
8 |
72 |
Celtic League Cup
| Season |
Pool/Round |
Pos |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Bonus |
Points |
| 2003/2004 |
Pool 1 |
4th |
6 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
9 |
Notable Current Players
- Gareth Cooper (Scrum-Half) - Welsh International
- Jason Forster (Back-Row) - Welsh International
- Ian Gough (Lock) - Welsh International
- Percy Montgomery (Full-back) - South African International
- Michael Owen (Lock/Back-Row) - Welsh International
- Jamie Ringer (Back-Row) - Welsh International
- Rod Snow (Prop) - Canadian International
- Ceri Sweeney (Outside-Half) - Welsh International
- Gareth Wyatt (Wing) - Welsh International
- Kevin Morgan (Full-Back/Wing) - Welsh International
Notable Former Players
- Andy Marinos (Centre) - Wales International (now Newport RFC CEO)
Notable Former Coaches
- Mike Ruddock (2003-2004) - Welsh National Coach
See also
External Links
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