Dragons end winless

Newport-Gwent Dragons blew a ten-point second half lead to lose 23-16 at home to Glasgow and end their Heineken Cup campaign bottom of Pool Six without a single win in the competition this season.

Two tries from winger DTH van der Merwe helped Glasgow come from behind to earn a third win in the pool and condemn the Welsh outfit to a torrid winless campaign.

Nothing rested on the game but pride, especially for the Dragons who were determined to at least avoid a whitewash in the competition, but they could muster just one try from Aled Brew.

Jason Tovey added 11 points from the boot, but the Warriors hit back with a try from Colin Gregor followed by a brace from van der Merwe along with two earlier penalties from Ruaridh Jackson.

Glasgow played as though nothing was riding on the game in the first half, as they failed to get into the Dragons 22, but they still managed to go in level at the break as the hosts also struggled to score points.

Penalty

Jackson booted over an early penalty from 40 metres to give Glasgow the lead, but Tovey replied for the hosts with a drop-goal from 20 metres out to level.

There was extra incentive for some Dragons players to impress as national coach Warren Gatland, who is preparing to announce his Six Nations squad, watched from the stand.

But the New Zealander could easily have been forgiven for thinking at times that a final Sunday afternoon at home before the big Test match campaign gets going would have been a better option than a cold visit to Rodney Parade.

Dragons wing Aled Brew had the best chance of scoring tries, not once but twice within a matter of minutes. He ran into a Glasgow defensive wall on their line but, after consultation with the video referee, the possible touchdown was ruled out.

Moments later, he did touch the ball down clearly but the scoring pass from Tovey was ruled to have gone forward.

Big kick

Jackson increased the Glasgow lead on the half-hour with a 45-metre penalty but Tovey again countered just before and after the break to give the Dragons a three-point advantage.

Finally, Brew got his reward as replacement centre Pat Leach kicked into the Glasgow try area for the lively wing to chase and touch down - a score, given this time by the fourth official, that Tovey converted from the touchline.

The video referee was having a busy match as Glasgow drove forward to the home line for scrum-half Colin Gregor to dummy a pass out but go down the left blindside and, according to the fourth official, just get the ball down.

For all their inability to make meaningful attacks in the first-half, Glasgow managed another on 62 minutes when van der Merwe raced 22 metres to the line, was turned over by a couple of defenders but, again thanks to video analysis, scored the try.

And the South African did it again when he skipped past some weak tackling to run in unopposed. And although the Dragons tried late on to grab at least a draw, it did not happen.