Turner: Harries rose to challenge (From Campaign Series)

Turner: Harries rose to challenge

10:15am Tuesday 9th February 2010

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NEWPORT Gwent Dragons set themselves up for a real tilt at the Magners League play-offs after proving one Welsh team could travel to England at the weekend and return home with a notable victory.

The day after Wales perished at Twickenham, the Dragons visited Vicarage Road to take on a Saracens team second in the Guinness Premiership to gain a terrific 23-22 victory. In the process they scored two excellent tries, the first by winger Will Harries a sparkling solo effort sure to be a candidate for the try of the season.

Already a Wales Sevens player, he is on standby to fly to Las Vegas for a forthcoming tournament, though if he does go it would rule him out of the Dragons’ next game, the vital league fixture against Ulster at Ravenhill a week on Friday.

“We challenged Will to stake a claim, and he’s done that. Aled Brew and Richard Fussell will have to play well to keep him out now,” said Dragons coach Paul Turner.

“We challenged the players to pose a lot of questions to a side near the top of the Guinness Premiership with loads of South Africans playing for them. We all know about South Africa, their will to win and their style of play which won them the World Cup. They are no different with the Saracens and their coach Brendan Venter has got them playing the same way, so if we could challenge their kicking game and their set piece we decided we would have enough flair to beat them, which is how it turned out.”

The Dragons finished runners-up in their LV group with victories over Sale, the Ospreys and Saracens plus a battling display against Leicester at Welford Road which almost earned them a losing bonus point.

“We’ve been pleased with the LV though despite it being a good opportunity to develop younger players we’ve been tripped up with our under-20 boys gone and we bumped into a lot of Saracens players who play A team rugby, a competition which we miss here,” said Turner. “But to go to Welford Road and be within a whisker of winning and then to win at Vicarage Road says a lot for the ethic and ambition of the playing squad.

“The boys see being written off as a challenge, but we’ve got to move on on and off the field as an organisation or we'll be left behind. Confidence is a big thing but Ravenhill is a difficult setting though we’ll have gained in confidence. I’m really pleased with Steve Jones and Duane Goodfield at hooker when he went on which sets us a good problem and all three back row players were outstanding against a trio of South Africans.

“And Jason Tovey (who kicked 13 points to add to his 25 against the Ospreys) recovered well from an early kick off disaster to manage the game as I know he can.”

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