Montpellier v Dragons: Five takeaways as ‘talons’ slip in final moments of ‘ferocious’ contest
Montpellier ate sitting pretty in third in the Top 14 while Dragons are struggling in 14th in the URC
Montpellier defeated the Dragons 18-12 in the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-finals on Sunday to secure their place in the final in Bilbao at the end of the month.
Here are our five takeaways from the match:
The top line
The Dragons got off to a flying start, breaking the line in the opening minute thanks to a clever move off the lineout, but the final pass eluded them and the opening points went missing.
Despite the initial excitement, the first try didn’t occur until the 24th minute when Montpellier’s Tyler Duguid touched down just minutes after they thought they had scored a length-of-the-field try through Auguste Cadot.
As would be the story of the match, Dragons’ Aneurin Owen soon pounced on a drop ball by Montpellier to return fire and keep themselves within contention.
Dragons continued to hold strong and remain in the game until the final 15, when French scrum half Alexis Bernadet dotted over from close range.
Just as the match appeared to be over and out for the visitors, another well-worked lineout allowed Aneurin Owen to go over off first-phase possession and bring the scores to within six points.
Despite their last gasp efforts to snatch the lead at the death, Montpellier forced vital mistakes and booted the ball into row Z on the 80-minute mark.
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A game of two halves – almost
From the first whistle, it was clear that this was going to be an open game, full of excitement as the jeopardy of semi-final rugby hit the southwest of France.
Both sides were attacking with immense ferocity and defending with the weight of their entire nations on their backs.
The Dragons were forced to contain a French side that pride themselves on an elaborate and fluid playing style, which ate up more energy than any outfit they had come up against so far.
The first half stats were, for the most part, 3:1 in favour of Montpellier. They had 202 post-contact metres compared to the Dragons’ 78; 105 passes to the Dragons’ 29; over double the number of carries and line breaks, and 66 per cent possesion.
They were clearly in the ascendancy, and the Dragons‘ talons were clinging on for dear life. Add to that their underwhelming lineout percentage of just 67, and there was a rout set to happen. The reality, however, was much different.
Dragons never say die attitude
The Dragons’ second half built upon the concrete mindset that had been set in the first when Rio Dyer performed an incredible chase back to hold up Cadot on the tryline, stopping what seemed like a certain try. Less than 10 minutes later, two Dragons players forced a try after chasing Montpellier’s Tom Banks into his own in-goal area.
The signs of tenacity were there; it was only in the second half that they would come to fruition. Almost.
So often this team come from behind and win domestically, and it almost happened here. Their lineout, previously at 67 per cent, rose to 75; their scrum remained at a perfect 100 per cent, their possession stats rose a remarkable 11 per cent, reaching an average of 63 per cent in the final 10 minutes; their carries almost matched Montpellier’s, and their turnover wins greatly outweighed theirs.
This ‘never say die’ mindset is what kept the visitors in the game until the very end. Despite the early dominance of the hosts, the Dragons got themselves in a position where if one mere decision had been changed, they could have caused a colossal upset.
Domestic differences
Montpellier sit pretty in third in the Top 14, while the Dragons are struggling in 14th in the URC. While there were certain obvious differences between the two sides on Sunday, the gulf didn’t appear as wide.
The French hosts were on a four-game winning streak, including a close victory over Champions Cup holders Bordeaux Begles, only losing last to record European champion, Toulouse.
The Dragons, however, entered having squeezed out narrow victories over Zebre (twice) and Stade Francais, while losing heavily to South African opposition, the Bulls and the Lions.
So the credit needs to go to the Dragons in this fixture, because their performance, even though it didn’t end in victory, exceeded all expectations.
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How will Montpellier go against Ulster in the final
Montpellier, on the flip side, will feel a sense of relief, having been pushed all the way in Sunday’s encounter. The final against Ulster will provide a different challenge entirely.
Their Irish opponents recently tore apart a flabbergasted Exeter Chiefs in a particularly one-sided game, and will have no problem doing the same to Montpellier if they fail to bring their A-game.
The French side will need to improve their red zone efficiency if they’re to take home the cup, after leaving far too many points out there against the Dragons.
Their open play qualities cannot be argued against, but their ability to be clinical in the final third can. Mistakes were rife against the Dragons, and if they’re so error-prone against greater opposition – they will be punished.