Dragons fight back to beat Perpignan in Challenge Cup opener
Dragons beat Perpignan 29-14 at Rodney Parade on Friday night to open their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign with a win.
The Welsh region trailed 7-5 at half-time in the 8pm kick-off. They pulled clear after the break with three further tries. BBC Sport
Jared Rosser, Aneurin Owen, Anzelo Tuitavuki and Fetuli Paea scored the Dragons' tries. A try is worth five points and is scored by grounding the ball over the opposition line. Tinus de Beer added the rest of the points with three conversions and a penalty. A conversion is the kick at goal taken after a try for two extra points.
Perpignan stayed in the fight through tries from Jules Coulon and Posolo Tuilagi. Tristan Tedder kicked both conversions for the French visitors.
Four tries would normally bring a bonus point, an extra point in the pool table to reward attacking play. Not here. Because Perpignan scored twice, the threshold rose to five. Dragons finished one short.
Rosser's score carried extra weight. It was his 37th try for Dragons. That moves him level with Ashton Hewitt in joint-second on the club's all-time list, six behind leader Aled Brew.
There was a little history behind this one. Perpignan beat Dragons 41-17 at Stade Aime-Giral when the sides met on matchday one last December, according to the French club. Filo Tiatia's side have now returned the favour at home to start the 2026-27 Challenge Cup, Europe's second-tier club competition.
For fans, this means a winning start and something to build on. Winning at home matters in short pool stages. A bonus point would have been better. The comeback will do for now.
