Rugby

Edinburgh debutant Ben Healy inspires comeback victory against Dragons

Former Munster outhalf kicks 17 points and creates his side’s try at Rodney Parade

Edinburgh's Ben Healy kicks a penalty during the BKT United Rugby Championship match against Dragons at Rodney Parade. Photograph: Ashley Crowden/Inpho

Sat Oct 21 2023 - 20:13
Dragons 17 Edinburgh 22

Debutant Ben Healy inspired an Edinburgh comeback victory by kicking 17 points and creating their only try for captain Ben Vellacott in Saturday’s 22-17 United Rugby Championship opener at Dragons.

The hosts looked in control when they led 17-6 but they faded to allow former Munster man Healy to make them pay for their ill-discipline by kicking five penalties.

Sio Tomkinson and Corey Baldwin scored Dragons’ tries with Cai Evans converting both and adding a penalty.

Dragons took the lead in the second minute with a superbly created try. From a lineout in the opposition 22, a pre-planned move saw Jarred Rosser burst through the defence before sending Tomkinson in under the posts.

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Evans converted before having the chance to extend the lead with a kickable penalty but Dragons opted for an attacking lineout and it paid dividends when a crossfield kick from Steff Hughes was collected by Baldwin to score.

A penalty from Healy put Edinburgh on the scoreboard but they suffered a blow when their flanker Cameron Neild left the field with an injury.

However the Scots were firmly in the ascendancy in the second quarter with their pack taking control to win a number of penalties to put the opposition under pressure but they could not capitalise and trailed 14-3 at the interval.

Within two minutes of the restart, Healy had reduced the arrears with his second penalty after home number eight Ollie Griffiths had been penalised for a high tackle but this was soon nullified with a penalty from Evans.

The third quarter was a stop-start affair with neither side able to provide any fluency to their game and it came as no surprise that the next score came via a penalty – a third from Healy for Hughes not releasing.

With 15 minutes remaining, Edinburgh set up a grandstand finish by scoring a converted try to bring them to within one point of the hosts.

Healy made a clean break to provide Vellacott with an easy run-in and it was he who proved the match-winner by firing over two late penalties.

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