Dragons 35 - 12 Newcastle

Full time

16 Jan 2026

Stage: Pool 2 Round 4

Rodney Parade

The Dragons RFC secured a convincing 35-12 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls in the Challenge Cup at Rodney Parade. Rio Dyer opened the scoring with a try, quickly followed by a conversion from Angus O'Brien. The Red Bulls responded with two tries from Simon Benitez Cruz and Christian Wade, with Grayson adding the conversion, making it a competitive first half. After the break, Brodie Coghlan crossed the line for the Dragons, with O'Brien converting again. Dyer added his second try, further extending the lead, before a penalty try sealed the game for the home side. The Red Bulls faced a challenging second half, with yellow cards for Jamie Hodgson, Tom Gordon, and Reuben Parsons hampering their efforts. David Richards capped off the scoring for the Dragons with a late try, ensuring a dominant home performance.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 6.6°C (Feels like 2.9°C) Condition: Rain Wind: 14.9 km/h, gusting to 32.7 km/h Humidity: 89% Cloud Cover: 97%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
30'

Try

Rio Dyer · Dragons

5 - 0
31'

Conversion

Angus O'Brien · Dragons

7 - 0
34'

Try

Simon Benitez Cruz · Newcastle

7 - 5
36'

Try

Christian Wade · Newcastle

7 - 10
37'

Conversion

Ethan Grayson · Newcastle

7 - 12
Halftime 7 - 12
Second Half
46'

Yellow Card

Jamie Hodgson · Newcastle
46'

Substitution

Adam Brocklebank on for Murray McCallum · Newcastle
47'

Try

Brodie Coghlan · Dragons

12 - 12
48'

Conversion

Angus O'Brien · Dragons

14 - 12
50'

Substitution

Rodrigo Martinez on for Wyn Jones · Dragons
50'

Substitution

Levi Douglas on for Thomas Young · Dragons
53'

Try

Rio Dyer · Dragons

19 - 12
54'

Conversion

Angus O'Brien · Dragons

21 - 12
54'

Substitution

Luan de Bruin on for Richard Palframan · Newcastle
54'

Substitution

Reuben Parsons on for Freddie Lockwood · Newcastle
56'

Yellow Card Complete

Jamie Hodgson · Newcastle
58'

Substitution

Finn Baker on for Jamie Hodgson · Newcastle
61'

Substitution

Ollie Fletcher on for George McGuigan · Newcastle
61'

Substitution

George Roberts on for Brodie Coghlan · Dragons
61'

Substitution

Shane Lewis-Hughes on for Ryan Woodman · Dragons
65'

Substitution

Cai Evans on for Tinus de Beer · Dragons
65'

Substitution

Rhodri Williams on for Che Hope · Dragons
67'

Yellow Card

Tom Gordon · Newcastle
68'

Yellow Card

Reuben Parsons · Newcastle
68'

Penalty Try

No Player · Dragons

28 - 12
69'

Substitution

Nathan Greenwood on for Elliott Obatoyinbo · Newcastle
72'

Substitution

Cebo Dlamini on for Robert Hunt · Dragons
72'

Substitution

Harri Ackerman on for Fine Inisi · Dragons
72'

Substitution

James Elliott on for Simon Benitez Cruz · Newcastle
72'

Substitution

Rhys Beeckmans on for Cammy Hutchison · Newcastle
77'

Yellow Card Complete

Tom Gordon · Newcastle
78'

Try

David Richards · Dragons

33 - 12
78'

Yellow Card Complete

Reuben Parsons · Newcastle
79'

Conversion

Angus O'Brien · Dragons

35 - 12
Fulltime 35 - 12

Player ratings

Dragons

15 Angus O'Brien 6.9
14 David Richards 7.8
13 Fine Inisi 7.2
12 Aneurin Owen 7.5
11 Rio Dyer 8.7
10 Tinus de Beer 6.2
9 Che Hope 6.0
1 Wyn Jones 6.4
2 Brodie Coghlan 7.8
3 Robert Hunt 6.8
4 Ryan Woodman 6.5
5 Ben Carter 6.9
6 Harrison Keddie 7.3
7 Thomas Young 7.2
8 Aaron Wainwright 7.7
16 George Roberts 6.4
17 Rodrigo Martinez 6.6
18 Cebo Dlamini –
19 Levi Douglas 6.7
20 Shane Lewis-Hughes 6.3
21 Rhodri Williams 6.1
22 Harri Ackerman –
23 Cai Evans 6.6

Newcastle

15 Elliott Obatoyinbo 5.8
14 Christian Wade 7.1
13 Sammy Arnold 7.0
12 Cammy Hutchison 6.2
11 Alex Hearle 6.3
10 Ethan Grayson 5.1
9 Simon Benitez Cruz 6.2
1 Murray McCallum 6.8
2 George McGuigan 6.8
3 Richard Palframan 6.9
4 Oscar Usher 6.2
5 Jamie Hodgson 4.6
6 Freddie Lockwood 5.5
7 Tom Christie 7.1
8 Tom Gordon 4.7
16 Ollie Fletcher 6.0
17 Adam Brocklebank 5.0
18 Luan de Bruin 6.0
19 Finn Baker 5.8
20 Reuben Parsons 4.6
21 James Elliott –
22 Rhys Beeckmans –
23 Nathan Greenwood 5.8