Dragons 19-20 Sharks: Welsh side denied back-to-back wins as Sharks steal it late on

The Dragons fell agonisingly short of a second win at Rodney Parade in the space of a week as Thaakir Abrahams's late try snatched victory for the Sharks in Newport.

The largely reliable boot of Will Reed and a second-half try from Elliot Dee had put Dai Flanagan's side ahead, only for the Sharks' power to shine through in the closing stages.

The first-half was largely of a story of both teams matching one another physically, with the scrum a bit of a lottery.

When the game broke up, the Dragons looked threatening - as did the Sharks' fleet-footed winger Abrahams whenever he touched the ball.

However, in terms of the scoreboard, it was only penalties that pushed the numbers up. Four from the boot of the assured Reed trumped the two of Sharks fly-half Boeta Chamberlain in the opening 40 minutes.

The only blow for Dai Flanagan was losing Ashton Hewitt to another injury, having only recently made his comeback from a lengthy period out of the game.

The first try of the game didn't come until the 47th minute, but it was worth the wait for the majority of the 4,000-odd fans in Rodney Parade. Dee was at the back of a driving maul that powered its way over the line for the first try, sending the Rodney Parade crowd wild.

Facing the prospect of defeat, the Sharks worked to put added pressure on their hosts. However, by and large, the Dragons held firm.

Frustratingly, when the Sharks did cross the whitewash, it was down to a Grant Williams intercept as the home side were guilty of overplaying near halfway.

The Dragons had a chance to open up a two-score lead once again with 10 minutes left, only for Reed's penalty to skew wide for his first miss of the day.

That would prove crucial as the Sharks forged ahead with four minutes remaining.