Dragons' Euro hopes fading after Pau loss

European Challenge Cup

Dragons (8) 15

Tries: Wainwright, Dyer Con: L Evans Pens: L Evans

Pau (9) 24

Tries: Mondinat, Jooste Con: Desperes Pens: Desperes 4

Dragons face a shootout in South Africa to keep their European hopes alive after stumbling to defeat by Pau in Newport.

Aaron Wainwright and Rio Dyer showed their class with tries.

But Dragons gave a desperately scrappy display between those scores and rarely looked like winning.

Clement Mondinat and Dan Jooste scored second-half tries as Pau did enough to stay out of reach.

The result means Dragons must beat Lions next week to progress, but also means Ospreys have qualified from Pool 3.

Ospreys face Pau in France on Saturday, 18 January with the chance to secure home advantage in the knockout stages.

The other bonus for Welsh rugby was Elliot Dee emerging unscathed from his full return from injury in front of national team boss Warren Gatland, 24 hours before he names his Six Nations squad and with fit hookers in short supply.

More to follow.

Dragons: Cai Evans; Rio Dyer, Joe Westwood, Harri Ackerman, Jared Rosser; Angus O'Brien (capt), Che Hope; Rodrigo Martinez, Elliot Dee, Chris Coleman, Joe Davies, Barny Langton-Cryer, George Young, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: James Benjamin, Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Dmitri Arhip, George Nott, Dan Lydiate, Morgan Lloyd, Lloyd Evans, Ewan Rosser

Pau: Clément Mondinat; Theo Attissogbe, Eliott Roudil (capt), Fabien Brau-Boirie, Gregoire Arfeuil; Axel Desperes, Dan Robson; Remi Seneca, Romain Ruffenach, Jon Zabala Arrieta, Hugo Auradou, Jimi Maximin, Mehdi Tlili, Reece Hewat, Thibaut Hamonou.

Sin bin: Hamonou (3)

Replacements: Dan Jooste, Daniel Bibi Biziwu, Harry Williams, Remi Picquette, Loic Credoz, Thomas Souverbie, Quentin Valentino, Jack Maddocks.

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU)

Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira & Griffin Colby (SARU)

TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)