The Prague Black Panthers (3-3) stunned the Danube Dragons (5-2) with a gritty 20-10 home victory at Rugby Club Sparta Praha, leveraging a dominant third-quarter surge and clutch defensive stops to derail the league-leading visitors.
Defensive chess match defines first half
Both teams traded field goals in a tense, error-strewn opening half. Prague kicker Martin Mandik struck first early in the second quarter (3-0), but Danube’s Thorsten Tannert answered with a 3-3 tie before halftime. The Dragons’ aggressive special teams recovered two onside kicks but failed to capitalize beyond Tannert’s lone kick.
Prokop’s breakout quarter seals momentum
Prague erupted after the break, spearheaded by running back Pavel Prokop’s career day—154 rushing yards and two third-quarter touchdowns (10-3, 20-3). Mandik added both extra points and a second field goal, while the defense stifled Danube’s ground game.
Late drama stifled by panthers’ poise
The Dragons clawed back early in the fourth quarter, as quarterback Alexander Reischl (103 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) found Lukas Schramm for a touchdown to trim the deficit to 20-10. But Prague’s defense slammed the door with a game-clinching interception of Reischl with four minutes remaining, extinguishing the comeback bid.
Coaches’ corner
Prague’s Jayson Miller praised his team’s preparation: “We believed in a win. Everything worked out today.” Danube’s Fred Armstrong took responsibility: “I didn’t set up my team well. We’ll use the bye week to regroup.”
Road ahead
The Black Panthers ride momentum into Week 7, while the Dragons aim to recalibrate during their bye.