Boss Dean Ryan celebrated a victory for Dragons that kept their European fate in their own hands as they defeated Worcester Warriors 25-16 at a soggy Rodney Parade.
Fly half Sam Davies scored 20 points – with six penalties and a conversion of an early Adam Warren try – as Dragons stayed top of Pool 1 in the European Challenge Cup after four rounds.
The win on home soil avenged the narrow loss at Sixways a week earlier and Director of Dragons Rugby, Ryan, was pleased with a composed display in challenging conditions.
“I am really pleased for the group and for the fans,” he said. “Hearing the fans at the end was testament to 23 players working really hard because there was not a lot of rugby going on!
“You can only show effort and show that you care, and we did that really well.
“We did it through the 23; Aaron Jarvis and Richard Hibbard came on and got some crucial penalties but that only came from the foundation of Leon Brown and Elliot Dee.
“That was seeing us operate as a 23 and for a squad as sparse as we are, sometimes we are hanging in there.
“I’ve never doubted this group’s effort but we need to keep getting experiences together,” he added.
“Last week we were very calm with 14 men and knew what we needed to get out of the game, tonight we went to 13 at one point and stayed calm and stayed in the contest better.
“You can only do that through experiences, you can’t do that on a whiteboard or the training field. Each time you have to learn and get better, and this group is doing that really well.”
Dragons now face a trip to France to play Castres Olympique in mid-January before finishing on home soil to Russian outfit Enisei-STM. “You can only ask for control in Europe,” said Ryan.
“The third and fourth rounds are crucial and we talked a lot about seeing this as a two-leg game rather than a one-off.
“Sometimes getting out with a bonus point is crucial and not giving them one on Friday was crucial, it gives us a significant jump on them. It gives us control but there are still two rounds to go.”
It's derby season and first up in the Guinness PRO14 is Scarlets at Rodney Parade on Saturday! Make savings ahead of game day by buying online today - CLICK HERE to take your spot for an unforgettable evening of derby day action!
Sometimes getting out with a bonus point is crucial and not giving them one on Friday was crucial, it gives us a significant jump on them...
