Boss Dean Ryan praised his Dragons after they stunned Glasgow Warriors in the Guinness PRO14 – admitting his team had not hidden away from the challenge.
Ashton Hewitt and Taine Basham grabbed second half tries as Dragons produced a sensational home display to shock last season’s league runners-up.
And Ryan was thrilled with the manner in which Dragons not only defeated the Warriors but managed wet and windy conditions at Rodney Parade.
“We were well beaten in Munster and well beaten by Connacht at the basics of the game, in terms of driving lineout, kicking, field position,” said Ryan.
“Today we turned up and it was chucking it down with rain and it was a game about those areas again.
“We talked about simplifying things during the week, we talked about prioritising those areas and not hiding away from them.
“We didn’t hide today and managed the game well and kept the pressure on.
“We knew Glasgow wanted to play so they would have been frustrated when they saw the weather conditions too. We had to make sure we squeezed them.
“I am just disappointed we didn’t nil them in the end. That would have been a big psychological step too.”
Dragons used a strong wind to their advantage in the first half to open up a lead before producing a polished second 40-minutes to ease to the victory.
And Ryan pinpointed the hard work and endeavour as key areas.
“Rhodri (Williams) made a big call about playing with the wind first half. We felt it would drop away so it was a lot stronger at the start and there was hardly anything by the end,” he said.
“But sometimes, if it is not a dominate wind, it can encourage you to play and keep the ball a little bit longer. I felt our drive got on top so we could stay in those areas with security.
“The two big scrum penalties in the second half were huge,” he added.
“If you want to see 80-minute contests you have to invest 50 or 60 minutes to get your return. I don’t think we have had that mindset before, it was more if it’s not working let’s go somewhere else.
“We worked hard, stayed in the contest and got better.
“We want to be known for working hard. We have seen elements when we have been on dry tracks that we can play, but we need to adapt.
“When it comes to days like today, I want Dragons to be known for rolling our sleeves up and we will work. Today was great to see us get a victory on the back of that.”
We knew Glasgow wanted to play so they would have been frustrated when they saw the weather... We had to make sure we squeezed them...
