Dragons hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup will go down to the wire next weekend after a narrow 20-17 defeat to Zebre Parma at Stadio Lanfranchi in Italy.
Four penalties from Cai Evans saw the visitors take a 12-0 lead before Zebre roared back.
The Italians grabbed three tries to wrestle back control of the Pool a encounter before a score from Jared Rosser sparked fresh hope for the visitors.
But in a tense finale there was no fairytale finish for Dai Flanagan’s men who for the second game on the road in Europe were just edged out.
The result left Dragons in fourth place and looking over ther shoulder in the group stages, knowing they will need a positive result when group leaders, the Hollywoodbets Sharks, arrive in Newport next Sunday.
Flanagan made three changes for the clash with Wales wing Rio Dyer back and props Rhodri Jones and Luke Yendle named up front.
An early Rhodri Williams charge down sparked alarm in defence for the hosts, but the Italians managed to regather and clear to touch.
Full back Evans slotted an early penalty after Zebre were penalised for offside.
Dragons were showing plenty of early invention with Jared Rosser almost away after a neat attacking move while the pack and the recalled Jones won a scrum penalty to set a solid marker.
Evans slotted a second long range penalty, after strong carries from Harri Ackerman, Aaron Wainwright and Dan Lydiate, before adding a third from 50 metres out for a 9-0 lead.
Dragons were working hard in defence to protect the lead, with Rosser pivotal as the Italians were shunted into touch after a slick backs move.
Evans was looking irresistible off the tee and slotted his fourth kick of the afternoon after 21 minutes, this time after Zebre were pinged at then breakdown.
The home side needed a response and got one just before the half hour when a penalty saw them kick to the corner before wing Simone Gesi scored out wide to cut the lead to 12-5.
Zebre cut the lead to just four with a penalty six minutes before the break while Dragons were left to rue missed opportunities in the red zone.
The Italians hit the front five minutes after the restart with a driving maul sending hooker Manfredi over before wing Gesi grabbed a second as Dragons tried in vain to stop momentum.
Flanagan made sweeping changes, sending on Bradley Roberts, Chris Coleman, Ollie Griffiths and Dane Blacker, to inject fresh life into the Men of Gwent.
A big carry from Aaron Wainwright saw Dragons earn a penalty, but Evans saw his first attempt of the game fail to hit the target.
Dragons needed a response and got it just before the hour mark when Blacker’s crossfield kick picked out Rosser who showed all his finishing skills to beat the last man and score.
The visitors were being forced to dig deep to keep Zebre at bay and a home defensive set on the try line eventually forced a vital turnover and penalty.
Tension was growing in the final quarter with both teams knowing the next try could settle the European encounter.
Dyer collected a ball in the air and threatened to breakaway only for Zebre to regroup and force the penalty before Blacker was bundled into touch down the blindside as late hope evaporated.
Timeline:
05m Evans p 0-3
12m Evans p 0-6
17m Evans p 0-9
21m Evans p 0-12
26m Gesi t 5-12
34m Montemauri p 8-12
45m Manfredi t Montemauri c 15-12
52m Gesi t 20-12
58m Rosser t 20-17
Zebre: Lorenzo Pani; Pierre Bruno, Luca Morisi, Enrico Lucchin, Simone Gesi; Giovanni Montemauri, Gonzalo Garcia; Danilo Fischetti, Marco Manfredi, Matteo Nocera; Leonard Krumov, Andrea Zambonin, Guido Volpi, Iacopo Bianchi, Davide Ruggeri
Replacements: Gampietro Ribaldi, Luca Rizzoli, Juan Pitinari, Matteo Canali, Giacomo Ferrari, Thomas Dominguez, Geronimo Prisciantelli, Scott Gregory
Dragons: Cai Evans; Rio Dyer, Aneurin Owen, Harri Ackerman (Hughes 55), Jared Rosser; Will Reed, Rhodri Williams (Blacker 52); Rhodri Jones (Martinez 59), James Benjamin (Roberts 52), Luke Yendle (Coleman 52), Sean Lonsdale, George Nott (Screech 46), Dan Lydiate (Griffiths 52), Harri Keddie, Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Bradley Roberts, Rodrigo Martinez, Chris Coleman, Matthew Screech, Ollie Griffiths, Dane Blacker, Steff Hughes, Ewan Rosser
Referee: Benoit Rousselet (France)
