Head Coach Filo Tiatia spoke of his pride in his Dragons as they ‘stayed in the fight’ in a dramatic 24-10 defeat to champions Leinster in the BKT United Rugby Championship at Rodney Parade.
A first half try from Matthew Screech had seen the Men of Gwent take a slender half-time lead before a second half packed full of incident.
Leinster led by one score in the final few minutes as the home side looked to strike and applied huge late pressure as they fell the wrong side of big calls.
South African international RG Snyman then broke home hearts with a try that denied Dragons even a losing bonus point.
And Tiatia admitted late referee calls at a pivotal time had been crucial.
“I saw it differently to the officials,” he stated. “In the context of the game, it was at a key time when we were close and seven points behind.
“The big fella (Snyman) then took his opportunity down to the edge and scored in the corner.
“I am disappointed for the players,” he stressed. “They had more dominance at the scrum, but we stayed in the fight defensively.
“We held them up numerous times over the line. I feel for the players.
“We held them at bay and fought hard to stay in it. But we also had opportunities to score points and that didn’t quite happen.
“We’ve got to keep growing around being clinical and taking our chances.
“I am proud of the players. I said in the huddle afterwards that I was proud of that performance.
“We can take a lot of belief and confidence, in terms of what we are trying to achieve together as a group. We’ve just got to stay in the moments."
On the injuries the side sustained, Tiatia added: “We’ve picked up some knocks. Seb (Davies) is a bit of a concern, and we’ll see how he shapes up.
“Woody (Ryan Woodman) took a dead leg. Hopefully he will be okay for Perpignan.”
Tiatia also praised young hooker Wills Austin who made his debut at the start of the second half – becoming Dragons No. 370.
“We should celebrate Will coming on,” added Tiatia. “Definitely a different level for him, but he was great.
“He has come in on short notice after Jumbo (James Benjamin) and Elliot (Dee) had to go under the knife. He is a good learner and picked up things quick.”
We can take a lot of belief and confidence, in terms of what we are trying to achieve together as a group. We’ve just got to stay in the moments...
