Head Coach Filo Tiatia hailed his battling Dragons as they produced a staggering late fightback to stun former runners-up Lyon Olympique Universitaire in a Euro thriller at Rodney Parade.
The Men of Gwent looked down and out at 21-6 down with 14 minutes to go in this EPCR Challenge Cup encounter - before producing a massive three-try burst that will live long in the memory to all on home soil.
Harri Keddie (2) and Oli Burrows blasted over for crucial scores before captain Angus O’Brien slotted a nerve-shredding last-minute conversion to spark wild scenes and leave Tiatia praising his men for digging deep and producing.
“I’m just really happy that our players found a way to win the game and we were able to build pressure, momentum and points,” he said.
“We were 21-6 down at one point but I thought there were opportunities in the first half where we should’ve gone for the corner.
“But I’m really happy for the group, happy that they got a win that they have been searching for.
“Now we look to keep building,” he added. “It’s about building consistency, how you prepare and how you recover. Just doing the basics well because you have got to front up.
“We are in our third game in a ten-week block - we’ve still got seven games to go.
“Injuries are pretty rife at the moment with all the squads, so we have got to get ready to go again.”
Rodney Parade erupted in a breathless final quarter and Tiatia admitted he always felt there was something in the game for the home side.
“You always have belief that we will find a solution,” he stated. “The leadership of people like Matthew Screech was important today in that last third.
“Ryan Woodman came on a called so there were some adjustments to be made. But they found a way to make sure we changed the picture with clean ball.
“The group are happy. We are all happy. Now they can train freer and keep building on what we have started.”
I’m really happy that our players found a way to win the game and we were able to build pressure, momentum and points...
