THE third game of the season was a ‘must-win’ for the Dragons and they did just that against Connacht thanks to a strong first half attacking display and then dogged defence to cling on.

The Rodney Parade region went into the clash in danger of becoming record-breakers after a nightmare streak of 11 Guinness PRO14 defeats on the spin.

That equalled their own unwanted Welsh record from last year but thankfully they tasted victory for the first time since January courtesy of tries from wing Hallam Amos, hooker Elliot Dee and 11 points from the boot of Gavin Henson.

The Dragons took command thanks to a dominant first-half effort to earn a 21-3 lead at the break and they overcame a glut of injuries to secure the spoils, digging deep and coming through a test of their nerve.

It was a first win for Bernard Jackman and the head coach must now mull over whether to sacrifice Ulster away next week before going again versus the Southern Kings.

He has largely stuck with his first-choice XV in the opening weeks of the campaign and once again the front row of Brok Harris, workaholic Elliot Dee and Leon Brown was excellent – playing almost the full 80 minutes – while speedsters Hallam Amos and Ashton Hewitt continue to look lively and lock Cory Hill is leading by example.

Flanker Ollie Griffiths and scrum-half Sarel Pretorius returned from injury to add dynamism but the most welcome sight was centre Jack Dixon not only defending with his trademark gusto (doing a wonderful job against Bundee Aki after the break) but getting his head up, going on the run and spreading play nicely.

The Dragons produced one of their best performances of the calendar year, yet perhaps Belfast is the time to hand out some opportunities… and the management will be forced to do some tinkering after full-back Zane Kirchner, his replacement Jared Rosser and centre Tyler Morgan all limped off in the first half.

That made it something of a test of character for the Dragons despite them holding a 18-3 lead at the time – Pretorius was shifted to the wing and fly-half Dorian Jones was the smallest centre in rugby.

Those changes changed the Dragons mindset from chasing a bonus point to hanging on and they did that for four hugely deserved points.

The Dragons had talked all week about expecting a high ball-in-play time against visitors who like to play expansive stuff.

So it proved with 101 seconds of rugby from the kick-off that ended with the hosts crossing the line for their first try of the season (against Leinster they were awarded a penalty try), and it was a cracker.

The Dragons resisted the temptation to put boot to ball after Kirchner fielded a clearance and eventually Dixon spotted a gap and burst through before Kirchner, Dee and blindside Harri Keddie put wing Hallam Amos over with super handling under pressure.

Fly-half Gavin Henson failed to convert what is sure to be on the try of the season shortlist but after Connacht got on the board through the right boot of fly-half Jack Carty, he was successful with a two-pointer from the tee.

The Dragons were rewarded for kicking two penalties to touch when the pack hammered away at the line and Dee slid over.

A deserved lead of 12-3 was extended by a pair of Henson penalties approaching the half hour as the hosts caused problems with their expansive approach, quick ball and fast runners.

The second of those penalties was accompanied by a yellow card for Connacht lock James Cannon after he didn’t retreat 10 metres when denying the mightily impressive Pretorius after a quick tap in the 22.

The Dragons had to make their one-man advantage count before the break but Henson was wide from the tee after a strong scrum and then they suffered the injuries to stall their momentum.

Thankfully the set piece was going well to enable Henson to settle the nerves with a booming penalty for 21-3.

The Dragons were faced by a stick-or-twist dilemma in the second half, wary of Connacht’s ability to score quick points and mindful of their much-changed (and perhaps vulnerable) back line.

A few nerves were jangling when the visitors went over from a driving lineout, lock Quinn Roux the scorer, to make it 21-8 with 54 minutes on the clock.

Suddenly the Dragons were creaking while Connacht had cut out their errors.

Had they scored again swiftly then the Irish province would have been favourites for the win yet the game passed into the 70s without any addition to the scoring.

But this is the Dragons and nothing is simple, so it wasn’t until Connacht knocked on in Dragons territory in the 79th minute that the Rodney Parade faithful could rest easy.

Nightmare streak over, now the building can continue.

Dragons: Z Kirchner (J Rosser 15), A Hewitt, T Morgan (D Jones 35), J Dixon, H Amos, G Henson, S Pretorius (O Leonard 35), B Harris (T Davies 75), E Dee (G Ellis 78), L Brown (L Fairbrother 75), R Landman (M Screech 52), C Hill (captain), H Keddie (R Blake 63), O Griffiths, J Benjamin.

Scorers: tries – H Amos, E Dee; conversion – G Henson; penalties – G Henson (3)

Connacht: T O’Halloran (S Crosbie 25), D Leader (E Griffin 60), T Farrell, B Aki, R Scholes, J Carty, C Blade (K Marmion 40), D Coulson (P McCabe 66), T McCartney (D Heffernan 40), C Carey, Q Roux (G Thornbury 64), J Cannon, E Masterson, J Heenan (J Butler 40), J Muldoon.

Scorers: try – Q Roux; penaltt – J Carty

Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

Attendance: 5,069

Argus star man: Elliot Dee