BERNARD Jackman insists the Dragons aren’t far away from ending their Guinness PRO14 derby drought despite Cardiff Blues making it 22 losses on the spin to Welsh rivals.

The Rodney Parade region led going into the final quarter of today’s clash in Newport thanks to tries in the first half by fly-half Josh Lewis and wing Jared Rosser plus five points from the boot of full-back Jordan Williams.

However, scores by hooker Kristian Dacey and wing Owen Lane, who also finished superbly in the first half, ensured it was the men from the capital that took the spoils 23-15.

“The supporters will obviously be disappointed and we are gutted by it, but the boys out there felt that we weren’t a million miles away,” said Jackman.

“We weren’t and the supporters just need to stick with us; we will stick together and we will get better, turning that effort and hunger into wins.

“The only way to do that is by being better at the detail and having areas of the game where you are dominant, and we just didn’t have enough of them.

“Everyone is impatient but we have got good players who want to do well for the Dragons, the dressing room is incredibly disappointed. They are passionate about this region and we have got a young team who will grow up together.

“It’s frustrating because you always want that instant success but you don’t always get it.”

The Dragons’ last PRO14 triumph against regional rivals was Boxing Day, 2014 while they haven’t won on their travels in the league since March, 2015.

Jackman knows ending those streaks is vital in year two of his reign at Rodney Parade.

“There are a few different things that we need to tick off this season, namely getting an away win and winning a Welsh derby,” said the former Ireland hooker.

“This was the first opportunity and there are five more, maybe the away win will be in a Welsh derby.

“We put a ring around this game because we felt it was a great opportunity but life isn’t always as easy as you want it to be.”

The Dragons impressed in the opening quarter but the Blues, with Gareth Anscombe in fine form, gradually chipped away with the wind at their backs.

“There was a very strong wind so even though we played some good rugby in the first half we did feel that 12-5 wasn’t enough points," said Jackman.

“We knew we were going to be under the pump and knew that our game management and our ability to win the kicking battle would be key. We just made some basic errors that gave them entries into our half.

“The Blues were really good with the ball so it was very hard to get it off them when they went into our 22, then at eight points down we had to chase the game and they were able to put 14 men in the line and pin us there.

“I am proud of the boys, it was a really brave defensive effort but we just didn’t get dominance at the attacking breakdown.

“They slowed our ball down and got some key turnovers, we didn’t get any change out of our lineout maul and they won quite a few penalties at the scrum.

“Without that it’s hard to win a derby but we know what we have to fix.”