THERE may be doubts over the future of Newport Gwent Dragons but the players provided some answers to questions about them that had lingered for a fortnight despite a 27-17 defeat to Ulster.

They fell short of derailing the Irish province’s bid for the Guinness PRO12 play-offs but at least got some pride back with a tenacious performance in their final Rodney Parade game of the season.

In some ways, and perhaps aptly given the off-field drama, it was the model Dragons performance – spirit, plenty of perspiration but ultimately just pride in defeat.

They deserved something for their toil – with flanker Ollie Griffiths putting in another huge shift – but saw their losing bonus point snatched away by a third Ulster try in the closing stages.

It’s now eight losses on the spin but the Dragons did at least respond to humiliating defeats in their previous two outings.

They had shipped 15 tries and 101 points in heavy losses to Leinster and Glasgow; their capitulations inevitably leaving them with questions marks about their application and execution.

With captain Lewis Evans making his 200th appearance, the Dragons squad responded with a tenacious display at the end of a week that can’t have been easy for them.

Regional chiefs have been stressing that disaster looms if the proposed Welsh Rugby Union takeover doesn’t get the green light.

That meant that the Dragons headed into last night’s game with the prospect of it not only being their last game of the season at Rodney Parade – the derbies against the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues will be played at Principality Stadium and Caerphilly respectively – but possibly their last ever one at NP19.

The players had to put such doomsday scenarios to the back of their minds against an Ulster side who started the day in fourth thanks to a run of five successive league wins, four with bonus points.

The Dragons may have been fuelled by the desire to finish with a bang at Rodney Parade but they were big underdogs against an XV featuring Ireland ace Iain Henderson and Jared Payne fresh from their Grand Slam busting exploits, South Africa superstar Ruan Pienaar, All Blacks game-breaker Charles Piutau.

The hosts, meanwhile, were still without their two aces in the hole, wings Hallam Amos and Ashton Hewitt, while Wales lock Cory Hill was absent through illness.

Ulster started like a team chasing a maximum haul with Springbok scrum-half Pienaar turning down a simple three-pointer in favour of a quick tap; it didn’t lead to the opening try but it was a signal of intent.

And the visitors were soon celebrating after a cruel bounce did for the Dragons, Pienaar’s chip into space in the 22 wrong-footing both Angus O’Brien and Rhys Buckley to fall kindly for wing Craig Gilroy.

The architect of the try added the conversion for a 7-0 lead in the ninth minute but the Dragons settled with fly-half O’Brien slotting a penalty before they posed some questions of the visitors’ defence with good width on a dry night.

They worked their way into a golden position as the game entered the second quarter only for a familiar problem of the season to continue, the Dragons couldn’t barge their way over when close to the line.

The hosts were playing some nice rugby but couldn’t quite burst Ulster’s well-drilled defence and on 32 minutes there was a narrow escape at both ends.

First O’Brien’s good kick through almost bounce into Dragons hands rather than Payne but instead the full-back was able to jink clear and put boot to ball with opposite number Carl Meyer just winning the race.

However, the South African was pulled up for holding on and his compatriot Pienaar stretched the Ulster lead to 10-3.

That’s how the first half ended, Meyer pulling an ambitious long-range effort with the final kick, and the Dragons would have been fairly content with their efforts; arguably the other difference between the two teams was a freakish bounce from an admittedly pin-point chip.

And the hosts were certainly happy with how things were going with half an hour left when they started the second half strongly to level.

They worked their way into the Ulster 22 with a slick backs move and then kicked a penalty to the corner. The lineout didn’t barge over but the resulting attack saw Gilroy yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on.

The Dragons returned to the corner and, after scrappy lineout ball was pummelled towards the line by tighthead Brok Harris, lock Rynard Landman barged over for a try that O’Brien converted superbly.

Hopes that would be followed by the Ulstermen being under the pump were dashed when the visitors enjoyed a bout of pressure in the home 22, kicking penalties to the corner despite their numerical disadvantage.

They reaped the reward with a classy score when Payne was put over by fly-half Stuart Olding’s delightful inside ball, Pienaar making it a seven-point game again.

But back came the Dragons and after a sustained attack was turned over Ulster replacement scrum-half Paul Marshall’s kick was charged down by Ollie Griffiths, who won the race to the loose ball over the line.

After the TMO gave the green light, O’Brien repeated his trick from wide on the left to level with 68 minutes on the clock.

Ulster went back in search of a crucial win and abandoned thoughts of a four-try bonus to edge three points ahead through replacement fly-half Jackson, who had made a huge difference to their attack, with six minutes left.

The visitors were reduced to 14 men for the rest of the game when prop Rodney Ah You was red-carded for a dangerous, no-arms tackle on Meyer However, Ulster made light of that to secure the victory from a driving lineout through hooker John Andrew, cruelly taking away the Dragons’ consolation.

Dragons: C Meyer (A Warren 78), A Hughes, T Morgan (A Warren 25- 33), S Beard, T Prydie (D Jones 78), A O’Brien, C Davies (S Pretorius 65), S Hobbs (P Price 57), R Buckley (D Harris 78), B Harris (L Fairbrother 70), N Crosswell (M Screech 67), R Landman, O Griffiths, N Cudd (H Keddie 60), L Evans (captain).

Scorers: tries – R Landman, O Griffiths; conversions – A O’Brien; penalty – A O’Brien

Ulster: J Payne, C Gilroy, L Marshall, D Cave (P Jackson 49), C Piutau (J Stockdale 78), S Olding, R Pienaar (P Marshall 67), A Warwick (C Black 60), R Herring (captain, J Andrew 74), W Herbst (R Ah You 22), K Treadwell, A O’Connor (C Ross 60), I Henderson (R Diack 72), C Henry, S Reidy.

Scorers: tries – C Gilroy, J Payne, J Andrew; conversions – R Pienaar (3); penalties – R Pienaar, P Jackson

Yellow card: C Gilroy; Red card: R Ah You

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Attendance: 4,877

Argus star man: Ollie Griffiths