BIRTHDAY boy Jason Tovey can look forward to an exciting few years with Newport Gwent Dragons after making an eye-catching debut against the Ospreys.

Tovey, 19 today, was drafted in as a late replacement for departing outside-half Ceri Sweeney and looked calm and assured, kicking a penalty and striking an upright with a dropped-goal attempt.

He also got his line moving and one well-placed kick could have produced a try for Paul Emerick. Though he played at ten he is primarily a full back, where he earned his caps for Wales Under- 20s this season.

Dragons coach Paul Turner was impressed with the latest youngster he has blooded after bringing him in for training over the past few weeks.

"For an 18-year-old making his debut he was pure class," he enthused. "He needs more outings and we're prepared to do that for him contrary to what some people are saying."

That was a reference to former Wales captain Ieuan Evans claiming the Dragons need to do more to develop young talent.

Tovey is from Cross Keys, went to Cwmcarn High School and has played for Keys, Newport and current club Bedwas.

Though Turner is due to sign an outside-half - the favourite being New Zealander James Arlidge, currently playing in Japan - Tovey's arrival is one bright spot for the remaining few games after the defeat by the Ospreys left them condemned to a Heineken Cup play-off against the third-placed Italian team, or worse.

Despite a worthy, battling performance against the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium the Dragons trail their rivals by ten points with three games left and remain five points ahead of Connacht.

The Dragons have three matches left crammed into six days, against Leinster twice and the Ospreys return compared with Connacht's two, against Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys, both at home and on successive Saturdays.

To complicate the situation, Wales coach Warren Gatland wants his South African tour players for training in May and the Blues and Ospreys could be well under strength for the remaining games.

Turner, though admitting the Ospreys deserved their win, is still seething at the decision which gave them their only try nine minutes from the end which deprived the Dragons of an unexpected losing bonus point.

Hook's pass to Aled Brew for the try was clearly yards forward, made even more galling when he had pulled up the Dragons for a similar, far more marginal, offence just before.

Also rankling were the yellow cards dished out to Richard Parks and Luke Charteris, while several Ospreys players using foul language and trying to referee the game were allowed to stay on the pitch.

"We've blown the chance of qualifying in third place and our recent performances against Connacht, Glasgow and Edinburgh were not good enough when we tried hard not to win it," admitted Turner.

"But I'm proud of the players and their commitment.

"But we got done with a forward pass, which was neither here nor there, and they have scored from a clear forward pass which has taken a bonus point away from us.

"I'm not happy. For the second year in succession I've spoken to Robert Yemen (WRU referees chief) and he agreed and the touch judge didn't help us."

The Ospreys reaction was to accuse the Dragons of stifling the game. "They stopped us playing," said assistant coach Sean Holley.