A NINTH-PLACE finish for the second year on the spin doesn't do justice to the strides made by Newport Gwent Dragons in 2015/16.

The Rodney Parade side ended plenty of unwanted records in the Guinness Pro12 last season to go along with many intangible improvements.

They won in Dublin for the first time, they ended a wait for a win in Cardiff that stretched back to the first season of regional rugby, they enjoyed a first league win in Treviso where they notched a first away four-try bonus point since 2004.

They beat Irish heavyweights Leinster and Ulster at Rodney Parade and they avoided the tag of Wales worst region for the first time since 2010.

Small steps have been made under the stewardship of Lyn Jones and that progress needs to continue, with a glorious opportunity to make a statement of intent presenting itself tomorrow evening - it has been 11 years since the Dragons turned over Connacht on their own patch.

Sione Tu'ipulotu, Nathan Brew, Percy Montgomery, Andy Marinos (captain), Hal Luscombe, Craig Warlow, Gareth Baber, Adam Black, Kieran Crawford, Chris Anthony, Ian Gough, Peter Sidoli, Bobby Skinstad, Jason Forster and Michael Owen made up the only Dragons XV to have left the Sportsground after victory.

That crop finished third in the Celtic League and fourth the following year. No Dragons side has managed a top-half finish since.

This season has to once again be about progress for the Rodney Parade side and while it would be a bit much to demand a challenge for the play-offs, it isn't unreasonable to expect a push for Champions Cup rugby in 2016.

Whether the Dragons can hack it in the premier European competition is irrelevant; it would just be nice to be back at the top table and attempting to dish out a bloody nose or two to the big boys.

Jones' side should profit from a settled summer and from there being more competition throughout the squad courtesy of a handful of solid acquisitions and the development of some young talent.

Unlike this time last year, they are a side that knows their style and patterns. They should be able to hit the ground running whereas in September 2014 they were hindered by a raft of injuries and a high number of new boys finding their feed.

A rapid start while other teams are disrupted by the World Cup is key to progress and so is home form.

The Dragons won five and lost five at Rodney Parade last season, totting up 24 points from a possible 50.

There is room for improvement there and they must also prosper more against their west Walian rivals above them.

They have managed just one league win against the Scarlets and Ospreys in the Lyn and Kingsley Jones era and have bagged five points out of a possible 30.

Then there is the hope that the Dragons attacking game can develop – they were pretty solid up front last season and possessed an impressive driving lineout but it was a little too infrequently that the strike runners stretched their legs.

The Dragons have made some steady progress in recent seasons and the exciting thing is that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Fingers crossed they will stay on an upward trend because there is no reason why the region shouldn't be toasting a top-half finish for the first time in over a decade following the season finale at Zebre on the first weekend of May. After a long pre-season that journey to Parma is almost upon us.