IT’S APT that the words of a famous Lions number eight ring true after the exploits of Taulupe Faletau, the greatest ever Newport Gwent Dragon, helped secure a place in the European semi-finals.

“Dare we hope? We dare,” wrote the late Andy Ripley. “Can we hope? We can. Should we hope? We must.”

Newport Gwent Dragons, 10th in the Guinness Pro12, will head to Montpellier, second in the cash-rich Top 14, in the Challenge Cup semi-finals the weekend after next.

Forget for a moment their prospects at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir and breathe it in: Newport Gwent Dragons will head to Montpellier.

That is a statement that on Saturday morning had about as much credence as Sad Ken, the three-legged blind horse from the comedy ‘Bottom’, winning the Grand National later that day.

The Dragons were heading to Gloucester, a side that may not be enjoying the best of times in the Aviva Premiership but who needed to retain their trophy to qualify for Europe’s elite tournament, the Champions Cup.

The Cherry and Whites had won their last 15 in the Challenge Cup and it was surely a regulation win against the Dragons, who had lost their last seven in the Guinness Pro12.

And yet for the second successive year the Dragons are in the last four.

South Wales Argus:

After upsetting the odds at Kingsholm, they will attempt to do so in the south of France. Mission rock hard, certainly. Mission impossible, nope.

The Dragons have been awful in the Pro12 this season and are languishing with the Italian pair of Zebre and Treviso.

Yet in Europe they have once again thrived with a clean sweep at Rodney Parade against Sale, Pau and Castres plus crucially winning at the foot of the Pyrenees.

Can they raise themselves one last side to upset a Montpellier side who probably have a bigger budget for breakfast that the Dragons do for playing staff? Unlikely… yet possible.

The men from Rodney Parade have thrived in the Challenge Cup thanks to a lethal combination of opponents thinking they are rubbish and actually being far from rubbish.

In the pubs of Gloucestershire after the game there was a mixture of frustration at the Cherry and Whites’ performance – they were rancid – and admiration for their guests.

Lyn Jones’ side (although Kingsley Jones was at the helm in the absence of the ill director of rugby) are better than they have showed in the league.

Yet few outside those who aren’t on the region’s payroll travelled in expectation.South Wales Argus:

The desire was for the Dragons to at least give Gloucester a few body blows, to show that the region are a lot better than they were in the semi-final at Edinburgh last year or the pool decider at Sale.

To be honest I’ve seen them play better than they did at Kingsholm yet the end result from the 80 minutes in the West Country eclipsed anything I’ve observed.

Stade Francais? Pau? Newcastle? They played better rugby on each and every occasion yet winning in Gloucester is their finest moment, I believe, since their 2003 inception.

The Dragons fans on the Shed who outsung their Gloucester rivals throughout were left planning a surprise afternoon of celebration rather than drowning their sorrows.

The Cherry and Whites started the game with an arrogance that they could dismantle the Dragons front eight but while they admittedly had the edge in the scrum, it was never true dominance.

The Welsh region’s pack stood tall and in Faletau they had a superstar who produced a performance to make those in Bath squeal with delight; not only did he help beat their fierce rivals Gloucester but he put in a display that suggests even the whopping salary they are paying the Pontypool-raised forward is a bargain.

The Dragons showed resilience to stick in the game after an early try by former Scarlets number eight Ben Morgan, they defended excellently against the English side’s driving lineout and they played with maturity when down to 14 men in the first half, drawing 3-3 for the spell when scrum-half Sarel Pretorius was in the sin bin.

After coming out for the second half with a 12-11 lead they were comfortably the better and more energetic side. They stretched ahead and you felt they were in control at 18-11 with an hour gone.

Yet then a blow to the ribs. Gloucester strung together a good attack and went under the sticks when an awkward bounce from a James Hook grubber fell nicely for wing Steve McColl.

It was 18-18 and then 21-18 to the hosts when Greig Laidlaw kicked his third penalty with eight minutes left. Yet another narrow defeat was looming for the Dragons – they have lost six of their last seven in the league by under a score – but then came the unforgettable moment.

All season long the forwards have struggled to get their driving lineout going in attack, a frustration given the success they enjoyed with it in 2014/15.

Talk about perfect timing. Captain Lewis Evans pointed to the corner rather than the posts from two penalties and the second one saw them inch to the line before scrum-half Charlie Davies powered over.

The conversion was missed (11 points went begging from the tee plus Dorian Jones missed a simple drop goal) but the Dragons held firm for a 23-21 victory.

Few will give them a chance in Montpellier. Maybe that suits them.

Gloucester: T Marshall, R Cook, H Trinder, M Atkinson, S McColl, J Hook, G Laidlaw (captain), P McAllister (Y Thomas 63), R Hibbard (D Dawidiuk 58), J Afoa, T Savage, M Galarza, S Kalamafoni (G Evans 63), M Kvesic, B Morgan.

Scorers: tries – B Morgan, S McColl; conversion – G Laidlaw; penalties – G Laidlaw (3)

Yellow card: G Laidlaw

Dragons: C Meyer, A Hughes (GR Jones 61-72), T Morgan, A Warren, H Amos, D Jones (A O’Brien 19-26), S Pretorius (C Davies 64), P Price (B Stankovich 77), E Dee, B Harris (S Knight 77), R Landman (M Screech 64), N Crosswell, L Evans (captain), N Cudd, T Faletau.

Scorers: try – C Davies; penalties – D Jones (5), C Meyer

Yellow card: S Pretorius

Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)

Attendance: 10,501