NEWPORT Gwent Dragons had to graft for victory in the cold and mud of Bucharest but it was a different story six days later on the hard, fast track of Rodney Parade.

Friday nights in Newport are usually accompanied by torrential rain but unfortunately for the Wolves the dark clouds stayed away.

The Dragons enjoyed perfect crisp conditions to run in a regional record 11 tries, beating the 10 that they set against the same opponents in 2006, although they failed to better the win margin from that 66-10 success.

Last Saturday was a testing encounter in perishing conditions at Ghencea Stadium, the region really having to work for a 37-10 scoreline that didn't really give Bucharest the credit they deserved, but this was a one-side romp.

The 69-17 drubbing saw the Dragons leapfrog Newcastle, who lost a thriller to Stade Francais on Thursday, to top Pool Three.

Five points from their two January fixtures against the Falcons and Parisians should be enough to earn a spot in the last eight while double delight would probably earn a home quarter-final.

It was a professional job against limited opposition.

The Dragons played a shrewd kicking game to win the territorial battle and wise when in possession, finding the weak shoulder and then stretching the Romanians to exploit their defensive fragility in the wide channels.

The last time that the Dragons had played at Rodney Parade they were booed from the pitch after a 38-12 humbling to Munster.

This time it was clear before a quarter had been played that the home faithful would be contently toasting a bonus-point win.

The Dragons needed to show plenty of steel and determination to emerge from ice-cold Bucharest with the spoils a week ago but, as expected, it was a tad easier on home turf.

That ensured the region recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in a grim 2014, although victories against the spirited but limited Wolves do not merit the club shop to frantically rush out DVDs to hit the Christmas market.

The Dragons had been respectful of Bucharest in the build-up to the game but this was all about building for three crucial challenges ahead.

Director of rugby Lyn Jones resisted the temptation to tinker with his line-up with the intention of gathering momentum for next Sunday's clash with Zebre in Newport and the festive double-header with Cardiff Blues.

So it was a blow to see centre Ashley Smith helped from the field after being knocked out making a chop tackle in the fourth minute.

In fact, it was a nightmare opening by the hosts with scrum-half Jonathan Evans' clearance kick five metres out was charged down to gift flanker Vali-Catalin Mototolea a try.

Captain Florin Vlaicu converted to give the Wolves, who had led 10-0 in Romania, a perfect start but

the hosts responded swiftly with a multi-phase attack that worked up to the line for openside Nic Cudd to dart over and three quickfire tries had the bonus point secure after 23 minutes.

First a good claim of a high ball by replacement full-back Geraint Rhys Jones saw Cudd, lock Andrew Coombs and number eight Lewis Evans combinge to put fly-half Jason Tovey down the left to draw the last man and put centre Ross Wardle over.

Tovey then put wing Hallam Amos over down the left with a peach of a pass before a slick counter-attack ended with Jonathan Evans racing under the sticks.

Wardle and Amos were having great joy out wide and they combined to give Tom Prydie, who had shifted from full-back to centre when Smith was forced off, a run-in.

And Prydie scored the sixth and final try of the first half after 34 minutes when the beneficiary of a huge overlap down the right with the score staying at 38-7 when full-back Jones missed his first conversion.

That wasn't even the Dragons biggest half-time lead of the season and like the LV= Cup encounter with the Ospreys at Bridgend, when a 41-0 advantage ended in a slightly nervy 51-35 success, it wasn't the most polished second-half performance.

Hooker Rhys Thomas scored his third try of the European campaign from a driving lineout and Prydie jinked past some poor tackles for his hat-trick.

Replacement scrum-half Florin Surugiu earned warm applause after a smart break, grubber and chase enabled him to exploit a defensive howler by wing Matthew Pewtner for the visitors' second.

Lock Andrew Coombs charged down the left for the Dragons' ninth only for some weak defence to give Bucharest a sniff of a bonus point thanks to wing Ionut Botezatu's score.

But the Dragons ended the game on the front foot and crossed for a tenth when full-back Jones was put over by Prydie and then replacement scrum-half Luc Jones dashed over at the death.

Dragons: T Prydie, M Pewtner, R Wardle, A Smith (GR Jones 3), H Amos, J Tovey (D Jones 64), J Evans (L Jones 54), P Price (O Evans 58), R Thomas (E Dee ), B Harris (D Way 62), A Coombs, C Hill, J Thomas (R Landman 58), N Cudd, L Evans (captain, T Faletau 40).

Scorers: tries – N Cudd, R Wardle, H Amos, J Evans, T Prydie (3), R Thomas, A Coombs, GR Jones, L Jones; conversions – GR Jones (7)

Bucharest: L Samoa, M Apostol, C Dascalu, A Ilie, I Botezatu, F Vlaicu (captain, F Lazar 58), G Diaconescu (F Surugiu 54), C Pristavita (M MDico 66), O Turashvili (A Oancia 74), V Badalicescu (S Vasiliu 47), P Ailenei, O Ageacai (P Neacsu 77), V Mototolea (A Mitu 40), J Van Heerden, R Ailenei.

Scorers: tries - V Mototolea, F Surugiu, I Botezatu; conversion – F Vlaicu

Referee: David Wilkinson (Ireland)

Attendance: 3,936

Argus star man: Ross Wardle