NEWPORT Gwent Dragons got their European Rugby Challenge Cup campaign off to a superb start against Brive. Here are five things we learned from the 37-16 success at Rodney Parade…

1: Fitness first to finish strongly

At 13-13 it was anyone’s game and at 16-13 it looked like Brive were going to grab a precious away win but the final quarter was stunning.

Lewis Evans’ try was just what was needed to bring the Rodney Parade faithful to life and then Cory Hill’s close-range effort plus Angus O’Brien’s conversion seemed to have got the job done with a nine-point buffer.

Suddenly French legs were gone and it was all Dragons with Sam Beard’s classy kick setting up Hallam Amos before Adam Warren raced over.

Chapeau to the conditioning team because the hosts were able to dig deep to finish strongly when Brive floundered, aided by…

2: Bench power

The Dragons did not feature several key figures in Sam Hobbs, Elliot Dee, Rhys Thomas, Nick Crosswell, Nic Cudd, Ollie Griffiths, Dorian Jones and Jack Dixon yet were still able to prosper thanks to a 23-man effort.

Phil Price was excellent after coming on at loosehead while hooker Darran Harris and tighthead Craig Mitchell came on in the last knockings of the game.

Lock Matthew Screech and back Harri Keddie both provided the sort of lift that you expect from forwards while fly-half Angus O’Brien and centre Sam Beard had some nice touches.

However, Sarel Pretorius was probably the most eye-catching replacement and, dare I say it, his game really suits being a number 21.

His pace, energy and snap means that he causes problems when legs are tiring and the South African’s game contrasts nicely with that of Charlie Davies.

While he wants to be No 9, Pretorius can rival Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in terms of impact off the bench when he has to reluctantly play deputy.

3: Scoreline harsh on bullish Brive

Those glancing at the rugby results while munching their cornflakes will have this down as a drubbing against French opposition that would rather have been elsewhere.

The 4,126 in attendance at Rodney Parade know otherwise, this was a fierce contest for 50 minutes between an opening salvo when Brive were shoddy and the Dragons were excellent.

Sometimes Top 14 sides on Challenge Cup weekends all but come out of the changing room smoking Gauloises and shrugging their shoulders.

At 13-0 it would have been easy for the French side to fold but they had the better of things to deservedly inch in front 16-13. The Dragons needed a lift, got it through Evans’ score and excellently went for the kill.

However, the nip-and-tuck nature of the game meant that there was much relief at the final whistle after being on the wrong side of so many tight encounters of late.

Sure, Brive retained just 10 of their side that was edged out at Bordeaux-Begles in the league but still headed to Wales expecting to win and the Dragons know that it will be a tough trip in round six even if their French hosts’ qualification hopes are gone.

South Wales Argus:

4: Selection headache in the three-quarters

In recent seasons the Dragons have been down to the bare bones when it comes to jerseys 12 to 15; if you’re fit, you’re in.

That's not been the case so far this term and head coach Kingsley Jones and backs coach Shaun Connor will have to keep playing it clever when it comes to selection of their three-quarters.

Combinations are key but then so is keeping players fresh to maintain performance - rotation is essential in the modern game.

Jack Dixon missed out in midfield this week with Adam Warren super next to a slightly subdued Tyler Morgan, who came off with a dead leg and saw replacement Sam Beard provide a lovely assist with the boot.

Out wide Hallam Amos has made a stellar start to the season and has taken over Taulupe Faletau’s mantle as a shoo-in but there are currently other options for the bosses.

Livewire Ashton Hewitt was majestic in 2015/16 and powerful Pat Howard has made a fine start to life at Rodney Parade; full-back Carl Meyer is solid with a booming boot while Tom Prydie can slot in anywhere with a rangy running style and strong aerial game. There’s also Adam Hughes to come back into the mix from concussion.

The beauty is that the three-quarters all offer different things, allowing Jones and Connor to use the horses for courses approach. Variety is the spice of life for the Dragons backs.

5: Lots and lots of room for improvement!

After so many frustrating defeats I don’t want to be a party pooper but there is much to work on before Enisei and then the in-form Ospreys.

Discipline was very poor after the rapid start and that gave Brive a foothold in the game, while the error count was too high between minutes 11 and 60.

Thankfully the French side also made some costly mistakes in the Dragons’ half but a cleaner game is needed in Krasnodar to avoid being dragged into the sort of manic game that it is expected the Russians will like.

In terms of performance, much of the Brive game was worse than the Scarlets and Glasgow defeats. Mind you, it's always better to work on improvements after win.