PROUD Newport Gwent Dragons head coach Paul Turner believes his side are edging towards claiming a major scalp after pushing English champions Leicester all the way at their Welford Road fortress on Saturday.

The Tigers made it 21 wins on the bounce on their own patch but were given plenty of nervy moments by the gutsy Dragons.

Jason Tovey, Aled Brew and Rhodri Davies raced over for tries and the hosts had to scrap plans to go for their own four-try bonus to seal the win with the boot instead.

Turner, who picked a side that was a mixture of youth and experience, was delighted with the efforts of his players “We showed our flair and class with our three tries off turnovers but you have to suffocate sides as well,” he said.

“We are aiming to get the mentality that he likes of Leicester and Munster have got. It might take a bit of time but we are moving in the right direction and I’m proud of the guys.

“I was really pleased with a lot of performances, guys like Tovey, Riley, our loose forwards and our locks were all very good.

“But when you get a sniff at a place like Leicester you have got to take your chances because they smell the blood, whoever is in their team. We didn’t have enough knowhow to take the win or get the bonus point but I am really proud of the players.

“I have been here a lot and probably only won twice, and that was in the amateur era. You don’t get a lot when you come here and we have probably left a bonus point on the table.”

The Dragons have a well-earned rest before their Magners League clash with Leinster at Rodney Parade on December 6.

There is sure to be plenty of work on their creaking scrum but the break is also useful for the players and coaches to calm down after enduring a woeful afternoon at the hands, or whistle, of referee Tim Wigglesworth.

The English official had half-time visits from both Turner and Leicester counterpart Richard Cockerill after a baffling display.

Turner said: “He left everything to chance and there were probably a dozen holding penalties in the first half. We targeted the breakdown but didn’t get our reward there,” added Turner.

Cockerill, who said Mr Wigglesworth as out of his depth, was full of praise for the Dragons.

“They are a good side,” he said. “I know Paul well and I think he had done a good job there on a relatively small budget.

“They will always make you work hard and work hard themselves. There is a good spirit and they play some good stuff.

“They put us under pressure and forced us into mistakes they then scored from, so fair play to them. They are a dogged side and you have to give them credit for how they played.”

l The closing stages of Saturday’s clash highlighted an alarming flaw in the make-up of the new LV Cup, in which teams do not go up against those in their group.

With neither side needing to worry about the other getting bonus points, it would have been in the interests of both to trade late tries – which could potentially have given the Tigers a tally of five and the Dragons two points for their efforts.