Full back Will Talbot-Davies scored a second half try to wrap up a try bonus point – but it was still a day of frustration for Dragons XV who were on the wrong end of a 10-try thriller with Ulster A in the Celtic Cup at a sunny Ystrad Mynach.
Dragons went into the game eager to fall the right side of cup results after recent narrow regional defeats to Cardiff Blues A and Scarlets A.
They looked to be on the way after scrum half Dafydd Buckland and a penalty try gave the hosts a deserved lead at the break.
Aneurin Owen and Talbot-Davies grabbed second half scores to secure the try bonus point.
But Ulster hit back in emphatic fashion in the second period and secured victory – and a fourth win in five games – with centre Ross Adair the hat-trick hero.
Dragons started in the ascendency with a scrum penalty secured by prop Chris Coleman forcing Ulster deep into their own half.
Powerful bursts from Rio Dyer, Taine Basham and Connor Edwards were all repelled before alert Wales Under-20 scrum half Buckland spotted a gap and sniped over from close range.
Talbot-Davies went close down the left flank before the hosts were reduced to 14 men, with Number Eight Basham yellow carded for an off the ball incident.
Ulster took full advantage of the extra man within a minute with centre Adair racing clear.
Robson steadied the ship with a sweetly struck penalty before Ulster went ahead for the first time with back row Aaron Hall bundling over after a quick tap penalty from Nathan Doak.
However, Dragons had the final word of an entertaining half as a massive scrum was illegally stopped as it surged for the line and the referee went under the posts to award the home side a penalty try.
Dragons went close again after the interval, Dyer causing problems before his final pass to fellow wide man Joe Goodchild found turf and not hands.
Back came resilient Ulster and two quick-fire tries, from wing Graham Curtis and Adair, appeared to pull them clear.
The topsy-turvy nature of the encounter continued with fly half Arwel Robson showing superb vision to chip in ahead for Owen to touch down.
Adair and Talbot-Davies exchanged tries before Ulster finally ended home resolve as wing Luke Pollock scooted over seven minutes from time.
Timeline:
12m Buckland t Robson c 7-0
22m Adair t 7-5 27m Robson p 10-5
32m Hall t Houston c 10-12
40m Penalty t 17-12
49m Curtis t Houston c 17-19
53m Adair t Houston c 17-26
60m Owen t Robson c 24-26
62m Adair t Houston c 24-33
67m Talbot-Davies t Botica c 31-33
73m Pollock t Houston c 31-40
79m Houston p 31-43
Dragons XV: Will Talbot-Davies, Rio Dyer, Connor Edwards (Penny 58), Aneurin Owen, Joe Goodchild, Arwel Robson (Botica 64), Daf Buckland (Babos 51); Jack Cosgrove (Reynolds 51), Ellis Shipp (Griffiths 72), Chris Coleman (Yendle 61), Ed Scragg (Carter 64), Max Williams, Ben Fry, Ben Roach, Taine Basham (Price 61)
Replacements: Will Griffiths, Josh Reynolds, Luke Yendle, Ben Carter, Garin Price, Dan Babos, Jacob Botica, Carwyn Penny
Ulster A: Ethan McIlroy, Luke Pollock, Ross Adair, Hayden Hyde, Graham Curtis, Bruce Houston, Nathan Doak; Callum Reid, Tom Stewart, Andrew Warwick, JJ McKee, Jack Regan, Aaron Hall, Matthew Agnew, David McCann
Replacements: Zack McCall, Tommy O’Hagan, Paul Mullen, Joe Dunleavy, Azur Allison, Lewis Finlay, Ben Power, Conor Rankin
