Boss Dean Ryan praised the physicality and intensity shown by his Dragons as they roared back against Ulster in the Guinness PRO14 at Principality Stadium.
Dragons twice battled back in the Welsh capital with tries from Ollie Griffiths, Rio Dyer and Jonah Holmes as they were eventually edged out 26-22.
And Director of Dragons Rugby Ryan was pleased with the manner of the performance even if the victory eluded his side.
He said: "I'm pretty proud of us, it's a new level of physicality and intensity we're playing at.
“For us to stay in that game and impose ourselves on that game at the end is a new space for us.
“We’ve a lot of youngsters in there and there is the understanding of how physical you have to be against the Irish provinces just to get space.
“We want to win and we are getting closer. You have to understand how physical you need to be and today was a step forward for us.
“We make some mistakes at that level and we missed two or moments where we've got to be more clinical,” he added.
"There's a lot of things to be positive about, although we didn't get the win we wanted. We are getting closer to the standout three or four Irish provinces in terms of physicality and depth.
“They are a big and physical side – very physical - and they worked very hard to not let us get anything,
“That is the challenge that playing at this level that we have got to meet.
“We could have fallen away at 14-0, that wasn’t a great representation of the first half hour, but we stayed in the game and were competitive.”
Ryan was also delighted with the way his side dealt with playing at the home of Welsh rugby.
“I thought it was fantastic (playing at the stadium), full credit to everyone who help put it on, and I think it was a great advert,” he said.
“We are here for the next few weeks and if we can match that level of intensity then there are some things that we can be proud of.
“We’ve created that level of intensity we need these last few weeks.
“We didn’t get the win we would have wanted, but full credit to the team for that level of performance.
"It was a huge bonus point, the same as the Leinster one, and we'll only know at the end (of the season) what it means.’
You have to understand how physical you need to be and today was a step forward for us...
