The Dragons secured a 35-14 bonus point victory over Zebre at Rodney Parade, ending a run of back-to-back derby defeats to the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship.
Filo Tiatia's side had made a solid start to the campaign before those two losses, making a win in the final match of the first block of fixtures important. The result moved the Men of Gwent into the top eight of the URC.
Dragons Overcome Injuries and Call-Ups
With five players in Wales camp and a dozen injured, a much-changed Dragons side avoided a potential upset against the league's basement side, who had lost all four matches to begin the season.
Wing David Richards, making his first appearance of the season, opened the scoring after just six minutes, going past two defenders to score. Fellow wing Anzelo Tuitavuki doubled the lead just before the half-hour mark.
Bonus Point Secured Late On
The summer signing crossed again, making it five straight matches in which the Tongan international has scored. Centre Fine Inisi, named player of the match, moved the Dragons further in front after being put through a gap by centre partner Joe Westwood.
Zebre hit back with a close-range score from Matteo Canali. Nine minutes from time, Wales international Cai Evans latched onto a kick through to seal the Dragons' bonus point try. Tobias Wade added another consolation score for the Italians, but the final word went to the Dragons, who got a fifth score at the death after a maul brought them a penalty try.
