IT was not the start to the new year Newport Gwent Dragons wanted, and there was a nasty sting in the tail which not only denied them victory, but a bonus point as well.

The Dragons played like world beaters at the start as they eased into a 7-0 lead, with the Scarlets hardly getting their hands on the ball.

Had two chances not gone begging the game could have been over in the first quarter. Kevin Morgan had already sliced over without a hand being laid on him from a lovely inside pass by Sione Tuipulotu, who had an excellent match.

More wonderful handling saw Nathan Brew speed down the wing only for a likely scoring pass inside to Ceri Sweeney to be spilled, followed by Brew dashing over in the corner only to be recalled for a forward pass.

That could have been three tries to one and game over, with a possible Dragons' hat trick split by a Matthew Watkins interception of a Sweeney pass and an 80-yard dash for the line for an opportunist home try.

But the Dragons' double never counted for those knock-on and forward-pass infringements, and as it happened, that Watkins interception try turned the game.

Even the Dragons still had a chance to snatch the spoils, for they battled back to grab a one-point 26-25 lead with 11 minutes of normal time left.

They held it for nine minutes when Tuipulotu blotted his copybook by getting yellow- carded, and Gareth Bowen landed a vital penalty.

And then came the cruellest blow, when in injury time the Scarlets' pack heaved the Dragons eight back at a scrum and Dafydd Jones completed an excellent individual performance in the battle of the number eights, with Michael Owen to crash over for his second try.

The conversion by Bowen robbed the Dragons of even a bonus point, which was the least they deserved after a battling, if error-ridden, performance.

The problem was that they lacked control and organisation. After the opening quarter the game went away from them, they conceded tries and they were unable to dictate, and the Scarlets' scrum was in the ascendancy for much of the game.

And though Ceri Sweeney was accurate with the boot from place kicks as he put over four penalties and two conversions for a 16-point haul, his kicking out of hand remains awful.

Why Percy Montgomery was not given the penalties is an absolute mystery.

But the spirit was evident as the Dragons battled back to go very close near the end, while Luke Charteris showed evidence of his growing potential.

But the Dragons had to give best to two-try performances by Watkins, a former Rodney Parade favourite, and Jones. Watkins followed up his interception try with another after the Dragons lost a scrum, and Bowen kicked through for the centre to pounce.

Jones had already nabbed his first after Chris Wyatt and Dafydd Jones had both charged for the line, the Wales back row man finishing off when his two team-mates were halted.

Then came that injury-time effort to clinch a bonus point for the Scarlets and put them just one point behind the Dragons who, however, have a game in hand.

Yellow cards were also dished out liberally, referee Hugh Watkins sin-binning Scarlets pair Salesi Finau (high tackle) and skipper Easterby (preventing release) and Dragons duo Ian Gough (high tackle) and Tuipulotu (preventing release).

Each time a try was scored with Owen just making it from a Dragons pushover for their second when Easterby was off and Watkins likewise, while Gough was missing.

It was a vast improvement on the Dragons' two early performances at Stradey Park last season, but then they were just starting out, whereas now they are a much better team.

Things will have to improve for the next two Heineken Cup matches if the season is not going to fade away tamely.

Llanelli Scarlets: G Evans, A Havili, M Watkins (M Phillips 74), S Finau, T Selley, G Bowen, D Peel, I Thomas (P John 70), M Rees, D Hewett (J Davies 40), V Cooper (A Jones 58), C Wyatt, S Easterby (captain), D Jones, I Boobyer (A Powell 40).

Scorers -- tries: M Watkins (2), D Jones (2); conversions: G Bowen (3); penalties: Bowen (2); dropped goal: Bowen.

Newport Gwent Dragons: P Montgomery, N Brew, H Luscombe, S Tuipulotu, K Morgan, C Sweeney, G Baber, A Black, S Jones (J Richards 67), C Anthony (R Thomas 40), L Charteris (R Oakley 63), P Sidoli, I Gough, M Owen (captain), J Ringer (C Trayhern 78).

Scorers -- tries: K Morgan, M Owen; conversions: C Sweeney (2); penalties: Sweeney (4).