NEWPORT Gwent Dragons' hopes of automatic qualification for next season's Heineken Cup competition are fading fast after successive defeats by Connacht and Cardiff Blues.

Last night's 18-13 Celtic League setback against the Blues at Rodney Parade leaves them last of the four Welsh teams, level on points with Llanelli Scarlets but their rivals have two games in hand with both still due their second lot of four points for a free weekend. They meet on Saturday at Stradey Park where the Dragons have never won.

The Dragons now trail the Ospreys by nine points and the Blues by a massive 18 points.

It leaves them almost certainly having to qualify for Europe's major competition via a play-off against the third placed Italian team, just as the Blues did last year, assuming they remain ahead of Connacht and Glasgow, the lowest placed Irish and Scottish teams.

They ought to do that because they are five and four points ahead, respectively, with that free weekend advantage and a game in hand over Glasgow.

They are also technically above Borders, trailing them by just two points but with their four points to come, unlike the Scottish team, and with a game in hand.

And they will have home advantage should it come to a play-off, though they may well be without departing pair Hal Luscombe and Jon Bryant who will be out of contract by the time of a play-off on June 2.

It would also mean the Dragons' Welsh players flying out late for the tour to Argentina this summer.

"We've still got our free weekend and two home games (against Glasgow and Edinburgh) either side of that," said a still hopeful coach Paul Turner.

"We always knew this was going to be a crucial period and if it is going away from us it probably started at the weekend against Connacht."

At least there was the encouragement of a 7,113 crowd, decent enough given the continuous rain, following on from the 15,000+ attendance for the Ospreys-Scarlets derby the night before.

Turner admitted, "We were beaten by a better side which is used to winning. But we are not dismayed, it was still an improvement from Galway on a difficult night.

"At 13-10 the game was in the balance, but we made a couple of hair-brain decisions and didn't quite have the platform or the self belief.

"We didn't get territory and couldn't quite break the stranglehold. It wasn't a night for handling and some of Nicky Robinson's kicking was very good.

"It was a committed performance after Saturday which was awful. We had the solace of a bonus point and we go to Stradey in better shape."

Blues director of rugby David Young said: "Obviously we were pleased to win, but more important we've won five out of six against Welsh opposition, we've done the double against Gwent and the Ospreys which is a big feat we've never achieved before.

"It fell away in the second half when we got drawn into a kicking game, but we were the better team and blew a few chances. We could have ended with more tries."