NEWPORT Gwent Dragons ended a three-year wait for a victory against English opposition at Rodney Parade with a 20-8 success against London Wasps in the LV= Cup.

The win against Gloucester in November 2010 was the last time that the Dragons had enjoyed a home triumph against a team from over the border.

But tries by wings Matthew Pewtner and Ashton Hewitt plus the left boot of full-back Rhys Jones took the spoils and kept alive the region’s hopes of making the knockout stages of the Anglo-Welsh tournament.

The Dragons headed into the game on the back of losses to Bath, the Ospreys, Leinster and the Scarlets.

They wanted to get back on the horse ahead of a tricky period that pits them against the RaboDirect Pro12’s top two – Glasgow and Munster – before an Amlin Challenge Cup double-header with Bordeaux-Begles.

And their mixture of academy talent, fringe players and the odd first-teamer managed to get a morale-boosting win against a Wasps side that did the double over the Dragons in Europe last season.

Rhys Jones’ kicking separated the teams at the break with the Dragons holding a 13-8 advantage.

The Cross Keys and Wales sevens full-back slotted two penalties and a marvellous touchline conversion of Matthew Pewtner’s score.

The winger smartly finished down the right after flanker James Benjamin and lock Cory Hill showed nice hands to give him a run at the line.

That was a rapid response to going behind after Wasps flanker Matt Everard had barged over from a driving lineout, adding to fly-half Joe Carlisle’s penalty to give the English side a short-lived 8-6 lead.

The score remained at 13-8 until the closing stages after Rhys Jones and Wasps replacement Andy Goode missed long-range shots at goal.

But the Dragons secured the points in the 75th minute when debutant Ashton Hewitt somehow managed to cross the whitewash.

Wasps pair Chris Bell and Jonah Holmes seemed to have everything covered after the livewire wing went racing down the left following a break through midfield by Will Harries.

But the teenager, thanks to a mixture of a hand-off and some shoddy defence, wriggled clear with Jones’ conversion stretching the lead to 20-8 that the hosts held on to.

Dragons: R Jones, A Hewitt, T Morgan, A Smith, M Pewtner (W Harries 68), S Jones, J Evans (L Jones 38, D Jones 68), P Price (A Coundley 65), H Gustafson (E Dee 55), N Buck (D Way 55), R Sidoli (captain), C Hill (J Davies 70), N Talei (S Matthews 58), J Benjamin, I Jones.

Scorers: tries – M Pewtner, A Hewitt; conversions – R Jones (2); penalties – R Jones (2)

Wasps: T Bell (A Goode 57), J Holmes, B Jacobs, C Bell, T Howe, J Carlisle, J Moates (J Simpson 57), R Reeves (S McIntyre 68), N Cochrane (C Festuccia 72), P Swainston (W Taylor 68), E Lozada, J Cannon (K Myall 57), J Haskell (E Jackson 72), M Everard, S Jones.

Scorers: try – M Everard; penalty – J Carlisle

Yellow card: K Myall

Referee: Steve Lee (RFU)

Attendance: 4,150