THE Dragons fell agonisingly short of claiming a big South African scalp against the Sharks after a role reversal of their derby win against the Ospreys.
The visitors stole the spoils 33-30 at the death, in the 85th minute, thanks to a close range try by hooker Fez Mbatha close to the spot where Luke Yendle crashed over on the opening weekend.
Dai Flanagan’s men were so close to their first South African victim since beating the Cheetahs before Covid in 2020, now they must lick their wounds for another crack when the Lions visit a week on Sunday.
The Dragons led 22-12 at half-time thanks to tries by flanker Taine Basham, tighthead Chris Coleman and scrum-half Rhodri Williams.
The Sharks went over twice with captain Vincent Tshituka powering over and then, with the last play of the half, scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse scoring a week after helping the Springboks win the Rugby Championship.
The South Africans hit the front thanks to tries by centre Jurenzo Julius and wing Ethan Hooker but the Dragons grabbed their four-try bonus through captain Ben Carter.
They led 30-26 going into the final quarter but the Sharks piled on the pressure at the death and eventually got their score.
This was another strong performance by the Dragons and they showed spirit and determination to put themselves in a winning position.
However, they will be kicking themselves for a key score on the stroke of half-time and for missed points from the tee.
The Dragons suffered a blow when Wales tighthead Leon Brown withdrew from the XV because of illness but hit the front in the fourth minute through the boot of Lloyd Evans, making up for a second minute miss.
The Sharks were getting on the wrong side of referee Andrew Brace and were reduced to 14 men in the 11th minute when flanker James Venter was sin-binned for a head-on-head tackle on Aneurin Owen.
However, a theme from Dublin continued with the Dragons failing to score points from three trips to the 22 inside 12 minutes.
They needed to make their pressure count and finally did in the 18th minute when Owen went close, the forwards hammered away and then Basham capped a lively start by powering over from close range.
Evans converted to make it 10-0 but the Sharks hit straight back to make it a five-point game with captain Vincent Tshituka barging over after a tap penalty and hard carries in the 22.
The response from the Dragons was impressive and it was 15-5 after 28 minutes thanks to a slick backs move that saw Rhodri Williams cut through and pass for wing Rio Dyer to go close.
They stayed calm and prop Coleman, who had been meant to have 18 on his back rather than 3, went over from a yard.
The Dragons had to soak up some pressure in their 22 to keep it 15-5 and then struck with a wonderful attack.
The ball was worked to the left wing where Jared Rosser showed pace and then composure to draw the last man and put scrum-half Williams over.
Evans converted to make it 22-5 but the Dragons were unable to kill the last 90 seconds of the half.
The Sharks changed the mood when Harry Wilson missed a tackle on centre Jurenzo Julius and then wing Ethan Hooker put Springboks scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse over.
Siya Masuku’s conversion made it 22-12 at the break – a good half for the Dragons but one that could have been even better.
The Sharks started the second half on the front foot and closed the gap when Julius reached over, with the try given after a TMO review when it initially looked like a knock-on.
Masuka converted and did the same to make it 26-22 to the Sharks in the 50th minute after wing Ethan Hooker scored from Jordan Hendrikse’s cross-kick.
The Dragons needed a momentum shift and were given a helping hand when lock Jason Jenkins was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.
They made the most of their man advantage to crash over for the bonus point with captain Carter finishing after a big lineout drive and big carries.
Evans missed badly from the tee and replacement fly-half Will Reed then took over kicking duties to make it 30-26 to the Dragons approaching the hour, then pulled a long-range effort.
The hosts had to repel an assault on their line to protect the lead and it remained a four-point game into the 70s.
Penalties racked up and the Sharks moved into the 22 only to be met by superb tryline defence… but the Dragons eventually cracked five minutes into the red.
Dragons: O’Brien (Reed 45); Dyer, Wilson (Westwood 45), Owen, J Rosser; L Evans, R Williams (Blacker 63); R Jones (Martinez 50), Coghlan, Coleman (Yendle 74), Screech, Carter (captain), Lewis-Hughes, Basham, Lydiate (Woodman 53).
Scorers: tries – Basham, Coleman, Williams, Carter; conversions – Evans (2); penalties – Evans, Reed.
Sharks scorers: tries – V Tshituka, Ja Hendrikse, Julius, Hooker, Mbatha; conversions – Masuku (4).
Referee: Andrew Brace.
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