NEWPORT Gwent Dragons achieved an undreamt of bonus point when they gave Guinness Premiership leaders Bath – one of the Heineken Cup favourites – an almighty fright at the Recreation Ground yesterday.

The Dragons were under the cosh for most of the game, but they defended magnificently as they held Bath at bay bringing off tackle after tackle and hauling players to the ground tirelessly.

Back row pair Colin Charvis and Joe Bearman were absolutely outstanding, with Phil Dollman running them close and the whole team defending heroically with a wonderful rearguard action.

Twice the Dragons were down to 14 men as Charvis and Lewis Evans were yellow carded, but each time they denied the hosts a score.

Bearman just pipped Charvis for the man-of-the-match award, but it could have gone to any member of the team.

Replacement Shaun Connor kicked two penalties and James Arlidge one as the Dragons did Welsh rugby proud and after this perhaps all the knockers will look at them in a different light.

They took the field in snazzy yellow shirts and red shorts in front of a full house of 10,600 who quickly saw Bath sweep into action, but Rory Sidey and Arlidge managed to clear.

Then Wayne Evans regathered his own kick neatly and fed Dollman, but he was penalised for holding on and Butch James planted the ball back into the Dragons 22.

But a wonderful piece of robbery by Charvis won the ball back for the Dragons who, though they hadn’t threatened the Bath line, were at least contesting everywhere and comfortably keeping their line intact.

But home pressure became a siege, with skipper Michael Lipman and Sean Berne thrusting for the line, and when Dragons captain Tom Willis tackled Berne high James slotted the penalty to give Bath a 14th minute lead.

A Dragons line-out went astray, but Adam Jones responded by taking a Bath throw though James missed a chance to double the Bath lead with a 50 yard penalty from in front which drifted wide.

Another superb steal by Charvis denied Bath, but Evans kicked poorly and the home side countered heavily deep into the Dragons 22 where full back Nick Abendanon was well tackled by Marc Stcherbina.

It was one-way traffic, but the Dragons were defending magnificently and it was only through a second James penalty that Bath were able to extend their lead after 25 minutes.

The Dragons suffered a blow when the excellent Charvis was yellow carded for preventing release two minutes later.

Suddenly the Dragons threatened through a piece of opportunism by Richard Fussell, but the Italian referee continued to penalise them heavily and James planted a kick deep into their 22, though Arlidge just cleared.

Lipman then dropped the ball a few yards short, but far from capitulating when down to 14 the Dragons actually threatened with a thrilling kick and chase by Gareth Wyatt.

The Dragons defence was to the fore again when James broke through and handed on to big Matt Banahan who ripped through the middle, but Dollman brought off a great tackle on number eight Jonny Faamatuianu.

Charvis returned to the fray, but amazingly the Dragons kept their line intact throughout the first half while Bath lost influential scrum half Michael Claassens just before the interval, shaken up in a tackle.

Incredibly, the Dragons actually got on the scoreboard for the first time when Arlidge slotted a 40-yard penalty from in front of the posts in the second minute of the half.

Normal service soon resumed, but Banahan threw away a try scoring opportunity and Abendanon sliced a dropped goal shot.

The home crowd were getting frustrated at their team’s inability to score a try, and it became worse when James missed a kickable penalty attempt.

But the Dragons were down to 14 for a second time when number eight Lewis Evans was yellow carded for killing the ball moments after the referee had warned skipper Willis about repeated offences.

The Dragons were at last seeing a bit of the ball, Bearman to the fore as he had been all game before another Charvis turnover saw the Dragons handle well and Arlidge kick deep into the Bath 22.

The Dragons gave their hosts a taste of their own medicine as Dollman, Luke Charteris and Charvis all thrust for the line.

Then they put a penalty into touch, Jones won the ball and Rhys Thomas was almost driven over.

Evans returned, again the Dragons denying Bath a score when down to 14, but, freshened up by three replacements, the hosts pummelled the line again.

They turned down successive penalties in front of the posts, opting for scrums instead. Forward after forward drove for the line and each time they were hurled back.

It was ironic, therefore, that when a try finally came just eight minutes from the end it was from a wild pass which replacement Andrew Higgins picked up and threaded through for the score. James rubbed salt in by converting from near the touchline.

The Dragons sent on a raft of replacements and one of them, Shaun Connor, put them back into bonus point territory with a well struck penalty three minutes from the end of normal time.

And he did it again three minutes later with another superbly struck penalty.

Bath: N Abendanon, J Maddock, A Crockett (S Hape 74), S Berne, M Banahan (A Higgins 66), B James, M Claassens (S Bemand 37), D Flatman (D Barnes 49), L Mears (P Dixon 66), M Stevens, J Harrison (P Scaysbrook 66), P Short, S Hooper, J Faamatuainu, M Lipman (captain).Scorers - try: A Higgins; conversion: B James; penalties: James (2).

Dragons: P Dollman, G Wyatt, R Sidey (A Smith 73), M Stcherbina, R Fussell, J Arlidge (S Connor), W Evans (R Lewis 74), A Black, T Willis (captain), R Thomas, A Jones (A Hll 73), L Charteris, J Bearman, L Evans (G Webb 73), C Charvis. Scorers - penalties: J Arlidge, S Connor (2).

Referee: Carlo Damasco (Italy).

Attendance: 10,600.