SPIRIT won it for us, claimed Danny Wilson, one of the new breed of Newport Gwent Dragons coaches after their outstanding 28-20 LV Cup win at Sale on Friday.

“For the final 20 minutes Sale fought back and the boys hung on for dear life,” said forwards coach Wilson.

“It was down to the spirit of the players sticking to it. The focus had been on coming here to get a win.

“We actually played some quality rugby in the first half as well (they scored 22 points at the start of the second half) but to come away with a win here is fantastic, especially when we rotated the squad and mixed it up.

“What impressed me was their heart, especially when they were defending constantly in the last 15 minutes. But we came here to do a job and the boys delivered.

“The phase play was better in the second half, they kept the ball and scored some good tries, playing some superb rugby. The spirit of the younger players impressed me though they tired a bit.

“Martyn Thomas, Matthew Watkins and Joe Bearman (all returning after long spells on the sidelines) showed their class. We’ve missed them and they were huge for us.

“It will take them time to get match fit and we will do it progressively, it’s good to see them back.

“The focus for us now is to get to the semi-finals, get that win against the Scarlets (at home on Sunday at 1pm not Thursday as advertised elsewhere) and do the maths and permutations.”

Acting captain Steve Jones said, “It’s been a tough day after the news about Paul Turner, but we put things in place.

“We performed well for 40 minutes against Glasgow and now 60 against Sale but it will count for nothing if we fail to beat the Scarlets.

“We have got a belief in the squad and we pulled together, we’ve worked hard all season. We showed real spirit and it was great to see all the fans here. A semi-final would be terrific.”

It was not the finish to a successful seven-year career with Sale that director of rugby and ex-coach Kingsley Jones wanted.

After being made a special presentation in the clubhouse the former Ebbw Vale captain admitted: “It was a disappointing way to finish off, but I can’t think of a better team to lose to. I was hoping for a 21-20 win for Sale!

“Defences were on top in the first half and both teams were nervous. I felt whoever scored first in the second half would go on and win it.

“The Dragons came out and in a 15-minute period took the game away from us. On balance they were the better team despite Sale’s fightback.”

He continues to be linked with teams in France, Wales and the Russian national vacancy, but is taking some time out to consider his options.

“I’m very lucky that people are linking me with different jobs,” he said But significantly he returned from France on Friday morning and a visit to Toulon where his former Sale colleague Phillipe Saint-Andre is coach.

Jones was there to do a special report on France for the BBC Scrum V programme ahead of the Six Nations.