The Dragons secured a dramatic 19-18 victory over Zebre in Parma, with winger David Richards touching down in the dying seconds to clinch their first away win in the United Rugby Championship (URC) since April 2022.
Despite a lackluster performance, the Rodney Parade side heads into their Challenge Cup semi-final against Montpellier on a high note. The win also lifts them above Scarlets into 14th place in the URC standings.
First Half
Dragons struggled with discipline early on, conceding a penalty that fly-half Giacomo Da Re converted for a 3-0 Zebre lead. However, the visitors struck back with a slick move: fly-half Tinus de Beer and flanker Thomas Young combined to send Jared Rosser over in the corner. The conversion made it 7-3 at half-time.
Second Half
Zebre responded quickly after the break, with hooker Tommaso di Bartolomeo powering over from a driving maul. Dragons lock Levi Douglas was sin-binned for illegally collapsing the maul, and Da Re's penalty extended the home side's lead to 11-7.
Dragons regained the lead in the 68th minute when lock Ben Carter crashed over from a quick tap penalty. But Zebre hit back almost immediately, Samuele Locatelli finishing off a line break by Giovanni Montemauri to make it 18-14.
As the clock ticked into red, Dragons mounted one final attack. After sustained pressure, Richards found space on the wing and dived over in the corner to secure a dramatic victory.
"It's been a long time coming," said Dragons head coach. "The boys showed incredible character to keep fighting until the end."
The result ends a four-year drought for away league wins, with the Dragons' last such victory coming against Scarlets in Llanelli in April 2022. Their last win outside Wales was at Connacht in October 2021.