The talking points from Dragons 18 Glasgow 5

BIG SCALP

Glasgow were without their Scottish World Cup contingent but they have headed to Rodney Parade many times before with a ‘second string’ and left with the spoils (who can forget the 60-3 debacle during the 2013 Six Nations?).

READ MORE: The match report from the Dragons' win

Make no mistake, this was a big scalp for the Dragons against one of the title contenders.

The derby wins against the Ospreys and Scarlets apart, this was a first scalp since beating Leinster in January, 2016.

This well-deserved victory was an important step in earning the respect of PRO14 rivals.

TOP TACTICS

A six-point lead at half-time didn’t look likely to be enough but the quickfire tries after the break gave the Dragons something to hold onto, which they did with ease.

They played out time brilliantly and kept the Warriors at arm’s length, while they didn’t give any freebies to be put under the pump.

Boss Dean Ryan had said that the Dragons wouldn’t hide from the facets of the game that let them down against Munster and Connacht – the driving lineout, the kicking game, the scrum – and they stood firm.

Glasgow were the opposite – they played the horrible conditions as poorly as the Dragons did a fortnight earlier with fly-half Brandon Thomson having an absolute shocker.

BROK STEADIES THE SHIP

The influential South African signed a short-term contract extension in June and his agent should be straight on to Dean Ryan tomorrow morning.

Harris has been a huge figure at the Dragons since heading over from South Africa in 2014 and the prop remains vital at the age of 34, even though he is approaching the final years of his career.

The loosehead was badly missed after a concussion in the second minute of the loss to Connacht but his presence against Glasgow ensure a solid platform in the scrum and brought the best out of tighthead Leon Brown.

Ryan Bevington and Aaron Jarvis, who is comfortable on both sides of the scrum, are sidelined so the Dragons desperately need Harris for the next few weeks and months… and I’d argue 2020/21.

GRIFFITHS STARS (AGAIN)

The Dragons are blessed with a wealth of back row options but Ollie Griffiths always stands out.

The balance of the trio worked excellently against Glasgow with Griffiths flanked by hard-working blindside Huw Taylor and openside Taine Basham, the bright prospect who settled after some early penalties to score for a third game on the spin.

But Griffiths is the main man whenever he plays, adding dynamism with ball in hand and coming up with key moments in defence.

There is no reason why the 24-year-old from Newbridge can’t join Aaron Wainwright and Ross Moriarty on the Test stage under new boss Wayne Pivac.

“We know that Ollie is an outstanding player who leads from the front, that was just another typical Ollie Griffiths performance,” said assistant coach Barry Maddocks.

“He is physical and to the fore in everything, you expect nothing less every time that he takes to the field. We’d love him to be able to put together a run of games and hopefully he will get a bit of luck on the injury front.”

HIGH STANDARDS

Dean Ryan was pleased at the way that his side battled to victory by standing firm in the part of the game that let them down against Connacht and Munster.

However, the former England forward did little to shake off his tag as a hard taskmaster after the game, always wanting more.

“I am just disappointed we didn’t nil them in the end. That would have been a big psychological step too," said Ryan after Huw Jones' last-minute score denied the Dragons a first clean sheet since Zebre in 2015.