Luke Charteris led by example to hand Newport Gwent Dragons a vital Heineken Cup victory over Glasgow Warriors.
Skipper Charteris scored the second try for the home side either side tries from Adam Jones and Martyn Thomas in a thrilling first half.
Glasgow rallied through touch downs from John Beattie and replacement but a last penalty miss by Dan Parks saw the visitors leave south Wales empty-handed.
But, although the Dragons will be happy with the win, the result was tinged with disappointment as they failed to pick up the bonus point.
Head coach Paul Turner opting to make seven changes for the must-win clash at Rodney Parade with Thomas, Will Harries, Rhodri Gomer-Davies, Phil Price, Peter Bracken, Lewis Evans and lock Jones included.
The Dragons had the chance to stamp their authority on the scoreboard as early as the sixth minute through the ever-improving James Arlidge but the Japanese number ten dragged his penalty attempt to the left of the posts.
The onus was on the hosts to force the pace and they duly delivered with the opening try in the 13th minute.
After a midfield burst from full-back Thomas, the home side declined the opportunity of taking the three-pointer to go for an attacking line-out in the left corner.
Second row Jones started the move by claiming the move before finished the training set-piece by emerging under a series of bodies from the ten-metre rolling drive.
As Arlidge converted from the left touchline, Glasgow scrum-half Chris Cusiter limped off holding his back.
But Glasgow rallied when Beattie cut through Evans’ missed tackle to coast under the posts for a converted try by Dan Parks.
Then Beattie turned from hero to zero in the space of four minutes when the number eight was shown a yellow card by French official Romain Poite for persistent infringing.
The latest error came as he was offside and it did not take long for the Dragons to capitalise on the numerical advantage through Arlidge’s close-range drop goal.
Parks was wayward with a second penalty attempt from distance before the Dragons erupted in the final minutes of the half with a crucial double strike.
Charteris struck first by crashing over in the right corner after a flowing move on the right touchline which included cameo roles by Wayne Evans, Harries and hooker Steve Jones.
But, while the 6,119 crowd were still catching their breath, the hosts put Glasgow to the sword with a clinical third try on the stroke of half-time.
After initial groundwork from centre partners Ashley Smith and Gomer Davies, the impressive Dan Lydiate gave the Dragons go-forward to the half-way line.
Then, the lively scrum-half Evans sent a deep grubber kick through and Thomas beat Colin Shaw to the chase for the touchdown.
Arlidge’s second conversion handed the home side a healthy 22-7 interval lead.
Glasgow were handed a lifeline in the 46th minute when Lydiate was the second Dragons player yellow-carded for an illegal tackle.
The visitors took advantage in the final minute of Lydiate’s sin-bin when replacement prop Kevin Tkachuk scored in the right corner.
Parks converted to set up a nervy finish but missed a last gasp penalty for a losing bonus point as the Dragons defence held firm.
