HEAD coach Kingsley Jones believes Newport Gwent Dragons have taken a big step forward in 2014/2015 and could challenge for a top-six spot in the Guinness Pro12 next season.

The Dragons end their campaign in Cork against title challengers Munster on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

They may be only ninth in the table but the Rodney Parade region have recorded 13 wins and only seven defeats since the beginning of December and progressed to the European Challenge Cup semi-finals.

And, whatever happens at Musgrave Park this weekend, they will finish above Welsh rivals Cardiff Blues.

Jones is convinced that the Dragons can shake off their reputation as the fourth Welsh region but he’s also aiming higher than that.

“I think there has been progress this season,” he said. “To get to a semi-final in Europe was a high point even if we were disappointing when we got there.

“It was a step in the right direction and the number of young players we’ve blooded this season has been a real positive.

“And they’re only going to get better so that’s massive for us.

“The first two months of the season were difficult for us and it took its toll on the squad,” he added.

“We had a lot of injuries and it set us back. We took a little while to recover.

“But after that the European campaign was excellent for us and, since November, we’ve been pretty good with the exception of Edinburgh away and the Scarlets game.”

And, having won 16 and lost 17 matches in all competitions this season, Jones believes the Dragons could start to look up the Pro12 table rather than down next season.

“We’ve won 50 per cent of our games, which is a big positive and it’s the first time the region has done that in a long time,” he said.

“We’ve got 41 points, which would have put us in seventh place in the league last season.

“We’re clutching at straws a little bit I guess but it is a positive for us.

“We want to continue to climb up the league and two more wins would have seen us sitting joint sixth with the Scarlets.

“Every coach can say that – we all could have won two more or lost two more.

“But we’ve got to make sure we turn those games into positive results and learn from those.

“And we haven’t finished as the bottom Welsh region,” he added.

“Whether that’s down to the Blues or not, the 11-point gap at the moment is quite considerable.

“It’s about us changing perceptions of the Dragons so that we’re not known as the fourth region and this is a step in the right direction.”