NEWPORT Gwent Dragons have qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup after an incredible 40-29 win in Newcastle.

The Rodney Parade region ran in six tries to win on English soil for the first time in Europe and secure Pool Three top spot with a round to spare.

It means that in April they will play European knockout rugby for only the second time, matching the efforts of the squad of 2006/7.

The Dragons headed to the plastic pitch of Kingston Park with the intention of playing running rugby but nobody expect them to cross the whitewash five times in the first half hour to get the job done before their half-time oranges.

They stunned the Falcons with a mix of brute force up front through their well-drilled driving lineout, with hooker Hugh Gustafson having a cracking game on his first start of the season, and pace out wide with Wales hopefuls Tyler Morgan and Hallam Amos in sensational form.

Now the Dragons must ensure they repeat the trick against Stade Francais in Newport next Saturday to set the scene for a Rodney Parade cracker in the last eight.

The Dragons travelled to the north east looking to win a European tie in England for the first time, buoyed by their excellent success in Paris in the group opener.

That stunning win at Stade Jean Bouin was followed by a gut-wrenching 30-26 loss to the Falcons at Rodney Parade when they conceded two tries from charge downs, missed 10 points from the kicking tee and wasted a handful of five-metre lineouts.

There was a feeling in the Dragons’ camp that they owed their hosts one for that perceived burglary... and boy did they get their revenge.

Things looked ominous when the Dragons’ scrum was shunted back in the third minute for a penalty that Falcons fly-half Tom Catterick slammed between the posts.

But then the Dragons enjoyed the most incredible 26 minutes to earn their four-try bonus point and move within touching distance of the quarter-finals.

First scrum-half Jonathan Evans snaffled an overthrown home lineout close to halfway and the ball was worked wide via flanker Nic Cudd, fly-half Dorian Jones and centre Jack Dixon for his midfield partner Tyler Morgan to finish smartly.

Then the 19-year-old was stopped inches from the line and the ball was killed, leading to flanker Richard Mayhew being sin-binned. Three tries were scored in his absence.

First a penalty try was awarded after a driving lineout was illegally stopped and then the pack used the same tactic to bulldoze over for an Andrew Coombs score.

And on 26 minutes wing Hallam Amos finished smartly in the corner for the bonus point after being put in by the irrepressible Morgan.

Prydie added his fourth conversion for 28-3 but the visitors weren’t finished there and their attacking approach earned a fifth try before half an hour had been played.

Amos chipped over the defensive line on halfway, gathered and gave lock Rynard Landman a run-in to make it 35-3.

It was incredible fare with the crowd, who had expected a tight and tense tussle, stunned by the Dragons expansive approach and angered by their team’s meek defence.

The score was 35-3 at the break and the hope was that the Dragons wouldn’t suffer a repeat of their LV= Cup encounter with the Ospreys in Bridgend when they enjoyed a 41-0 lead at the interval before their hosts gave them a few nervy moments in a 51-35 success.

The Falcons clearly got an almighty kick up the backside in their changing room and scored their first try of the afternoon three minutes after the restart when, after the forwards had hammered away at the line, replacement centre Juan Pablo Socino cut a delightful angle to crash over for a try that Catterick converted.

The hosts were wounded and it took some desperate defence – along with poor execution of an overlap – to deny them a second after Chris Harris had powered within yards of the line.

But Newcastle weren’t to be denied in the 51st minute when Harris, who had moved from midfield to the wing, gathered a neat grubber and smashed over last man Prydie to make it 35-17.

The Dragons needed to settle down and they called Taulupe Faletau, who had been struggling with an ankle injury, from the bench.

The key was to get the kicking game going to force the Falcons to chance their arm from inside their own half with the aim of earning a three-point settler. Instead they got five with the ball worked to the left for Amos to finish expertly.

Back came the Falcons, who were desperate to get something out of the game to ensure they head to Bucharest with the aim of earning an away quarter-final as one of three runners-up, and replacement back row forward Will Welch barged over from close range after 65 minutes for their third score.

And the hosts had their bonus point in the bag with nine minutes remaining when flanker Andy Saull was at the bottom of a driving lineout to make it 40-29.

Thankfully that was as close as Newcastle got, leaving the Dragons to toast another magnificent European success.

Newcastle: S Hammersley, T Penny (J Socino 40), A Powell, C Harris (A Davies 67), A Tait, T Catterick (R Clegg 62), R Tipuna, A Rogers (E Fry 62), G McGuigan, K Brookes, S Robinson, K Thompson, R Mayhew, A Saull (captain), C York (W Welch 62).

Scorers: tries – J Socino, C Harris, W Welch, A Saull; conversions – T Catterick (2), R Clegg; penalty – T Catterick

Dragons: T Prydie, M Pewtner (GR Jones 67), T Morgan, J Dixon, H Amos, D Jones (A O’Brien 56), J Evans (L Jones 60), P Price (O Evans 52), H Gustafson (E Dee 70), B Harris (L Fairbrother 64), A Coombs (C Hill 64), R Landman (captain), J Thomas (T Faletau 54), N Cudd, L Evans.

Scorers: tries – T Morgan, penalty, A Coombs, H Amos (2), R Landman; conversions – T Prydie (5)

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)

Attendance: 3,280