HOOKER Elliot Dee believes the Rodney Parade roar was pivotal in helping the Dragons complete the job to finally end their nightmare losing streak last week.

The 23-year-old from Newbridge was at the heart of the effort in the 21-8 success against Connacht, conjuring a wonderful offload for Hallam Amos' opener, scoring a try himself from close range and winning the man of the match award thanks to his energy around the field and strong set piece work.

The victory brought to an end an 11-game losing streak in the Guinness PRO14 and was a fist win in any competition since beating Enisei-STM in the European Rugby Challenge Cup in January.

Dee was was joined in the matchday squad by 11 other players from the Dragons academy – wings Hallam Amos, Ashton Hewitt and Jared Rosser, centres Jack Dixon and Tyler Morgan, fly-half Angus O'Brien, scrum-half Owain Leonard, prop Leon Brown and back row forwards James Benjamin, Ollie Griffiths and Harri Keddie.

And the front rower believed that made the victory all the sweeter when they dug deep in the face of incessant Connacht pressure in the second half.

"It's absolutely massive to have the Rodney Parade crowd behind you, nothing means more for the boys from Gwent," said Dee.

"We talked to each other on the field about working hard for each other and what it means to each other to push on and get a win.

"We are a tightknit group and there were 11 other boys who came through the academy. That's massive because there is no better feeling than going to 'war' with your friends.

"There was pressure to get the win and give the fans something to cheer about. On nights like that you feed off the fans, you can hear them going wild in the stands and it raises you extra 10 per cent.

"It sends shivers down your spine. I used to come here as a young boy to watch the likes of Rob Sidoli and Tom Willis and used to be in the Hazell Stand.

"All I wanted to be was a Dragon out on that field. To do it, get a win and feed off the crowd is amazing."

The Rodney Parade region haven't had a lot to cheer in 2017 and started the season with heavy losses to Leinster and Edinburgh.

Dee was thrilled that their toil on the training paddock under Bernard Jackman's new management team finally got its reward against Connacht with the squad digging deep despite injuries to centre Tyler Morgan, wing Jared Rosser and full-back Zane Kirchner in the first half.

"It was brilliant to get a win and see our hard work pay off. I don't think we can work harder than a Monday and a Tuesday," said Dee.

"We talked in pre-season about protecting our house. When we play at Rodney Parade it's the boys putting their bodies on the line for each other.

"After [the injuries came on] 30 mins I thought 'here we go again, we're not getting the bounce of the ball' but it showed the character of the squad.

"We scored some good tries early on but we got the win by digging it out and playing for each other."

Dee is one of the prime candidates for a rest when the Dragons name their team to face unbeaten Ulster in Belfast on Friday.

The front row and lock Cory Hill have started all three games of the season so far and head coach Bernard Jackman has pledged to freshen his side up for the Kingspan Stadium.