Head coach Matt Sherratt hailed his team’s resilience after a hard-fought win against Dragons RFC on Boxing Day, describing the 22-24 victory as one of the most satisfying performances of the season.

Sherratt pointed to challenging conditions and a determined Dragons side as reasons why the side struggled in the opening stages, but commended his players for their desire and determination.

“I think the Dragons game was fairly unique in that the conditions weren’t great and it wasn’t the game we’d prepped for,” said Sherratt.

“We obviously do a lot of prep in terms of what our phase attack should look like, what our line attack should look like, but the game turned more into a typical derby with very little of that.

“Dragons is a really difficult place to go. Boxing day, packed house, wet night and in the first half they had a couple of things go for them.

“I actually thought it was one of our best wins of the season in terms of showing the resilience of the group, in terms of going 15-0 down.

“It could have been really easy to start feeling sorry for ourselves. Probably the biggest one for me was when they went back in front, I thought you saw a lift in our energy and a real want from the players.

“We praised the players for their efforts, said it was a great win away from home and moved quickly to Ospreys.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s game against Ospreys, Sherratt anticipates another high-intensity clash with highclass matchups played in front of a capacity Arms Park crowd.

“Derbies are great occasions. What I’m hearing is it’s pretty much sold out already and probably going to be another typical derby.

“Two good teams with lots of really good matchups. We had Lydiate and Faletau last week, we got Tipuric and Faletau this week and a load of other great matchups. It should be a cracking game.”

While pleased with the team’s progress so far this season, Sherratt refuses to get carried away.

“If I’m honest, the start of the season has been pretty kind to us. We’ve had five home games, a lot of derbies and I think if you look at probably the last couple of years the teams that kind of perform best in the derbies it does give you a little bit of a springboard.

“I’m really pleased with the way we’re tracking on and off the pitch really but it’s not something we’re going to get too excited about in December.

Sherratt also took a moment to praise the unity and selflessness within his squad, highlighting the attitude of the players who travelled to Newport but didn’t take the field.

“We’ve got a good group of lads here so what I said after the game obviously we’re all delighted with a win but what was more pleasing for me standing back a little bit was the attitude of the players who didn’t get on.

“You’ve got Ellis Bevan who started four or five games for Wales, genuinely pleased after the game thinking about the team, not that he didn’t get on the field.

“Exactly the same as Seb Davies, someone who’s played over a hundred games for the club.

“Tinus de Beer and Johan Mulder were travelling reserves and you could see a real togetherness after and it was just really nice for me to stand back and a squad where we’re all pushing in the same direction.

The Blue and Blacks have made seven changes to the side that started against Dragons RFC on Boxing Day, with Sherratt citing the need for both rotation and trust in the squad’s depth.

“I think we did need a freshen up, but I also think from experience, you’ve got to use your squad.

“We’ve not got huge squads and it’d be pointless for us with a six day turnaround going from a wet grass pitch to an artificial pitch, not trusting the players that we’ve got.

“If you look at their changes, their quality players have come in, so a little bit of trust in the squad, but also a bit of a freshen up as well.”