THE Dragons will need to avoid defeat in South Africa if they are to qualify for the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup after a damaging 24-15 home defeat to Pau.

The Rodney Parade club slipped to a loss in Newport that leaves them needing to cause a massive upset against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday if they are to make the last 16.

After an excellent win in Newcastle, home losses to the French pair of Montpellier and Pau look likely to be costly in the bid for qualification.

The Dragons trailed 9-8 after a drab first half with their try scored by Wales number eight Aaron Wainwright, who was a late call-up after initially being left out of the matchday squad.

However, they were dominated after the break and Pau deservedly took the spoils in a result that also confirmed the Ospreys’ qualification, with a late Rio Dyer try merely a consolation.

The Dragons, meanwhile, have a shootout with the Lions to be the team to join the men from Swansea and the French pair in the knockout stages.

CHARGE: Taine Basham carries hard for the Dragons against Pau (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)

With travel, a short turnaround and the altitude factor, it will be a surprise if the South Africans don’t go through and Filo Tiatia’s men will certainly have to dramatically cut their error count, sort out their indiscipline and be more rigid at the set piece if they are to stand a chance.

The Dragons were forced into a late change to their planned line-up against Pau, but one that strengthened them.

It was a blow to be without Shane Lewis-Hughes because of illness but that did mean a call-up for Wales star Aaron Wainwright in the back row.

The Dragons were straight on the attack and had a chance against 14 men when number eight Thibaut Hamonou was shown yellow for a high tackle on Cai Evans in the third minute, with the full-back going off for a head injury assessment.

The hosts opted to go for the corner but the Frenchmen held firm and then went down the other end where they kicked to the corner, then eventually settled for three points from the boot of Axel Desperes.

The Dragons responded swiftly to level through Lloyd Evans, who then returned to the bench after Cai got the green light to return.

The game then became extremely scrappy with little flow, lots of errors and plenty of whistling, with penalties allowing Desperes to put Pau 9-3 up after 29 minutes.

It was a drab affair but the Dragons struck on the stroke of half-time to cut the gap to a point after the visitors paid the price for trying to run out of their 22.

They were penalised, scrum-half Che Hope went quickly and then hard carrying ended with Wainwright going over from close range.

Lloyd Evans, back on after Cai Evans pulled his right calf, pushed the conversion but was given another crack courtesy of an early charge down, only to repeat the error.

STARTER: Aaron Wainwright scored a try after a late call-up for the Dragons (Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)

Pau led 9-8 but should have been further ahead at half-time only for a clanger by wing Gregoire Arfeuil, who somehow failed to gather a cross-kick from former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson on the line.

The Dragons made a half-time change with Ewan Rosser on for captain and fly-half Angus O’Brien, who had an ice pack on his thumb in the dougout.

The hosts had a lucky escape when wing Rio Dyer pulled the ball back over his line before grounding it to concede a five-metre scrum.

The Pau pack had been completely dominant but were penalised to gift the Dragons a route out of their 22.

However, Desperes did soon stretch the lead to 12-8 from the tee with the French side completely on top.

Tiatia tried to counter that by turning to his bench with a pair of veterans in tighthead Dmitri Arhip and flanker Dan Lydiate plus young loosehead Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths.

But Pau had all the momentum and dominance on the scoreboard courtesy of a well-taken try by full-back Clement Mondinat with penalty advantage in the 22, Desperes making it 19-8 from the tee with 53 minutes gone.

The Dragons tried to respond by kicking successive penalties to the corner but a set-play was well defended to hold fit-again centre Harri Ackerman up over the line, with that frustration followed by another attack in the 22 being ended by a vital breakdown penalty.

RETURN: Fit-again centre Harri Ackerman made his first Dragons appearance of the season (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)

The Dragons trailed by 11 points entering the final quarter but it was game over in the 64th minute when penalties put Pau right in the corner for hooker Dan Jooste to peel off a drive and fly over.

The conversion hit the post but at 24-8 the French side had one foot in the last 16, and prevented their hosts boosting their hopes of a late surge when Wainwright was held up over the line by strong defence in the 73rd minute.

The Dragons did get over in the 78th minute through Dyer, Lloyd Evans kicking a swift conversion, but were unable to get close for another score for a losing bonus.

They could have no complaints.

Dragons: C Evans (L Evans 2-14, 25); Dyer, Westwood, Ackerman, J Rosser; O’Brien (captain, E Rosser 40), Hope (Lloyd 64); Martinez (Kelleher-Griffiths 49), Dee (Benjamin 64), Coleman (Arhip 49), J Davies (Nott 54), Langton-Cryer, Young (Lydiate 49), Basham, Wainwright.

Scorers: tries – Wainwright, Dyer; conversion – L Evans; penalty – L Evans.

Pau scorers: tries – Mondinat, Jooste; conversion – Desperes; penalties – Desperes (4).

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SA).