Newport Gwent Dragons 31 Leinster 18: Two-try Dragons captain Jason Forster was the hero as he inspired his side to a fine victory over Heineken Cup quarter-finalists Leinster at Rodney Parade.

Forster led by example in a real thriller and he was rewarded with two tries, one either side of half-time which put a big dent in the Irish team's Celtic League title hopes.

Each time Forster was on hand to crash over from short range as the Dragons piled on heavy forward pressure. The match threatened to boil over as Leinster, although weakened by international calls, went for it from the first whistle to the last.

Winger Gareth Wyatt also got in on the try-scoring act as he celebrated his return from three months out with a dislocated shoulder. He raced over in the 10th minute after Argentina ace Felipe Contepomi had given Leinster an early lead with a penalty.

It was the only time the Dragons trailed as they worked up a head of steam to rock the Irish team, who could have gone to the top of the table after Munster's surprise defeat by Glasgow.

Centre Kieron Lewis also nabbed two tries for Leinster, the second a brilliant 80-yard effort after picking up a stray pass near his own posts and sprinting clear. But there were only five minutes left and it was too late to stop the Dragons from recording their best win of the season.

Apart from Forster, Jamie Ringer and Andrew Hall were outstanding forwards for the Dragons while fly-half Craig Warlow was on target with the boot, scoring 16 points from four penalties and two conversions, before limping off in injury-time.