The Dragons survived a second-half comeback by the Italian champions who overturned a 19-point deficit to lead 33-32 before Newport outside-half Ceri Sweeney secured a late win for the Welsh team with a drop goal.

And Turner was full of praise for the way his team got themselves out of jail, despite the nervous finale to a pulsating game.

He said: “It was almost as if the players thought we had scored too many points and wanted them to make a game of it. But that doesn’t make my job any more pleasurable.

“Treviso came back very well and for a while two or three of our wheels came off. Thankfully the fourth stayed on and we finished with maximum points.”

The Dragons scored four tries to secure a bonus point after just 42 minutes but then allowed Treviso to hit back with two of their own as they threatened to pull off an unlikely win.

Turner added: “The game could have gone from us when they took the lead. We had a man in the bin and missed touch with a couple of kicks and lost control of the game.

“But we showed character and in the end we got our campaign up and running.

“We’re still in the Heineken Cup but we now our limitations in certain areas with this squad and that we have to improve our game control as a team.”

Newport captain Colin Charvis, who scored the game’s opening try, believes his team showed character to dig out their first win of the Heineken Cup campaign.

He said: “Treviso did very well to come back at us so strongly but we got ourselves back together and reverted back to plan A to switch back on and close out the game.”

Treviso’s South African coach and former Newport outside-half Franco Smith believes his team can go one better next week at Rodney Parade.

He said: “We made a lot of mistakes in the first half especially with the tackles we missed.

“We are developing with every game and if we can sort out those basic mistakes then I believe that first win is just around the corner.”

Newport had appeared to have the game in the bag when Richard Mustoe clinched the bonus-point fourth try within two minutes of the second half.

But the Italian champions produced a rousing response, taking the lead through Marius Goosen before Sweeney finally sealed the Dragons' win seven minutes from time.

Sweeney's opening penalty in front of the posts was pegged back by Marius Goosen before the pair once again traded kicks.

Charvis’ try was converted by Sweeney and then Rhys Thomas added the next but Sweeney missed the extra points.

Rhodri Gomer-Davies extended the lead for Newport with a try before and Nicolas De Gregory responded with a try in first half injury time.

Mustoe’s try secured the bonus point for Newport to lead 32-13 before Dragons prop Thomas was shown a yellow card after 45 minutes.

Argentina wing Lucas Borges pulled a try back for Treviso who then saw Alberto Sgarbi cross for a third.

Goosen added the conversion as well as two long-range penalties to put the home side 33-32 ahead 15 minutes from time.

But Newport switched back on and Sweeney's late drop-goal was enough to secure the victory.