You could say that over the final 70 minutes the 13 point difference flatters the Saracens somewhat, but only somewhat, as taking into account the first ten it would be extremely tough to argue they they weren't worth the win. Especially when you consider that they scored four tries to our one. This fixture always puts rugby first and should the Dragons, after all the technical permutations have run their course, end up in the TRU B, it is one that will be sadly missed from the list next year.

What will hopefully be forgotten is the shoddy start to the game by the Dragons, who turned up in dribs and drabs as the Saracens squad were there in numbers and warming up in matching kit. This gave them the mental edge and they were ferocious from the kickoff, with their larger forward pack dominant in the loose. This led to a score within the first five minutes, with the Sarries driving over from close range after a series of rucks on the left hand side. They followed up with a second try moments later, created in similar fashion by the forwards but finished by the backs. This left the Dragons reeling, with the conversion making it 12-0.

As opposed to games earlier in the season though, the Dragons decided not to fold, instead taking the game back to the Saracens. This still required some at times desperate defending, but it also let the opposition know that we weren't going to lie down, and put us back in the match.

The Dragons eventually started to make headway in attack, clawing their way into the Saracens 22 on a handful of occasions, before winning a penalty for a ruck infraction. Nick Hails slotted the penalty to give make it 12-3, and the remainder of the half was a much more even affair with no more points added by either side.

The arrival of Tudor Chirili to the game allowed for a reshuffle in the back line, and he had an immediate impact in the second half. After clearing the ball deep into the Saracens half, a stolen line out ball allowed him to put a speculative grubber kick into the 22, which wasn't dealt with and somehow ended in Tudor diving to take it to 12-8.

The game ebbed and flow once more, with Saracens taking the majority of possession and the Dragons forced to defend. While they didn't hit the same heights as the weekend's win over Belleville, it was a major step up from earlier in the season. Their composure defending the wide ball was sound through much of the match, though the same can't be said of the stuff that came in and around the ruck, which is where the Saracens were making the most gains.

With both sides making mistakes with ball in hand however, it was still an open game 60 minutes in, and a further foray into the Saracens half resulted in yet another penalty infraction on the 10 metre line, which gave Tudor another chance for points. He ably put over the penalty to make it 12-11 and all to play for.

But the Saracens were maintaining their greater share of possession, with the Dragons too often not capitalizing on gains made through the Saracens defence.

This finally told when, having turned the ball over, the Saracens took it up to the Dragons 22, and their burly centre found space down the narrow blind side and fed a supporting player who made it over the line despite a crunching tackle from Uriah Martin. The diminutive Sarries ten fell just short with his conversion, giving the Dragons hope with the score at 17-11.

But the game was effectively killed off ten minutes later when yet another Saracens attack on the 22 metre line resulted in their hooker being fed on the blind side and with no-one opposing him had an easy run in to the left hand corner. It was a soft try to concede at this point in the match, and this time the Sarries stand-off made good with the conversion to make it 24-11.

From the restart, a final Dragons attack into the right hand corner could have resulted in a try were it not for some poor decision making. But it's unlikely to have made a difference to the result. Darkness was descending as the referee, who had an excellent game, blew the final whistle - perhaps a fitting metaphor for the cynically minded.

To re-iterate a point made earlier, the Saracens are an enjoyable side to play. There's usually no bullshit mexican standoffs and they are well led by senior players who want to put rugby first. We look froward to our next encounter with them, whenever it may be.

For the Dragons, the phrase 'regroup' has been thoroughly overused this season. Instead, players should be thinking about the point the Prez made last night - do we want to be a social rugby side or a serious rugby side. As a collective, we've fallen between those two stools a fair bit this season in terms of approach, especially outside of matchplay which is really where it matters.

With the fall schedule still to play, there' still time in 2014 to keep it social. But when January 2015 and winter training comes around, I for one hope there's a collective buy in to a better approach. In the end, it's how teams win games.