The Scarlets overcame a half-time deficit and a late rally from the Newport Gwent Dragons as 19-point fly-half Stephen Jones guided them to hard-earned New Year’s Day win at Parc y Scarlets.

Wales number 10 Jones started 2009 in impressive fashion as he kicked five penalty goals and converted tries from Regan King and Phil John as the Scarlets moved up to third in the Magners League standings.

Both the Scarlets and Dragons suffered post-Christmas defeats – to the Ospreys and Cardiff Blues respectively – and were looking to get back on track with the Magners League the only competition they are still in the running for.

Welsh duo Stephen Jones and Matthew Rees were recalled to the Scarlets’ starting line-up, along with team captain Simon Easterby, while former Nottingham prop Nigel Hall made his debut for the Dragons.

The visitors were without the injured Luke Charteris, Joe Bearman and Rhodri Gomer Davies and looked decidedly off the pace in the opening minutes as the Scarlets blazed ahead.

Nigel Davies’ men started like a steam train – they were 10-0 up in as many minutes. Centre Regan King went on a meandering run from 40 metres out which finished with him gliding over for a try.

The New Zealander took a short pass from Jones, sold a dummy and got the better of four would-be tacklers to score one of the tries of the season.

Jones converted it and added a penalty to leave the shellshocked Dragons trailing in the Scarlets’ wake.

The Llanelli side went close to adding a second try on 12 minutes when Mark Jones made a sizzling break. He chipped over the cover but Jonathan Davies was whistled up for a knock-on as he attempted to gather the ball and the onrushing Johnathan Edwards was denied a try.

The tackling was loose from the Dragons as Phil John trundled into the visitors’ 22 and it took young full-back Jason Tovey to release the pressure on the Dragons with some lengthy clearance kicks.

Then, against the run of play, the Dragons struck for their opening try through winger Richard Fussell.

Shaun Connor released his outside backs with a lovely, flat pass and a sharp burst into the line from Tovey freed up space for Fussell to make it over in the left corner, despite a last-gasp tap tackle from Gareth Morris.

Connor added the conversion from wide out and the Dragons moved into a 14-10 lead in the 29th minute when Fussell got over in the same corner.

Fly-half Connor was again the instigator as he sent Rory Sidey through a gap in midfield. The Scarlets brought him down but a quick ruck feed from scrum half Wayne Evans saw the Scarlets defence badly exposed again as Jamie Ringer got in between two players before offloading for Fussell to dot down.

Connor added an excellent conversion and the Dragons would have been over for a third try, four minutes later, but for a crucial tackle from Easterby which sent Colin Charvis into touch just short of the try-line.

With the Scarlets knocked off their stride, the Dragons were forcing the game at this stage and when an up-and-under from Fussell forced a ruck infringement by Matthew Rees, Connor stepped up to make it 17 unanswered points for Paul Turner’s side.

17-10 ahead at half-time, the Dragons were brimming with confidence but Connor missed a straightforward penalty two minutes into the second half and errors were soon blighting their play.

Roared on by the home support, the Scarlets gradually regain control and a Jones penalty and prop John’s 58th minute try saw them take a 20-17 advantage.

Jones and the impressive Jonathan Davies were both involved in the build-up to the try, making a couple of telling breaks and the Dragons defence gave way to John from close range.

Jones came to the fore then as he punished the visitors with successive penalty strikes after 61, 64 and 68 minutes.

His opposite number Connor crossed for a well-deserved try, six minutes from the finish, which he converted himself.

But the Dragons’ late revival only notched them a losing bonus point as the Scarlets kept their noses in front to claim only their second win in their last seven games.

Speaking afterwards, Scarlets boss Davies said: "We won the game, we lost it, we won it and then almost lost it again. It was a real rollercoaster of a game.

"In the first half some of our kicking was appalling and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, then we couldn’t contest on our kicks.

"But that changed in the second half as the group was refocused. We kept our composure and built our game and it paid dividends."

Dragons supremo Turner admitted: "I was extremely disappointed as yet again we made too many elementary errors in that third quarter of the game, and that is not the first time that has happened this season.

"It seems as if we don’t like being in front for too long and there were two or three instances where we kicked so poorly that we allowed the Scarlets back into the game.

"That was where the game was won. It wasn’t through any exceptional play from them, just poor play from us."