Dragons produced a spirited show in the encounter and a second half fightback eventually saw the Cherry and Whites eventually run out 40-31 winners.
And Jackman was pleased with what he learnt from the clash that saw tries from five summer recruits – Jordan Williams, Josh Lewis, Dafydc Howells, Tiaan Loots and Rhodri Williams.
“I’m really happy because we got exactly what we wanted out of that game,” said Jackman.
“We’re changing our defensive system and we were probably exposed to a quality of attack that we won’t see often in the Guinness PRO14.
“Danny Cipriani is world class with his ability to spray the ball around. We made some handling errors and he looked like he had it on velcro.
“We got more minutes into Tyler (Morgan), Daf Howells looked sharp and Leon Brown got his first run-out. Cory Hill and Brandon Nansen got minutes together and the bench guys came on and looked good.
“Gav (Henson) had a really good 40 minutes and looked very good after his knee injury. His kicking game was good and he controlled the game well.
“We have no injuries, bar Tavis Knoyle who has a bit of a dead calf issue, but if we’ve come through all these pre-season games without any injuries and having been able to rehabilitate a few players then we are in a good spot.
“Certain things we have tried haven’t worked, but we also haven’t really shown our hand to Benetton Rugby or the Kings.”
Jackman also admitted the performance of Henson in the second half – along with several others as Dragons scored 19 unanswered points in the final 18 minutes – had sparked fresh selection posers.
“We now have a big selection meeting tomorrow (Friday). Gav showed composure but Josh (Lewis) also did well. It’s one of those positions we will think about,” added Jackman.
“Josh has been good for us, he trains well and Arwel Robson, who had an ankle operation last season, is not far away either. It is going to be a tough call.
“We have to look at Benetton Rugby and decide how we want to play the game against them.
“Its great playing Thursday night. We have time to recover and it’s all about next weekend. We’re pleased to get tested by a good side."
