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Dragons confirm worst kept secret: Dean Ryan will take over

By Online Editors
Dean Ryan has come under fire (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Dean Ryan has been appointed as director of rugby at the Dragons, the struggling PRO14 outfit. The 52-year-old – who becomes a board member of the organisation as part of this brand-new position – is fully responsible for all rugby matters on and off the pitch and will contribute to the wider strategic direction of the Dragons long-term.

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Ryan will take up his new role this summer from the RFU, where he has been head of international player development since 2016. Ryan said: “It was always going to take a unique challenge to bring me back in to the club environment and following my discussions with David Buttress and the WRU, I’m hugely excited about what lies ahead.

“I will take a hands-on role with the playing department and use my influence as a board member to address various issues so that the Dragons are set up from top to bottom to ensure everything is geared around the on-field and off-field success of the region.”

As director of rugby at Gloucester for four years from 2005, the Cherry and Whites lifted the European Challenge Cup in 2006 before reaching the Premiership Final in 2007. They also finished top of the table in 2008 and made the European Cup quarter-finals.

Ryan was a respected analyst for Sky Sports and spent a brief spell at Gwent as a consultant to the Dragons in 2012, before three seasons as director of rugby at Worcester Warriors. He led the Sixways side to promotion back to the English top flight at the first time of asking, as well as winning the British & Irish Cup in 2015.

Executive chairman David Buttress said: “I’m delighted to announce Dean Ryan as our new director of Dragons rugby and to welcome him on to the board. After an extensive and competitive process, it became clear Dean has the experience and skill-set to offer something greater and more beneficial to the Dragons and this new role we’ve created will see him have a voice at Board level and an input across the organisation.

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“Our immediate need is the on-field success of the first team and Dean will lead the coaching team in preparation for next season as he gets to know the players and staff in the playing department. We are excited to see the impact Dean can have on rugby in Gwent for the Dragons.”

The RFU’s Nigel Melville said: “I’d like to thank Dean for his commitment to developing the next generation of players and coaches during his time at the RFU. Dean’s innovative approach to coach development has enabled a number of young Premiership coaches to coach at international level and for some of our younger players to experience unique leadership challenges that will benefit them in the future. We wish Dean every success in his new role at Dragons.”

WATCH: The RugbyPass fly on the wall documentary about the Dragons under Bernard Jackman

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Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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