'The Heineken Cup will hurt... but at the same time what a great opportunity'
Dragons boss Dean Ryan admits his young squad must prepare to face the “hurt” of Heineken Champions Cup rugby next season, but the daunting experience could be key to their long term development.
Ryan is working to rid the club of its image as the poor relations of Welsh regional rugby and the arrival of Wales internationals Jonah Holmes – from Leicester – and Nick Tomkins – on loan from Saracens – will provide much needed big match experience for the Dragons squad.
While the prospect of being exposed by some of Europe’s big-spending clubs will concern some fans, Ryan has taken a typically bullish standpoint, believing a probable return to the Heineken Cup after a ten-year absence must be embraced not feared.
Although the 24-team format has yet to be officially confirmed, the expanded competition is expected to look that way next season, ensuring that Dragons will qualify due to their current position in Conference A of the Guinness PRO14 (with fourth place Cheetahs ineligible to participate, fifth place Dragons would step up).
“We will treat the Heineken Cup next season as a wonderful opportunity. Yes, it will hurt and there will be times where we have to face the stark reality of the bigger clubs,” said Ryan to RugbyPass.
Warning shot https://t.co/Rd7iRQXajK
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 9, 2020
“The last thing we would want to do is not let our players have that opportunity and experience it. It is part of their development. You cannot move the Dragons from where they have been without at some stage coming up against better clubs and being exposed.
“There will be times during that period when numbers in our squad, plus injuries, will make it really challenging, but at the same time what a great opportunity.
“The talk about how the competition could look next season may give us some pretty hefty opposition. We are going to approach it in a way that we might enjoy it more, while accepting there may be some collateral damage as we develop in it.”
Ryan is operating within strict financial limitations and the disparity between the haves and have not in Europe will be clearly seen in September when Dragons face big-spending Bristol in the 2019/20 European Challenge Cup quarter-final. England prop Kyle Sinckler and Fiji star Semi Radradra now bolster the West Country club which is owned by billionaire Steve Lansdown.
“Our squad, outside the core 27 or 28 players, is on a development trajectory which is how the Dragons have been able to manage on a reduced budget through some lean years,” added Ryan. “Sometimes that is not at the benefit of development. People say it is a chance for players but it is not great when you are thrown in too young into a tournament you are not ready for.
“What we tried to do last season was stabilise that a little bit and develop people around the edges of a reduced squad. At times when we lost four or five to international rugby – which is great – it does expose our experience from that younger group. Throw in some injuries and the squad has a very different look and feel.
“Creating a stable environment over the next few years will allow those players to develop a little better rather than be thrown in and then discarded. What we don’t see is when a youngster comes in everyone celebrates and four or five games down the road they judge him as an adult and become critical and say he is not very good.
“Suddenly, that player loses confidence and we want to stabilise all of those things and ensure they get the support needed for their particular journey. We are not a recruitment model and that is a clear distinction from anything I have done in the past. How do you move Bristol forward? You recruit better players.
??“This is a player who has played in Champions Cup finals and has won league titles… The opportunity for us to get that level of experience was just too good to miss…"
Ryan says new boy Tompkins will have a major impact ?
?? https://t.co/jmndQMnayJ#BringYourFire? pic.twitter.com/XEwe1fnwYv
— Dragons (@dragonsrugby) July 8, 2020
“We are adding two or three to our squad to build up our experience but even our internationals are young and so what is important for us to get better is that we keep developing. To do that you have to be more stable by making the core of the group better year on year. If you add two or three you keep taking a step up that ladder. It’s a much longer-term view and that is key.
“We are now a year in and people are saying, ‘You have added some great names, what is the expectation?’ We just have to stabilise all of that and say next year is about being a little bit better without getting carried away.
“We won three games in the last minute and if you take them away it doesn’t look as good a season but at the same time, we made some good strides.
“We have to become more competitively consistently and next year that narrative becomes harder because we will be in the Heineken Cup and there will be this noise, ‘You have got Nick Tomkins, he is going to do wonders for you’. We have to keep our feet on the ground.
“We have coaches with high potential and I have worked with Mefin Davies and he is one of the best technical scrum coaches. Getting Mefin in to work with our young front row was too good to miss.”
Serious bump in the European rugby restart road https://t.co/RXwLw7eFMN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 9, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Not sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
1 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to comments