What Dean Ryan's starting Dragons XV might look like next season
A potential starting Dragons XV next season could include as many 12 capped Wales internationals, after significant signings from head coach Dean Ryan. The former England backrow continues to build on the recruitment drive started by his predecessor Bernard Jackman, and although they’ve lost the services of internationals Cory Hill and Tyler Morgan, the squad depth is continuing to deepen in other positions.
When the WRU took over in the struggling Newport-based region in 2017, the mission was clear: build a side capable of producing and nurturing Welsh qualified talent for the national team and secondly, to have a union-controlled Welsh-based PRO14 side that could facilitate the repatriation of Welsh talent playing over the border.
It seems now that after three years, those plans are starting to bear fruit. While over the last decade, the Dragons have produced the likes of Taulupe Faletau, Dan Lydiate and Hallam Amos, the region had typically been viewed as a distant fourth when it came to producing Welsh internationals.
Yet Ryan has a squad brimming with Welsh qualified players across the team and a host of starting players that with international experience. Tellingly, they also promoted seven players from the academy to the senior squad.
They haven’t had it all their own way of course. The loss of Cory Hill in particular is a massive dent to their second-row stocks. The club are also yet to secure an extension for Samoan international Branden Nansen, who is off-contract at the end of the season. Nansen played just three times so far this season.
Against this, the relatively unheralded Connacht lock Joe Maksymiw has also been linked with a move to Gwent. The 6 foot 7 inch 24-year-old is Welsh qualified. With Hill injured for much of the season, the pairing of powerful built Joseph Davies and athletic Matthew Screech, have been Ryan’s go-to locks. There are also high hopes for young Max Williams, a standout at U20s for Wales.
In the centres, Morgan’s loss will also be keenly felt, although should the Dragons secure one or both of the heavily linked duo, Nick Tompkins and Joe Tomane, that would go some way to bolstering their midfield options. Regional veterans Jack Dixon and Adam Warren, as well as the Welsh qualified Tom Griffiths, will also be ready to fight it out for starting berths with any incoming midfield talent.
Ryan has also hinted that incoming back three option Jonah Holmes could potentially move across to cover 13. With Ashton Hewitt, Jordan Williams, Jared Rosser, Rio Dyer, Owen Jenkins, Will Talbot-Davies and Dafydd Howells on call for Ryan in the back three, Holmes moving to the centre won’t leave them wanting out wide.
Backrow is an area of huge strength for the Dragons. Taine Basham, who has only just been promoted from the academy ahead of next season despite playing 17 games in the current campaign, is being mooted as a future Test player. Ollie Griffiths, Huw Taylor, Harrison Keddie, veteran Lewis Evans and British and Irish Lion Ross Moriarty mean Ryan has firepower at his disposal, no matter what backrow unit he puts out. Aaron Wainwright has been arguably been the region’s most high-profile success, shining at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The Dragons frontrow is also well stocked with Welsh ready players. Josh Reynolds has been a star for them this season, while Aaron Jarvis, hulking Test tighthead Leon Brown, Lloyd Fairbrother, Brok Harris and Ryan Bevington together provide a healthy mix of experience and size. Elliot Dee might be the heir apparent to Welsh Number 2 jersey, with Ellis Shipp nipping at his heels, while the iconic Richard Hibbard continues to set standards at the region, albeit in the autumn of his career. The hooker has reportedly joined Aberavon Quins coaching staff.
Here’s what a Welsh cap heavy Dragons starting XV might look like next season.
A POTENTIAL DRAGONS XV
1 Aaron Jarvis
2 Elliot Dee
3 Leon Brown
4 Joseph Davies
5 Matthew Screech
6 Aaron Wainwright
7 Taine Basham
8 Ross Moriarty
9 Rhodri Williams
10 Sam Davies
11 Ashton Hewitt
12 Joe Tomane
13 Nick Tompkins
14 Jonah Holmes
15 Jordan Williams
BENCH:
16 Richard Hibbard
17 Josh Reynolds
18 Lloyd Fairbrother
19 Max Williams
20 Huw Taylor
21 Tavis Knoyle
22 Arwel Robson
23 Jared Rosser
Comments on RugbyPass
The URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
1 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
3 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
3 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
3 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to comments