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
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments