Ryan set to handed tough task as new Dragons chief

dreaded drop - confirming Bedwas’ relegation instead.

Bedwas, who won eight of their last 11 to give themselves a shot at safety, join Cross Keys, Bargoed and Neath in the WRU Championship next season.

And Bridgend’s win also saw them leapfrog Llanelli in the table, meaning they must now lock horns with Pontypool in Aberavon on Friday (May 17) after seemingly looking safe.

You’d fancy Pooler themselves would have preferred an arm-wrestle with Bedwas than taking on the fleet-footed Llanelli backs given the strength of the WRU Championship winners lies up front. DEAN Ryan will be handed the toughest job in professional Welsh rugby today – turning around the fortunes of the Dragons, writes Andy Howell.

The former England back-row forward’s first task as head coach will be to convince supporters of the Gwent region he is the right man for the post.

His second will be to persuade Wales outside-half international Sam Davies to join them from the Ospreys following the Liberty Stadium outfit’s acquisition of Gareth Anscombe from Cardiff Blues.

Ryan is understood to have put pen to paper on a three-year deal to join the Dragons as permanent successor to the sacked Bernard Jackman.

Caretaker boss Ceri Jones will revert to being forwards coach of a team that has won only seven matches this campaign, five in the Guinness PRO14 and two in the European Challenge Cup.

The Dragons finished sixth in the seven-strong Conference A, a huge 25 points behind fifth-placed Edinburgh, with only Southern Kings behind them.

It’s the 12th time in 16 seasons they have propped up the Welsh sides in league championships.

The fortunes of the Dragons have deteriorated since they were bought out by the Welsh Rugby Union in the summer of 2017 despite having had a record six players – Ross Moriarty, Cory Hill, Elliot Dee, Aaron Wainwright, Leon Brown and Tyler Morgan – in the Wales match-day 23 for last autumn’s Wales demolition of Tonga.

They have gone more than four years and 43 fixtures without an away victory in the Guinness championship.

But the Dragons did end the campaign on a high with a shock Judgement Day triumph over the Scarlets during what was a home fixture staged at the Principality Stadium.

And they have plenty of other young talent, with eight players in the Wales Under-20 squad for the Junior World Championship in Argentina.

Ryan was brought in on a shortterm deal in 2012 by the previous owners of the Dragons to advise then coach Darren Edwards.

He has a mixed record of success and failure as a coach with Bristol, Gloucester and Worcester and has beaten Graham Rowntree to the position.