Tiatia to lead Dragons on long-term basis
Dragons have appointed Filo Tiatia as the region's head coach on a long-term basis.The former All Black has been in interim charge since the departure of Dai Flanagan in November but has now signed what Dragons say is a "multi-year contract" to take on the top job.Tiatia has also been given the chance to appoint an assistant coach to work alongside him at Rodney Parade by Dragons' board of directors.Tiatia, 53, said he was "absolutely delighted"."It's been a real privilege to work in Gwent rugby throughout this season and now lead the programme here as we look towards a bright future," he added.
"We have a talented squad of players, with a number of young homegrown players coming through our system, and a backroom team that I am now looking forward to working with in the seasons to come."Dragons chairman David Wright said: "We believe his coaching, leadership and expertise will create the environment needed to drive positive change and take our club forward."Filo has a wealth of experience and is an innovator, a leader, who has a track record in developing players, coaches, and galvanising squads."Dragons are currently bottom of the United Rugby Championship, with their opening round derby win over Ospreys their only league victory this season. "We accept results this season have not been what our supporters, or indeed we, want. Therefore, we've taken our time to complete a full review and make the right decisions for the long-term benefit of Dragons RFC," added Wright.
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BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Leinster ease past Bulls to win ninth URC title
United Rugby Championship final: Leinster: 32 (19)Tries: Conan, Barrett, Van der Flier, Gunne Cons: Prendergast 2, R Byrne Pens: Prendergast 2Bulls: 7 (0)Try: Van der Merwe Con: Goosen Leinster won the United Rugby Championship for the first time since 2021 as they produced a dominant display to beat Bulls 32-7 at Croke Cullen's side raced ahead through early tries from Jack Conan, the departing Jordie Barrett and Josh van der Flier, whilst rendering the Bulls scoreless at half-time with a terrific defensive Akker van der Merwe's try had briefly sparked hopes of a comeback from the unusually lacklustre Bulls, but Fintan Gunne crossed late to help Leinster to a resounding have now won nine URC titles, whilst the Bulls have lost three finals in the five years they have appeared in the competition. Hosts storm into the lead Leinster were on the front foot from the off and immediately won a pair of penalties for the scrum collapsing and the Bulls not rolling away. In typically clinical fashion, they took this early chance as captain Conan peeled off the back of the maul and powered over. Sam Prendergast added the extras and Leinster were seven up after as many Bulls were perhaps fortunate not to go a man down after Harold Vorster made contact with Joe McCarthy's face on the ground after a bit of an off-the-ball scuffle. However, Leinster did not let that get in their heads as, just a couple of minutes later, they returned Johan Goosens' free-kick with McGrath – in for late drop-out Jamison Gibson-Park – chipped off the base of the ruck on halfway and Barrett hacked on before winning the foot race for a superb improvised try on his last appearance in White's men were shell-shocked and couldn't get a foothold at all. The usually composed Willie Le Roux's bewildering chip in his own 22 did not cost his side at the time but summed up their inefficiencies. Leinster's third try arrived soon after though and it was another Lion, van der Flier making the most of a powerful maul after McGrath had been taken out off the ball following a powerful Dan Sheehan three scores down, the South Africans had to respond and they did. However, despite two lengthy spells of pressure in the last 10 minutes of the first half, they were rebuffed by a wall of blue. The first ending in another poor Le Roux kick and the second with a forward pass from Goosens right on the whistle. Bulls fail to muster response Leinster built on that morale-boosting defence as Prendergast knocked over a simple three-pointer four minutes after the break to open up a 22-0 lead. However, the Bulls were never going to go down without a fight and were saved the indignation of being shut out as replacement hooker van der Merwe crashed over from close range off a maul and Goosens added the this setback, Leinster never lost composure and neither did Prendergast as, after missing a relatively simple penalty, he knocked over another just moments later, nudging Leinster further ahead at the sun finally began to shine on an-otherwise wet and muggy day in Dublin, replacement scrum half Gunne – only drafted into the squad on Saturday morning – hit a perfect wraparound run to find a gap in the tiring Bulls defence and score a lovely try. It was converted by Ross Byrne who got a big round of applause on his final appearance for his the clock ticked down, Bulls captain Ruan Nortje spilled the ball with space ahead of him and promptly came up lame with cramp to sum up his side's disappointing Bulls lost a second final in succession having fallen to Glasgow last year but it was Leinster's day as they got over their final hoodoo. Line-ups Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ringrose, Barrett, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Porter, Sheehan, Clarkson, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, Van der Flier, Conan (captain)Replacements: Kelleher, Boyle, Slimani, Snyman, Deegan, Gunne, R Byrne, Le Roux; Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk; Goosen, Papier; Wessels, Grobbelaar, Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Van Staden, Nortje (captain), Van der Merwe, Tshakweni, Smith, Kiersten, Carr, Burger, Johannes, Williams.
South Wales Argus
12 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
URC: Dragons look to turn around fortunes with new signings
The Rodney Parade club have hit the button on an extensive rebuild but, in truth, this isn't a job that can be sorted in one 'window'. The Dragons need to reshape their squad and the new Rugby Participation Agreement, signed by them and Cardiff but not the Scarlets and Ospreys, gives them more financial power. They aim to spend wisely while at the same time slowly bringing through more quality from the academy, which has benefited from more funding and staffing in recent years. Next season will be better – it can hardly be worse after finishing bottom of the URC with just one win – but is it realistic to expect dramatic change? The club doesn't just need one successful window but several in a row to really drive steady progress, and that is easier said than done given a history of results that means they don't have the pick of the talent. Proof of that is provided by a man who could well be toasting a treble at Twickenham this afternoon. Bath start as hot favourites against Leicester in the English Premiership final after topping the table, winning the Challenge Cup and also showing their squad depth with a Premiership Cup triumph. They are well coached but they have also signed shrewdly, with Rob Burgess at the heart of that. The head of recruitment moved to the Rec from the Dragons in 2023 after working under Dean Ryan and then, briefly, Dai Flanagan. Burgess started working for the Rodney Parade club just before the Covid pandemic and the main arrivals for 2020/21 were Jonah Holmes, Joe Maksymiw, Nick Tompkins, Jamie Roberts, Greg Bateman, Gonzalo Bertranou and Dan Baker. The next summer in came Will Rowlands, Mesake Doge, Aki Seiuli, Ioan Davies, Taylor Davies, Cory Allen, Jordan Olowofela. In 2022 the Dragons signed Bradley Roberts, Rhodri Jones, JJ Hanrahan, Sean Lonsdale, Max Clark, George Nott, Sio Tomkinson, Angus O'Brien and Rob Evans, with Steff Hughes arriving in the autumn. Among those names are some hits – Rowlands, Bertranou, Doge, O'Brien, Hughes – but there were lots of mehs and misses for Burgess. Recruitment is tough enough for teams who challenge for silverware, so the Dragons often need to back themselves to bring something out of a player who is undervalued by others. On the occasions when they have pulled off something a coup – Holmes, Tompkins, Rowlands, Bradley Roberts, Ross Moriarty – it has been helped by the lure of the Welsh jersey. There are no current Wales internationals on the signed list for this summer, although some individuals harbour hopes of pushing back into the fold. DONE DEALS The Dragons, with Jonathan Westwood in the role that Burgess left, have been busy with nine confirmed signings while South African tighthead Robert Hunt is poised to also arrive and a scrum-half and number eight are on the shopping list. ARRIVAL: Fetuli Paea will boost the Dragons' midfield next season (Image: Huw Evans Agency) Deals have been agreed with props Wyn Jones and Dillon Lewis, locks Seb Davies and Levi Douglas, flankers Thomas Young and Harry Beddall, fly-half Tinus de Beer, centre Fetuli Paea and wing Fine Inisi. There are a few rolls of the dice and head coach Filo Tiatia probably needs three or four hits and the same number of solid performers. Inevitably there will be some disappointments, that's the nature of recruitment, but the pressure is on from up top. Co-owner David Buttress hasn't been shy in expressing his disappointment with last summer's arrivals. He tried to publicly take a share of blame for that but his criticism inevitably put the spotlight on Dai Flanagan. The former boss would admit that not enough of his signings were hits but he can also point to injury misfortune and the fact that he wasn't in position to turn some into big successes. MORE MISSES THAN HITS Lock Steve Cummins was incredibly unlucky with injuries that limited him to six appearances and he will be keen to show his value next season while number eight Solomone Funaki was a disaster after arriving with a knee issue. That came after he opted for a summer clean-out operation that was followed by an infection. He remains under contract and needs to be up and running in pre-season. Centre Harry Wilson was a huge disappointment in a struggling team and has left early; the Aussie has the physical attributes and don't rule out him showing them at his next club if he can get the top two inches right. SOLID: Shane Lewis-Hughes had a strong first season in Newport (Image: Gareth Everett) Blindside Shane Lewis-Hughes was solid, 10/15 Lloyd Evans was only ok and has left while young hooker Oli Burrows, who missed the run-in after shoulder surgery, needs to push on with regular Super Rygbi Cymru action. There were no big hits from the 2024 arrivals despite us all being pretty encouraged by the signings a year ago. That shows the tough situation that the Dragons are dealing with – the harsh reality is that they will never be a signing's first choice. If a player has options then only a bigger pay offer or longer contract will win the day for the Rodney Parade club. They won't be challengers for silverware (certainly in the short term) and that automatically makes it a challenge to attract marquee players, which co-owner David Wright bullishly promised there would be at least one of at the start of the year. As things stand, there will be none. We would all love the Dragons to sign a couple of players who can be transformational but a problem from the recent past has been the expectation of new recruits to just come in and turn things around. Wilson is an example of how hard it is to come in and show your qualities for a struggling side. Growth from the current crop – and there is some real talent in the likes of Ben Carter, Ryan Woodman, Aneurin Owen, Huw Anderson – is imperative and that would mean that new signings only have to be solid rather than spectacular. From there, the Dragons can top up with a handful of signings in 2026 and gradually build rather than trying to constantly be transformational. They need to trust the recruitment process, despite Buttress speaking about the owners needing to be more involved than they were a year ago. There needs to be separation rather than them going all Vincent Tan. The Dragons are employing rugby people for a reason and they must be left to make judgement calls; they know their heads are on the block if things don't work out, so leave it to them. There has been a big recruitment drive but the new arrivals are only a small part of the problem-solving for a club that has tested the patience of long-suffering fans for too long, don't expect miracles from them.
Wales Online
16 hours ago
- Wales Online
I had my Welsh rugby career ripped from me and it left me fearing I was going to die
I had my Welsh rugby career ripped from me and it left me fearing I was going to die 'You are so worried about the future, that you can't live in the present' Lennon Greggains played for the Dragons (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency ) Ex-professional rugby player Lennon Greggains says players need more support when being let go from Welsh regions, after his mental health hit an all-time-low when his Dragons RFC career ended aged 25. Greggains, now 26, joined the Dragons Academy at 15, and the prospect of him playing rugby for a living was a dream come true to the once eight-year-old boy who started playing for NHSOB on the weekends growing up. For a while, Greggains was one of former coach Dean Ryan's favourites, signing his first pro contract in 2017 aged 18, and regularly being picked for the squad as he represented Wales in all age groups. Then, disaster struck. In the summer of 2019 he tore his ACL during the pre-season, and from that point on things were never the same. Greggains faced set-back after set-back, injury after injury, taking a nasty blow to the forearm before breaking both of his shoulders in the years following. Lennon Greggains (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) Article continues below He says he did not prepare for the end of his career, and neither did any of his peers, because they simply focussed everything they had on the sport from the minute they got given the chance. It was his lifestyle, his identity, his purpose. When it was over, Greggains lost himself. He describes how during the transition his anxiety got so severe, he was experiencing frequent panic attacks and would go to bed at night dreading having to wake up the next morning. "When I say I was in a real bad place, I would dread waking up every day. These feelings started the day I was told I wasn't going to be staying at the Dragons," he said. "Anxiety and depression came straight at me. It was the realisation that everything I ever wanted in my life has come to an end. "I remember having a panic attack in training whilst I was on the bike. "I was suffering so badly with anxiety that I was getting physical symptoms, which led to me believing I had a chronic illness. "From the March I was having constant panic attacks, I couldn't leave Newport, couldn't leave the country. "I didn't understand it at the time but now I can see that it was the impact of losing my contract - spending my entire life trying to pursue one dream, that coming to an end, and having to start again. I had to figure out who I was without rugby, it was like being stripped of my identity. "It took me a while to reach out and get help. For seven months I was waking up depressed, anxious, having physical symptoms every single day, I was in panic that I was going to die. It was mental." Greggains is now advocating for change within the industry, and says players deserve to know their worth and be offered more support, including being given job opportunities before they are let go by their regions. He says this news often comes with little to no warning, and that this is something that needs to change. "Everyone knows the life of a rugby player is short-lived, but you're not thinking of that when you are 15, 16, 17, giving your all to it week in, week out. You want to make it all the way, and you truly believe that you will," he explained. "I was part of the Dragons Academy at Newport High before getting my pro contract, and even though there are academic commitments, it is a 'do it if you want' mentality. Lennon Greggains is highly thought of (Image: Gareth Everett/Huw Evans Agency ) "I always had hope things would change for me, injury-wise, even though deep down I knew they wouldn't. "The thing is, being a rugby player isn't glamorous. I've heard people who have never been rugby players, saying 'what's there to moan about, get a real job' but unless you're someone earning stupid money, it is not the lifestyle people think it is. "Yes ok, the hours are good, but a lot of players are definitely not earning the money people think they are, and you are breaking your body in process. "There are also not many other jobs where you are worrying about whether you'll be employed in a few months time. It is such a stressful and anxious environment, that you don't understand unless you've been in it. "You are so worried about the future, that you can't live in the present." Lennon Greggains, left, with Cerith Lloyd, right, after a game for Merthyr. For many players like Greggains, the initial thrill of being seen as a talented up-and-coming youngster soon wears off, especially after so many injuries, which are inevitable in the sport. As much as players need the talent and ambition, they also need luck. "The reality is, money in Welsh rugby is getting worse, and so the amount of players you see earning good money is getting lower and lower. "Kids, like myself who have aspirations to become a professional rugby player, unless you're going to be at the top of your game, have to really think if it's worth it. The game is not what it used to be. "You see these academy kids now, who stay with their regions until they're 22, earning little to no money before being told there's no future there for them. Then they're 22 with no experience to get a job. "That's what I had to go through. At 24 - I had to go through what most people do when they are 16, or 18. Because of rugby, you are left to feel eight or so years behind everyone else. "It really hit me at the time - it was tough. "Before Dragons told me I wasn't going to be re-signed, I knew myself I wanted to move onto the next chapter. I felt defeated from the constant injuries. "I was ready to move, but when the coaches actually said the words, reality set in. I remember thinking, 'what next?' "I didn't have any direction, or any vision, of what I wanted to go into. All my dreams and ambitions had been taken away. "I had to find something that was going to work for me, and I struggled with that the most. "You do see some rugby players who know what they want when their chapter ends, but you see even more who are so focused on being the best player they can be in that environment, that they're not thinking about what's coming next. "The not knowing was scary, I didn't know what to do. You aren't told 12 months in advance, or even eight months. You don't have an awful lot of time to make a decision. I can't imagine what it's like for players who have a family to provide for. "You aren't only worried about money, your entire lifestyle is getting taken from you. Your regimented routine, seeing the same people you've grown up seeing every day since you were 15. It's a lot. "You're conditioned for that lifestyle, the boys you've grown up with are your family, and at the end of the day whether people understand it or not, being told 'that's it, you are done, go fend for yourself' is a really hard thing to take, especially in your mid 20s. "At that age, your non-rugby mates are on their own journey, they've found the job they like, progressing in that job, but you are back to square one. Greggains worked as a labourer alongside his teammate Benjamin Fry. He took this role as his confidence was at an all-time low, and he didn't believe he could do what he truly wanted to, which was to become a personal trainer. Lennon and Ben Fry "By the time I left the Dragons, I was a complete shadow of the person I was when I was 20. Between the ages of 20 and 24, I lost myself completely. "When rugby was taken away from me, and I had to go find a job. Even though I always knew I'd love to be a coach, I didn't have the confidence to do it. "So now I've left the dragons, taken on a carpentry apprenticeship and from the minute I walked through the door I knew it wasn't for me. "I've gone from being a professional rugby player with aspirations of representing my country, to sweeping someone's work bench and cleaning skips. "I genuinely believed this was what I'd be doing for the rest of my life. "Now I am out the other side, I am glad it happened to me in the way it did." Lennon competing in the Cardiff Hyrox 2025 with his friend and client. Greggains managed to better his mental health through his devotion to fitness and focussing on himself. This led him to the path that he is on today. Article continues below He now plays semi-professional rugby for Merthyr, alongside running his own personal training business, LG Coaching - a job he loves - using his own experiences to help people, and other aspiring young rugby players. You can find Lennon on Facebook and Instagram, @LG Coaching.
