Newport Gwent Dragons are delighted to announce the signing of second row forward Ian Nimmo from Cornish Pirates and tight head prop Tim Ryan from I Cavalieri Prato, both on 2 year deals.
26 year old Nimmo was named in this season’s RFU Championship Dream XV and helped the Pirates to the Championship final against London Welsh.
Very reliable at the set piece, 6’7” Nimmo will bolster the Dragons pack but he will also provide a valuable contribution in the loose with hard hits and strong carries. He comes into the squad following the departure of captain and second row Luke Charteris to Perpignan.
Ian is a former Scotland under 21 international and has been on the books of Leicester Tigers where he played for the senior team against Argentina in 2007.
He scored three tries in the 26 games he played for the Cornish Pirates last season and started both legs of the Championship semi final and final.
Tim Ryan joins the Dragons with an impressive CV and can boast European heavyweights Munster and Toulon amongst his former sides.
A strong scrummager, the former Ireland Under 19 international rose through the Munster ranks under the wing of Irish Test veteran John Hayes. Ryan, who made the switch from back row to prop relatively late in his career, is also renowned for top quality ball handling skills and as a pacy running threat around the park.
Tim started for Munster in their tour match against the All Blacks at Thomand Park in 2008 and racked up 14 appearances in the first team for Munster before being signed up by big spending Top14 side Toulon for the 2009/2010 season.
Tim played a big part in Toulon’s run to the 2010 Amlin Challenge Cup final, playing in 8 of their 9 games including a substitute appearance in the final, which they lost to Cardiff Blues.
Ryan has since spent a season each with Newcastle Falcons and, last season, I Cavalieri Prato where he started both games against the Dragons in their Amlin Challenge Cup Pool.
Dragons Director of Rugby Rob Beale was eager to welcome both forwards to the Dragons “I’m looking forward to working with both Tim and Ian. They bring with them a wealth of experience from playing across Europe and this will only help strengthen our pack going into next season. We have been impressed with how they have performed this season and hopefully they will continue in that same vein here at Rodney Parade.”
Full Name: Ian Alexander Nimmo
Date Of Birth: 25/07/1985 (26)
Place Of Birth: Harlow (England)
Height: 201cm / 6'7"
Weight: 120kg / 265lbs / 18st 13lbs
Full Name: Tim Ryan
Date Of Birth: 06/06/1984 (27)
Height: 188cm / 6'2"
Weight: 120kg / 265lbs / 18st 13lbs
