Dean Ryan believes Dragons fans will be ‘over the moon’ when they see new signing Sio Tomkinson in action – and revealed how 'transparent' talks with the New Zealander secured the move.
Tomkinson will move to the Men of Gwent ahead of next season after agreeing a switch from his homeland where he has impressed for the Highlanders and Otago.
Director of Dragons Rugby Ryan believes the hard-hitting and talented back will be a big success story at Dragons.
And he has spoken about his Tomkinson has bought into the challenges ahead in Wales.
“We were very transparent with Sio,” said Ryan. “We talked about our challenges and talked about how we want to take that forward and how people like Sio can play a crucial part in that.
“He was very engaged, and his whole family in terms of what the move would mean for him, and the role that we see him playing.
“By being transparent with individuals on the challenges faced, but also the rewards that can come with that, we have been able to engage with a number of individuals, either from an overseas perspective or from those wishing to get into the Welsh spotlight to see if they can further their ambitions.
Ryan added: “Sio is a really aggressive defender, but he is also a real threat, playing both wings and 13. We see him as a 13 with some flex in that wing position.
“He is an outstanding Super Rugby player and we worked for a long time to find that individual to add to what we have here.
“It’s an exciting recruitment and I think Dragons fans, when they see him, will be over the moon.”
Tomkinson becomes the seventh new arrival at Rodney Parade ahead of next year in a move that Ryan believes is vitally important to stay competitive in an ever more challenging United Rugby Championship.
“Seven signings is quite a big change for an environment that has been pretty stable,” said Ryan.
“Our first couple of years was stable to ensure we could see who we could develop from within, but at the same time we know we have got to get better.
“This competition is getting better all the time and we have had to make some decisions over who we recruit and how we develop players into the same space.
“We are always looking, we are on tight budgets which is well voiced, but it doesn’t top us looking to change and take this club forward.”
