Dragons RFC Depth Chart & Preview – URC 2026-27
After entering a new era at the club and trying to lift themselves off the ground floor of the URC, the Dragons… didn’t get that far on paper, but it certainly felt like a complete overhaul compared to the side that struggled through the previous season. Filo Tiatia completely rejuvenated the struggling men of Gwent, and his efforts have been rewarded by the faith of the WRU despite calls for their abandonment. With a solid squad of young up-and-comers and seasoned stalwarts, the Dragons haven’t felt much need to change their squad, as they continue to build cohesion and develop their playing style.
That said, they still finished 15th. Whether or not they performed better overall than the Scarlets is debatable, but their success came primarily from Europe, not the URC. Compared to Cardiff, who also haven’t changed personnel much, the Dragons have had more significant losses to replace and have a notably lower floor and ceiling in terms of performance. Their goal is to escape the bottom 4 and scare some of the stronger sides in Rodney Parade, where they’ve declared their intention to create a fortress. Playoff contention would be nice, but it’s still a big ask. That humility disguises what could be a genuine underdog side this season, though, so writing them off would be a bold call.
Loosehead Prop: Wyn Jones, Rodrigo Martinez, Rhodri Jones, Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Jordan Morris
Wyn Jones and Rhodri Jones have decades of rugby experience between them, helping to bolster what is otherwise far from a dominant pack. Rodrigo Martinez seems to be somewhere on the Pumas radar, but it feels weird to call him an “international” compared to the Lions tourist partnering him. Reasonably strong, but no URC side should be scared here. 7/10
Hooker: Brodie Coghlan, Elliot Dee, Oli Burrows, Sam Scarfe
The Dragons have the best hooker stocks of the Welsh teams, hands down. Dee has over 50 Wales caps and despite his injury problems, is one of the safest pairs of hands in Wales at 2. Coghlan’s physicality and workrate will probably earn him the starting spot, but the quality of both together is hard to match. Even under that, Burrows showed his value when both were unavailable, and was an underdog for Six Nations selection. They may not have the best lineout stats in the URC, but combined with their locks (more on that later), the lineout is a real strength for the Dragons. 8.5/10
Tighthead Prop: Dillon Lewis, Robert Hunt, Christian Coleman
Sure would’ve been nice to keep Cebo Dlamini, but with all three tightheads healthy, this is reasonably strong. Lewis’ renewed Wales stocks might hurt them a little, as his work around the field is tough to replace, but Hunt’s South African muscle makes him the stronger scrummager, while Coleman has been identified as a real prospect (at least by Wales standards). One more tighthead would help, though. 7/10
Locks: Ben Carter, Seb Davies, Levi Douglas, Matthew Screech, Barny Langton-Cryer
The Dragons’ other real strength. Carter forms the Wales lock partnership with Dafydd Jenkins for a reason; his defensive work is among the best in the league, and he can manage a great lineout with Seb Davies alongside him. Levi Douglas is more of a powerful carrier & enforcer, while the evergreen Matthew Screech has over 200 caps of experience; not bad for a 4th choice pick, backed by both Ryan Woodman and Shane Lewis-Hughes as emergency options. Probably the best stocks of the Welsh regions. 8.5/10
Back Row: Ryan Woodman, Thomas Young, Harrison Keddie, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Harri Beddall, Terrell Peita
Faced with the unachievable task of replacing Aaron Wainwright, Terrell Peita looks to contend for the number 8 jersey with Harrison Keddie, while Woodman and Lewis-Hughes are strong lineout options and Young and Beddall are tackle machines. There’s a clear structure for how the Dragons want to use their backrow, and it’s been one of their strengths in recent seasons. At the same time, while Woodman and Keddie have piqued Tandy’s interest of late, the quality of options here doesn’t quite measure up to their rivals. 7/10
Scrum-Half: Rhodri Williams, Ere Enari, Che Hope, Morgan Lloyd
Hope was one of the key breakthroughs for the Dragons last season, and it wouldn’t be too optimistic to have expected him to earn a Wales call-up if not for injury. Whether he leads ahead of Rhodri Williams or new signing Ere Enari is to be seen, however, as the Dragons are well covered in this area. Rhodri has been one of the Dragons’ stronger servants before Tiatia came in, while Enari was part of a very strong Hurricanes side and is probably the most likely of the trio to score some wild tries. 7.5/10
Fly-Half: Tinus de Beer, Cai Evans, Jac Lloyd, Harri Ford
Angus O’Brien can cover here too, but it suits the team better when he’s at fullback. Tinus de Beer was one of the better signings of last season, as his physicality on defence proved essential; definitely one of the most underrated players in the league. Beneath him, though, there isn’t much in the way of experience, which could be a concern. 6/10
Centres: Aneurin Owen, Fetuli Paea, Harri Ackerman, Joe Westwood
More settled here than last season. Owen has always been one of the more underrated centres in Welsh Rugby, but took a real step-up last season, especially in Europe. He should be even better this season with one of the two Tongan internationals outside him. Still, it feels like they’re rather short on numbers here. 7/10
Wings: Rio Dyer, Fine Inisi, Jared Rosser, Anzelo Tuitavuki, Caio Parry, Harry Rees-Weldon
As is typical of Welsh rugby, the Dragons aren’t lost for quality on wing. Dyer brings international experience, while Tuitavuki and Inisi will likely compete for the other wing spot. Rosser is quite underrated too, while Parry and Rees-Weldon are interesting young prospects. The other Welsh regions have more established options, but there could be some players to watch. 7.5/10
Fullback: Angus O’Brien, Huw Anderson, David Richards
Strong options here. Co-captain O’Brien does more direct game-management than most fullbacks, and has been progressively improving his game even when his team has struggled. Anderson and Richards offer versatility and more pace, both of them being viable options on the wing as well. With O’Brien taking up most of the minutes, it’s questionable how the Dragons will adapt if he’s selected for Wales given how integral he is to the side. 7/10
Overall: 73
The Dragons have only really started to find their feet after a poor 2024-25 season. But all things considered, they’ve rebuilt well. There’s a good balance of experience and youth, several strong league players like Dyer, O’Brien, and Coghlan, and a well-defined playstyle that suits their strengths. There’s a genuine sense of optimism around where this team can go under Tiatia, even if it’s unlikely to be all that far in the short term.
Strongest Team: Martinez, Coghlan, Lewis, Carter, Davies, Woodman, Young, Peita, Enari, de Beer, Dyer, Owen, Inisi, Tuitavuki, O’Brien
Dee, W Jones, Hunt, Douglas, Keddie, Hope, Richards, Paea
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