Dragons fly-half Will Reed to 'kick on' after two-year deal

The 22-year-old from Cwmbran, who was name-checked by Wales boss Warren Gatland at the start of the season, will be at Rodney Parade until at least 2026.

Reed made his senior debut in March 2022 and has made 34 appearances for the club, 16 of them in the current campaign.

Moves for Wales internationals Rhys Patchell and Gareth Anscombe didn’t come off and when Angus O’Brien suffered a broken arm in November it left Reed shouldering a heavy burden.

The positive of that is the young prospect learning plenty thanks to time in the middle and he has pledged to push on over the course of the new deal.

DEAL: Will Reed has signed a new two-year contract with the Dragons (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“I’m excited to sign new terms with my home club and continue my development here,” he said.

“The exposure to senior rugby and playing the number of games I have this season has been hugely beneficial to me.

“I’ve learnt a great deal and I’ll take that forward now and look to kick on for Dragons in the seasons ahead.”

Reed came through the academy and learnt the ropes in the Premiership with Newport RFC where he was helped by the presence of Dragons backs coach Matt O’Brien at inside centre.

He made 12 appearances last season and has played in 16 of 17 possible games in the current campaign.

DELIGHT: Will Reed celebrates the Dragons' win against the Scarlets (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

Head coach Dai Flanagan said: “Will has had a very good season for us and really benefited from game time.

“His performances have improved throughout the season, and we are excited about his development curve and his continued growth.

“Will is still a young man with a bright future ahead of him and he is one of a number of exciting homegrown talents that we can build our club around.”

Reed follows O’Brien in signing a two-year deal while Wales full-back Cai Evans, who has covered at 10, is under contract for next season.

The Dragons would like to be able to take Reed out of the firing line more often, giving him a mental and physical break.

Whether they look to add more cover at fly-half is yet to be seen after Anscombe signed for Gloucester and Patchell is making an impression with the Highlanders in New Zealand.

Newport’s Jac Lloyd has trained with Flanagan’s squad this season after being released by Bristol last summer.

Ebbw Vale’s Evan Lloyd, who made three Dragons appearances in 2020/21 and is older brother of up-and-coming scrum-half Morgan, has also helped out at Ystrad Mynach.