Ex-Dragons lock Rynard Landman to play for Newport in Premiership

The Black and Ambers were scheduled to host Neath last Saturday but the Premiership fixture was postponed because of a frozen pitch.

That denied Landman a return to action in the second row after the 37-year-old, who is based in Rogerstone, answered an SOS from head coach Ty Morris.

“We’ve had so many injuries of late. Josh Skinner has come back after 10 months out and has played a lot of games in a row, which is not what we wanted to do,” said the Newport boss.

“We wanted to gradually build him back in but with injuries to Barny Langton-Cryer, who is out for three months, and Elliot Ferriman, who is out for six to nine, we found ourselves down to one lock.

“Nick Thomas has been doing a great job for us from the academy and has really taken his opportunity but I am hoping he will get in with Wales Under-20s, which would leave us without even more options.”

Rynard Landman in action for the Dragons at Leinster (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

That led Morris to approach Landman, who left Carcassonne in France’s Pro D2 at the end of last season.

“I know Rynard, he lives close to me, and when I asked if he could help out for a game or two he was more than happy to,” said the head coach. “He loves rugby and it’s great that he wants to give a little bit back to Newport.

“It’s just game by game, we’ve asked him to help up until the New Year. Beyond that, we don’t know and he isn’t on a contract or anything like that.

“Rynard is just helping us out because he knows that we are facing difficulty with injuries and I am not demanding that he is at every training session.”

Landman could well feature for the Black and Ambers at Bridgend next Thursday, streamed live by S4C, and then there is the mouth-watering derby at Pontypool on December 23.

The lock has already featured four times for the club while frozen out by the Dragons in 2018 before he headed for France, initially with Soyaux Angouleme, early in 2019.

Newport head coach Ty Morris (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“I remember his first game for us was at Risca in pre-season,” said Morris. “He must have thought ‘what the hell am I doing here?!’

“We had a few games from him and he was fabulous – it was like he had been at the club for 10 years. He was an instant leader and somebody that others looked up to.”

Second-placed Newport will hope to tap into that experience in the coming weeks as they look to respond to back-to-back losses to play-off rivals Ebbw Vale and Llandovery.

The league takes a break this weekend because of the quarter-finals of the Premiership Cup with Ebbw Vale hosting holders Cardiff.

The Drovers entertain Aberavon, Bridgend travel to Swansea and Merthyr take on Carmarthen Quins at the Wern.