THE Dragons have signed Wales tighthead Dillon Lewis, with boss Filo Tiatia declaring the prop will ‘bring confidence to our set piece’.
The 29-year-old will arrive from Harlequins to spend at least the next two seasons with the Rodney Parade club and is the first confirmed signing of what is set to be a busy recruitment drive.
Former Cardiff front rower Lewis, who has won 57 caps, is one of two new tightheads with South African Robert Hunt also lined up.
With the green light given by the Welsh Rugby Union to sign an overseas player in that position, the pressure was on to bring in an experienced Wales-qualified prop.
Lewis is that man and the pair will effectively replace Wales international Leon Brown and stalwart Lloyd Fairbrother, who both retired this season through injury.
Chris Coleman, Luke Yendle and Wales Under-20s international Owain James are the other tighthead options.
Lewis, who recently underwent bicep surgery, has made nine appearances for Harlequins this season and ticks all the boxes for Tiatia.
“We’re excited to sign Dillon,” said the head coach. “He’s a player with a wealth of international experience, with over 50 caps for Wales, and someone who has consistently performed at a high level.
“He’s coming in from Harlequins, a well-established club, where he has competed at a high level in the English Premiership and top tier of European competition.
“Dillon will bring confidence to our set piece so I’m looking forward to spending time with him and getting him in the building as we build our squad for next season and beyond.”
Lewis played 88 times for Cardiff after making his debut for the Arms Park club in 2014.
The tighthead was a member of the Wales Under-20s squad that won the Grand Slam in 2016, sharing the propping duties with Brown, and won his first cap the following year.
Now he is heading home with the intention of forcing his way back into the Test squad after missing out on autumn and Six Nations selection.
“I still have aspirations to wear that Welsh jersey again, and that starts with putting in performances and getting results for this club,” said Lewis.
He will join a new-look Dragons squad after co-owner David Wright declared last month that they were looking to sign 10 new players.
Hunt, Harlequins’ former Wales and Lions loosehead Wyn Jones and the Cardiff trio of lock/back row Seb Davies, flanker Thomas Young and fly-half Tinus de Beer are also on their way but yet to be announced.
“We all understand the challenges ahead, but the plans that Filo is putting in place look very promising,” said Lewis.
“I’m also excited to work alongside Hobbsy [forwards coach Sam Hobbs] again – he played a big role in my development, guiding me from the academy into senior rugby, and was a great mentor to me.
“I also want to acknowledge that this opportunity probably wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Leon retiring. He’s a good friend of mine, and it’s unfortunate that his career was cut short due to injury.
“This a talented squad, with some familiar faces and excited new recruits. I’m looking forward to playing alongside players I haven’t teamed up with in a long time, like Harrison Keddie, as well as reunited with Elliot Dee and Aaron Wainwright.
“There’s a lot of exciting talent here, and I think people should be optimistic about the future of the Dragons. With new signings coming in, I can’t wait to get going with the boys in pre-season.”
Share