Dragons sign Ross Moriarty on a two-year deal

Hot on the heels of his exit at Gloucester Rugby, back-row forward Ross Moriarty has signed a two-year deal with Dragons Rugby.

The 23-year-old, who has won 21 caps for Wales, is expected to arrive at Rodney Parade next season.

“It is with much excitement that I am able to announce the completion of my transfer to Welsh regional side, the Dragons,” commented Moriarty on the news.

“After meeting with Bernard Jackman, I was excited by the future plans of the club as the region looks to begin a new chapter in its history. Playing international rugby is the pinnacle of every player’s career and with the new rules, it left me with no choice but to move to Wales to further my international ambitions, especially with the Rugby World Cup ahead.”

 “I am delighted to have been able to convince Ross to join us as we build our team for the future,” added Dragons Head Coach Bernard Jackman.

“It's a significant signing and a real reinforcement of how players are perceiving this region now. He is the perfect fit for us in terms of the type of player that we are looking to add to our squad in that he is young, ambitious, Welsh and very talented. We are building a team for the long term and to be able to get a player of Ross’s calibre, who is only 23, is an example of that..."

Twice voted Young player of the year by Gloucester’s supporters, his excellent form for club and country earned him a call-up for the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand last summer. The Welsh international was selected for the Lions’ opening match against New Zealand Provincial Barbarians and made a valuable contribution helping set up a try, but was ruled out of further action for the tourists due to injury. 

Moriarty joins fellow Welsh internationals Elliot Dee and Leon Brown, as well as home-grown talent Jack Dixon who have all recently put pen to paper to extend their time with the Dragons.