**Australian Centre Harry Wilson Departs Dragons Early as Club Faces Up to Disappointing Season**
The Dragons are set for a significant shake-up at Rodney Parade with Australian centre Harry Wilson leaving the Welsh side just one year into his two-year contract. Wilson’s premature exit comes at the end of a turbulent campaign, where expectations clashed starkly with reality for both the player and club.
Wilson was recruited last summer from Super Rugby’s Waratahs and arrived in Newport amid considerable hype. The 24-year-old was seen as a dynamic back who could inject pace and creativity into the Dragons’ midfield. Despite showing flashes of promise, including a single try against Munster in January, Wilson made just five starts out of twelve appearances and failed to establish a consistent presence in the squad. His early departure has now been confirmed as part of broader efforts by the club to rejuvenate its playing roster.
With the Dragons enduring a disastrous run that saw them suffer 17 consecutive defeats in the United Rugby Championship, the need for drastic change appears undeniable. Wilson’s exit is one of several moves as the club embarks on a major recruitment drive for next season, under the vision of head coach Filo Tiatia. Moana Pasifika centre Fine Inisi has already been announced as an incoming signing, offering the Dragons fresh options in the backline.
The changes do not stop with the midfield. Last week saw experienced Wales international Seb Davies added to the squad, joining a batch of new recruits including Tinus de Beer, Thomas Young, Wyn Jones, Dillon Lewis, Levi Douglas, and Harry Beddall. Sources also suggest South African prop Robert Hunt is close to agreeing terms, while the club are actively seeking reinforcements at scrum-half, number eight, and outside centre. These signings reflect a desire for an immediate improvement after a season widely regarded as unacceptable by all at the club.
The mood at Rodney Parade has been publicly addressed by co-owner David Buttress, who was forthright about the need for a cultural shift. Speaking on the Dragons’ own podcast, Buttress laid out his frustration at the club’s performance and the mindset that has allowed failure to become normalised. “As owners, we must take responsibility for the environment and situation we’re in,” Buttress stated, underlining the need to move on players who are entrenched in negative habits and replace them with individuals who are proven winners.
Buttress did not pull any punches about the level of performance, claiming that the mentality where losing is tolerated has to be rooted out. He admitted to avoiding the club’s end-of-season awards dinner, saying he could not condone celebrating a season with just a single league victory. Drawing an analogy with his previous role at Just Eat, the entrepreneur emphasised he would have taken similarly ruthless decisions in the business world to address such underachievement.
Reflecting on last summer’s missteps in recruitment, Buttress accepted that the onus was on the club’s leadership to perform proper due diligence. Several signings have underwhelmed, with some, like fly-half Lloyd Evans, leaving after a season and others, such as Solomone Funaki, not making an impact due to injury. Buttress conceded that insufficient scrutiny was applied to key decisions and acknowledged this as a managerial failing that he and his fellow owners are keen to rectify going forward.
Despite the frankness in his assessment, Buttress expressed a deep personal attachment to the Dragons. He insisted that genuine passion for the club must be channelled into positive action, affirming that greater attention to recruitment and detail was visible in preparations for the coming campaign. “I feel cautiously optimistic that our recruitment is a tonne better than it was last year, and hopefully that puts us in a good position for the season ahead,” he said.
The departure of Wilson opens the door for further signings, likely filling the non-Welsh qualified quota and potentially making space for another overseas player in the back row or outside centre. With one reported transfer target now opting for a move to Japan, the recruitment drive remains in full swing as the Dragons bid to rebuild credibility and competitive edge.
As the club’s management and supporters seek to move on from a year best forgotten, optimism about a fresh start is palpable. All eyes will now be on how the new additions, both in the playing roster and backroom, gel over the summer and whether the Dragons can finally break out of their cycle of underachievement in the United Rugby Championship.