“His experience of top-flight rugby puts him in a position to offer support to our coaches and management. We are delighted to have him on board.”

Not the quote that greeted the arrival of Paul Turner as a consultant at Rodney Parade this week but from when Dean Ryan first linked up with the Dragons.

The former England forward and then Sky Sports pundit was brought in to assist boss Darren Edwards and coach Rob Appleyard in 2012.

Ryan, who returned as director of rugby in 2019, was seen as an ideal mentor and somebody to help fill the skill gap between training field and boardroom.

It wasn’t a spell that lasted long after the former Bristol, Gloucester and Worcester boss got an opportunity with Scotland.

The thinking is similar after a role was found for Turner, who called the shots at Rodney Parade between 2005 and 2011.

He is a much, much better fit than Ryan because of his affinity for the club as a man of Gwent who is a Newport hall of famer and a Newbridge great because of his playing exploits.

Let’s be clear, it’s not remuneration that has led to him returning to Rodney Parade (although St Albans-based Turner will operate out of England).

South Wales Argus: Former Dragons head coach Paul TurnerFormer Dragons head coach Paul Turner (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

The former fly-half is an astute operator with great connections; this might be a very different Dragons but he is well accustomed to many of the problems and pitfalls that remain.

Thankfully Dai Flanagan’s squad are now based in Ystrad Mynach rather than leading a nomadic lifestyle like Turner’s team, who squelched boots on the Rodney Parade ‘cabbage patch’ and toured training venues throughout the area.

Hopefully the arrival of the 63-year-old should take some of the strain off the head coach, who already wears too many hats courtesy of the summer exits of defence coach Simon Cross and head of recruitment Rob Burgess.

Turner’s job as head coach at Ampthill in the English Championship remains his bread and butter – and he will have London Scottish on his mind rather than the Ospreys ahead of a league clash this evening – but he can help with the next generation of Dragons.

“Paul has connections that we are missing in our organisation over the bridge,” said Flanagan.

“He has a wealth of experience that people in our environment can lean on, whether young coaches or players, whether academy managers.

“He is a man of Gwent who just wants to give back and we need people like that around for us to grow.

“His network can be a massive advantage for us and wherever he can help, he will. The biggest help for me is just him being on the end of the phone.”

Most of his work won’t be seen and there will be very few tangible results to those on the outside, with pathway work and talent ID bearing fruit down the line.

Turner isn’t going to be designing fancy tap moves or teaching Will Reed how to improve his spiral but his presence can add a bit of clout to the Dragons.

Welsh rugby is not in a position to turn down anything that can give them something extra, no matter how small, and it’s almost certain that Turner will have more of an impact than Ryan as a consultant.