Irish outside-half Hanrahan’s globetrotting career has seen him ply his trade in four different countries, and now he has settled on South-East Wales as his home for the next three years having joined from French giants Clermont Auvergne.
Dragons RFC director of rugby Dean Ryan has undergone a serious recruitment drive with several new signings including the likes of Hanrahan, Rob Evans, Rhodri Jones, Sean Lonsdale, George Nott, and Sio Tomkinson coming on board to bolster the squad.
“Hopefully in three years’ time we will be talking about European rugby as opposed to can we get a win,” said the 30-year-old. “That’s the real judge of progress. It’s easy to be motivated for three months but let’s stay motivated for three years.
“That’s the challenge for us. When I first broke into the Munster squad as a young player the Dragons were a very tough side to play against at Rodney Parade.
“Rodney Parade was one of those grounds that would always test your character. We need to put performances in that fans are proud of.
“It might not always be a win but as long as they can look at us and say they gave it everything, they represented us well, and were just beaten by a better side on the day. For me if we can look each other in the eyes afterwards and be happy at what we’ve done that’s half the battle.”
Despite being viewed as an important signing for the Welsh club Hanrahan’s place in the starting XV is far from guaranteed. The prodigious goal kicker will compete with Wales international Sam Davies, and talented 20-year-old Will Reed for the number 10 jersey.
But he relishes competition, and he believes they can push each other on to become better players. “Sam has been really helpful to me since I’ve come in, and I’ve been asking him about different calls and plays the Dragons employ,” said the former Munster, Northampton, and Clermont playmaker.
“There’s no holding back, he’s been very open and forthcoming towards me. The one thing I do know is that given how competitive the URC is you need two or three outside-halves.
“I think we’ll complement each other well. We’ve got Will coming through as well who is a talented player. “I think Will is going to add a lot this season as well because he’s got such a good running game.
“At different times of the season we might see different players being used. We’ll see what the coaches decide on but for us it’s a case of cooperative competition.
“The more we push each other, the better we’ll become, and the better the Dragons will become.”
