The 6ft 6in former Canadian Under 20 international weighs in at 120kg and has big things on his mind as the club seek promotion.
A Cardiff Metropolitan University graduate with both BUCS Super Rugby and Welsh Premiership experience, the 21-year-old has loved his start at Old Bath Road.
He explained: “I came down a couple of times at the end of last season to train and have a look at the club, and from there my mind was made up.
“It was somewhere I loved straight away, I knew I’d enjoy my rugby here and I have.
“I want to get as much game time and exposure as possible to challenge myself and see how I can go under pressure. I want to see how far I and the team can go.
“It’s a youngish team with big aspirations and the set-up is perfect for me. Rams is the full package.”
‘Exciting to join a new project’
Ryan arrives along fellow Cardiff Met men Ross McKay, JJ Wozniak, Henry Kirwan and last-year student Ollie Agar.
And he acknowledged: “It’s nice to join along with a few lads I know, but also exciting to join a new project.
“It was a pretty unique set-up (at Cardiff), there’s only a couple of other Unis which have both the Wednesday and Saturday games.
“But in the long term it’s all the better for the players. The Prem especially toughened you up physically and gives you a bit of a (nastier) edge.
“You come up against older front five forwards who know their trade, whereas BUCS was so much faster.”
Ryan’s rugby career started as a four-year-old when dad Dan took him to Chobham RFC, but it really kicked off at Sidmouth when the family moved a few years later.
He then attended St John’s and Wellington School in Taunton for secondary.
The lock played through to senior level at Sidmouth before heading to University, where he gained his first international call.
Second row targetting full Canada cap
He continued: “Mum (Megan) is from Toronto and there was a guy (Ollie Wiseman) in first year who had a contact and luckily enough I was picked for the Under 20s.
“We did a two-game series against America and it was a fantastic experience.
“That then led to me moving into the senior squad for the European tour in November, where we played Romania, Georgia and Portugal.
“I didn’t get a cap, but that’s a big thing for me and I’m sure progressing in the Rams environment I can do it soon!”
The economics graduate is desperate to make his mark in Berkshire and closed by stating: “If I get the chance, the first time coming out the tunnel at Old Bath Road would be awesome.
It would be a new experience, hearing the Ramily, and those moments always are special.
“There would be no feeling like it.”
