Lomas came through the Connacht Academy and also played for All-Ireland League side Galwegians, before spending last season in Australia with Northern Suburbs in Sydney.

The 21-year-old is looking forward to showing what he can do in a Chinnor jersey, particularly following his time in the Southern hemisphere.

Ryan said: “I’m really pleased to have signed for Chinnor RFC Thame. Everyone at the Club is so welcoming and it was good to get into my first session last Sunday morning. When I spoke to Richard Thorpe, I thought ‘yes, that’s a bit of me’. He told me he is building a team to challenge for promotion and I definitely want to be a part of that. I went to Australia for the experience and to get away from up-front rugby, so I used it for development and adding offloads to my armoury. I’m a strong ball carrier, I love to do that and if I can get the offload away I will. As a prop, obviously scrum, scrum, scrum – I love it – and you can expect one or two big hits from me as well.”

Chinnor RFC Thame Director of Rugby, Richard Thorpe added: “Ryan has a sound rugby pedigree and he has all the hallmarks of a player who will make a big impact at Kingsey Road. He is exciting with the ball in hand, plus he will deliver at scrum time. In particular, I was drawn to Ryan’s ambition and commitment to developing as a rugby player. This infectious attitude will no doubt have a positive impact on the culture and performance of our squad."

We recently launched our Careers Hub which is designed to help players identify a career path and subsequently find them employment. If you would like further information, please email our Head of Careers, Sam Angell on s.angell@chinnor-rfc.com.