After two false starts, Alex Davies has found a home at Leicester

A few years ago Alex Davies couldn’t buy a break. Made redundant when Wasps went bust, he was offered a contract lifeline by London Irish, who also went to the wall. Sanctuary was found in the RFU-run Midlands Academy but even that got complicated when a realignment of the PREM academy structure made it obselete.

Anyone less resilient would have put their hands up and admit they’d ‘met their Waterloo’, the club where it all started for the sharp-brained Davies, who has hung in there through the tough times and is now reaping the rewards.

Appointed as an assistant coach specialising in skills and kicking at Leicester Tigers at the start of this season, the former Plymouth, London Welsh, Leeds and Bath half-back has helped to lead the club, in tandem with fellow assistant coach Neil Fowkes, into the semi-finals of the PREM Rugby Cup with a round to spare.

“It’s been a goal of mine to coach in the Premiership and, you know, no one journey’s the same,” he said.

“I was fortunate to get an opportunity at Wasps in the academy, and then I’d just been offered a first team role, and they went into administration a couple weeks later.

“After that, I pretty much signed and sealed with London Irish for two years, but then I got a phone call on holiday to say they’re also going to administration, too; rugby was in that turmoil spot.

“I ended up going away and coaching Netherlands with Lyn Jones, who was my coach at London Welsh and is a coach mentor for me.

“It was a really odd eight months of ups, downs, and you do think, ‘God, is this what I want? I’ve got a young family and I want to provide stability’.

“But I love what I do. I love being on the field coaching. I wouldn’t suit a desk job, I really wouldn’t, I need to be outdoors.

“So, when I got the opportunity to come here part-time as a kicking coach (after spells with Rosslyn Park and the Red Roses), under Dan (McKellar), I knew that was a massive opportunity for me to show what I can do.

“Obviously, I got a contract off the back of it and here I am now.

“It’s a great coaching group here, with a strong Leicester Tiger’s DNA running through it, which is great. We have an identity,” he added.

“I get lots of support. Peter Hewat (attack coach), we’ve got a great relationship, he’s a really good coach to bounce ideas off and gives me freedom, and Geoff (Parling) is the same, he wants you to coach with personality. I’m really enjoying it.”

In six years of trying, Leicester have yet to win the current version of the cup, but they now have a golden opportunity to lay that to rest.

The Tigers have an unassailable nine-point lead at the top of Pool B over Northampton and Saracens ahead of Saturday’s final pool game at home to Harlequins and could face one of Exeter, Bath or Gloucester, the top three in Pool A, in the semi-finals

While Davies, who turns 40 in June, would love to add the PREM Cup to the two Championship titles he won whilst at London Welsh to his personal honours board, he says the competition is important for reasons other than just winning silverware.

“We’re trying to work on a few things in our game, in this block. There’s a mixture of like experienced boys, young fellas coming in, so that’s been great to see them gel together: young fellas bringing the enthusiasm, the old fellas bring the experience and know-how and drive standards and habits.

“We haven’t spoke about silver or anything like that. We’re just next-day focus, next-game focus, making sure our processes are really good. We’re building our habits.”

As a half-back himself until hanging up his boots in 2020, Davies has enjoyed working with Wallaby legend James O’Connor, who has used the cup to get back up to speed after a long spell out with injury.

“He’s got a great rugby brain, a lot of knowledge on the game, lots of ideas. He’s been great to just have general chats around shape, lines of running, and he’s great for the young fellas, the half-backs, who he takes to one side.”