'I'm never going to be the finished article...' - Jonathan Davies on injuries, Cubby Tours and how Wales can win the World Cup
Jonathan Davies isn’t prone to headline-grabbing outbursts. He doesn’t covet the limelight. Indeed, the scrum cap he habitually wears gives him a cloak of anonymity that suits him. He shuns red carpets when, ironically, his standing in the game could routinely see his name in lights.
Unlike his fellow West Walian great in midfield, the incomparable Ray Gravell, Davies chooses to keep his innermost thoughts to himself in times of emotional duress.
One such occasion came in May 2015 when he lay prone, grimacing after taking a blow to the knee in the act of scoring a try in the match between Clermont and Montpellier. He had an inkling what was coming after suffering the same anterior cruciate ligament injury at 18.
When an ACL injury was confirmed, he was sanguine, even though he knew his road to return would be tortuous. Of course, his immediate reaction must have rhymed with ‘clucking bell’ but he resigned himself to missing the 2015 World Cup and nearly the entirety of the 2015/16 season. Japan in 2019 was a minuscule crumb of comfort to aspire to.
Four years on, still fresh-faced with the gravelly voice of a V8 engine, Davies admitted on the cusp of the tournament in the Far East that lacing up his boots for a second World Cup has been an ambition since those dark days of rehabbing in the Massif Central.
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“Having had the great experience of 2011, when I was a kid in Test terms, missing the 2015 World Cup was painful,” he told RugbyPass. “To see the boys doing so well to get out of the group and not being a part of it was really tough. I’m 31 now, so this World Cup was always the goal. It’s been at the back of my mind so to be finally here is gratifying.”
In advance of the 2017 Lions series, he evaded pointed questions over his designs on the No 13 Test jersey. But ahead of next Monday’s finals encounter with Georgia, he’s emboldened. His rhetoric has become more assertive. In New Zealand for his first World Cup, Davies – then 23 – had ushered in a new era along with George North, Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton and Leigh Halfpenny, giving Wales a youthful sheen. He scored against Namibia, Fiji and most importantly Ireland in the quarter-finals.
This time out, it feels different. Wales are not the plucky underdogs. They are longer-in-the-tooth. Battle-hardened in thought and deed. “In 2011 we almost shocked ourselves. We knew we were in great shape but we probably didn’t expect to play that well.
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Thank you to Richard and everyone @worldofgroggs for this special grogg??
“This time round we have developed and confidence built in the last 18 months. We put together that 14-game winning streak, a Grand Slam and key wins over southern hemisphere teams. It has put us in a place that if we go into tight games, we know we can pull it out of the bag.”
For the 2019 vintage, Foxy – famously named after the Fox and Hounds pub his parents own in Bancyfelin – will no longer be the cub as younger brother James has also picked to add pace and guile to the Wales back row.
Davies gives a knowing smile. “I don’t think we’ll be on Cubby Tours this time. He thinks I’m disappointed he is coming, that it will spoil my party and that my parents will have to support both of us, but I was more nervous than him ahead of the squad announcement.
“He probably thinks I’m going soft but I couldn’t be happier for him. I’m just concerned I’m going to have to look after his kit because he is a messy sod. I just feel sorry for whoever is rooming with him.”
Brotherly love aside, Davies is self-aware enough to acknowledge he is viewed through a different prism to the fresh-faced ingenue of 2011. Aaron Wainwright and Rhys Carre would have just started contemplating shaving when he was scything through the Irish defence in Wellington.
But now that he is a Lions man of the series and double Grand Slam winner, he knows he will be expected to offer nuggets of wisdom for the rollercoaster his team members have embarked on. “If the boys want advice, I’ll tell them to accept they are here for a reason. They’re here because they are good enough.
Wales insist it is business as usual in the post-Rob Howley era https://t.co/56QE0Yn9hW
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“It’s not because people are too old or have moved on, they are the best players in Wales. We’re fortunate that in Warren (Gatland) and the management, they have so much experience of this competition as players and coaches.”
As for players he expects to make a big impression, a fellow West Walian get his seal of approval. “If you were to push me for a name, I’d say Josh Adams. A lot of people know about him already from his exploits, but he has the ability to go to the next level.”
Davies himself is in fine fettle. It does not look like Father Time is wrapping his knuckles on the table waiting for him to pack it in. His lean, muscular torso during summer training drew envy-inducing glances from both sexes, only for his brother to quip that he should ‘eat some carbs’.
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Great thing to hear in the lead up to opening weekend ? !#WalesRugby #RugbyWorldCup
But beyond the superficial observation, there is a serious point – there is plenty more rugby left in Davies and a third Lions tour, form permitting, should not be beyond him. After another nine-month lay-off after a horrific foot-injury in November 2017 against Australia, Davies feels the enforced break has possibly extended his career.
“Inadvertently, the foot injury has probably helped the body heal. The time away, the ability to rest up and get myself in shape was, in retrospect, a blessing.”
With Wales now encountering Japan’s stifling humidity, Davies says his body was pushed to the limit with the arduous training camps in Switzerland and Turkey. Framed as short-term pain for long-term gain, they had a buy-in from the entire squad.
The 2019 @rugbyworldcup is about to start on Friday and @alexshawsport power ranks all the 20 teams https://t.co/QK0oiz4juU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 19, 2019
“Usually in the first game of the pre-season you’re bricking it, worrying if you are going to make it to half-time, but against England, despite getting caught cold, we felt like we were getting stronger and stronger and it showed the following week. All the hard work from the conditioning staff has put us in a good space.”
Davies’ skillset is well-documented. His highlights reel shows the signature hammer-fend on the likes of Cian Healy, Johnny Sexton and Seta Tamanivalu. Defensive reads see him wrapping Jordie Barrett and driving him backwards, and his perfect tracking line on Ngani Laumape for 70 metres before ensnaring him to avoid giving away a try in the third Lions Test was series defining. He also always has his cultured left boot to see Wales out of trouble. It begs the question, where can he improve after 76 caps?
“For me personally, I’m never going to be the finished article. What makes you a top-level player is the hard graft to constantly keep improving. It’s constantly trying to hone little parts of my game, whether it’s my defensive work or my running lines.”
As for as the one-percenters Davies will need if Wales are to progress into the knockout stages, he says improving communication is paramount. “As I have developed as a 13, I have concentrated on being an extra set of eyes for the 10, feeding information back in-game. I have more time than him to scan so I need to help them dictate and pull strings because he is the most important player on the pitch.”
Wales have long traded on the collective and made themselves an obdurate team to breakdown. They aren’t prone to the final-quarter capitulations that dogged their pre-Gatland years. Davies says they function on a simple principle.
“Work ethic has been a mantra of this management and squad. You won’t be here for a long time if you don’t have that. You know when you come into camp you’re going to work hard and you’re going to be flogged, but the reward hopefully comes in tournaments like this. There’s a saying, ‘if it was easy, everyone would be doing it’, and we stick by that.”
It’s the most bullish Davies has ever sounded. As a player, he doesn’t succumb to hyperbole, so you have to surmise Wales have deep-seated belief which bodes well. “Across the board, the competition for places has put us in a position to go far. We can go into this World Cup and win it.”
If Davies’ dreams transpire, a nation of three million will be chiming ‘clucking bell’, or words to that effect, in unison. Stranger things have happened.
WATCH: The trailer for the RugbyPass behind the scenes documentary on Tonga’s preparations for the World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to comments