'I've matured… I'm no longer the 23-year-old who likes just going out for a drink with the boys'
“We’re all winners in the hindsight Olympics”. It’s a phrase regularly bandied about for errors in judgement but for Sam Davies, any sense of regret about taking a leap of faith and leaving his home region for the Dragons have been largely justified.
A year ago, Davies faced a career-defining decision after seeing the Ospreys unveil star fly-half Gareth Anscombe in a never-to-be-forgotten signing-on video. Anscombe was Wales’ first-choice fly-half and had made his name in the blue and black of Cardiff, whereas Davies’ blood genuinely was black.
He was a Swansea boy to his bootlaces, who had had trials with football’s Swansea City as a teenager and represented the West Walian region on 151 occasions, becoming their second-highest points scorer ever with 836, just two ahead of James Hook.
The marquee signing of Anscombe was a body blow to Davies who, at 25, had been kicking his heels behind Dan Biggar for a number of years. When the voluble Welsh pivot upped sticks to Northampton, the assumption was that Davies would take over the No10 role he had longed for. It wasn’t to be.
After much soul-searching, he decided that throwing his scrum-cap in with the Dragons was the best course of action as he would be clear first-choice out-half 50-odd miles east of the Liberty.
Just months later, before the domestic season had even started, Anscombe incurred a season-ending injury, leaving the Ospreys short at fly-half and no doubt privately rueing the decision to let Davies go. With just the inexperienced Luke Price and Super Rugby’s Marty McKenzie failing to settle, the region went on to endure the worst season of their 17-year history, losing a head coach in a rudderless campaign.
Correspondingly, the Dragons had probably had their most promising season in some time, with nine wins in 19 games. Davies was an ever-present. If he was so inclined, he could afford a moment’s schadenfreude at what he left behind, but that’s not in his make-up.
“I thought it was going to be a very tough decision but when I look back now, with everything that went on, it’s funny how rugby works out,” he told RugbyPass.
“If you look at the Ospreys, on paper they have a good squad but with all the internationals away and injuries, results slipped away from them. I wouldn’t wish the season they had on anybody at the Liberty, but perhaps it’s made my move look more sensible.”
Despite his move, he bears no grudges to his old employer. “Listen, I’d been competing with Dan for four of five years before that and I didn’t feel I needed to prove myself to anyone. In all honesty, I didn’t feel like they needed to sign an outside-half at the Ospreys but ultimately it wasn’t my decision. When that news came through, there’s no doubt it pushed me towards the Dragons.”
Initially, despite offers from further afield, Davies had made his decision based on wanting to stay in Wales because he coveted pulling on the three feathers again. Within months, after some composed early performances for the Dragons, he did just that, playing for half-an-hour against the Barbarians.
“I had a call from (Wayne) Pivac at the start of the season and that gave me a bit of confidence. The Baa-Baas was my first game back on the international scene after over two years out so I was nervous, I’m not going to lie.”
When Davies reflects on his modest eight Welsh caps he maintains he hasn’t looked out of place, an imposter in the fabled No10 shirt. “We’ve won six out of eight Tests and I haven’t felt out of my depth. I’ve felt comfortable.”
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While Davies initially didn’t get picked for the 2020 Six Nations, he was called up and at one stage it looked like he was in line for some game time against England before Biggar’s Lazarus-style recovery. “When Dan was struggling with his knee, I was on stand-by but I have been sitting on the bench for him quite a few times now, so I wasn’t surprised he started. He’s one tough cookie.”
As for the current pecking order with Wales, when questioned over whether he sees himself as number five in the pecking order behind Biggar, Anscombe, Rhys Patchell and Jarrod Evans, Davies rightly backs himself. “I wouldn’t put myself in any order. People can get injured and things can change very quickly. That’s the challenge and why I stayed in Wales.”
One other factor that has given Davies some hope is the fact the Warren Gatland era has come to an end, something that has given overlooked players hopes of rekindling Test ambitions. “It’s a clean slate with Warren leaving. I never really played under him because Rob Howley was in charge in 2017 before the Lions and Robin McBryde was in charge on the summer tour.”
A major part in his decision-making came from one-to-one conversations with Dean Ryan, who saw the Dragons transfer over the line. “As a player, you just want someone who is going to invest in you and allow you to be your own man and contribute in the way you do best. That’s what he has done in abundance for me. He has really helped my game. Hopefully, his arrival has given a few of the boys a bit of hope.”
Davies made the move in the full knowledge that the Dragons had endured some fallow years. The region had changed ownership and coaches exited on a regular basis, with Lyn Jones, Kingsley Jones and Bernard Jackman all coming and going. But Ryan has given them the confidence needed to stop navel-gazing and be proud of the region they represent.
“Dean is a big man and he has a presence when he comes into the room. He won’t be bullied. The Dragons needed a strong personality, someone to puff out our chests.” That said, Davies makes it clear that Ryan has tempered expectations, not fanned them.
“It’s not an overnight, flipping-the-switch type situation here. It’s a long-term process. He’s looking at the academy boys and bringing them into training because he knows we’re challenged financially. We will have to be cute in the transfer market because we can’t compete with the Scarlets in terms of the salary cap, so he knows he has to build a real team ethos.”
The 26-year-old says after looking from the outside, it’s quite different inside the camp under Ryan. “Dean has had huge amounts of experience in the Premiership with Bristol, Gloucester and Worcester and it shows. In recent weeks we have been linked with Joe Tomane, Jonah Holmes and Nick Tompkins, which speaks for itself. Would that have happened last year? I’m not sure.”
Whereas some stellar names may yet be added to the Dragons roster, some players Davies was already familiar with were already filling their lockers, including fellow age-grade contemporaries Jack Dixon and Jordan Williams, but it was Rhodri Williams who had the biggest influence on his move.
“I played first with Rhodri at U16 level and we went on to play at U18 and U20 level for Wales where we lost in the final to England. That was a big factor in me going there. He’d played really well for Bristol so, knowing the player I am, I knew we could complement each other. Rhodri used to take a lot on himself but I’d like to think I’ve taken some pressure off him to free him up a bit to score tries.”
Indeed, Davies is no ingénue, having caught the eye from a young age. A winner of the Junior World player of the year in 2013, beating Ardie Savea, Cheslin Kolbe and future England stars Jack Nowell and Henry Slade, by the 2016/17 season the then 23-year-old was gaining traction as the people’s favourite to take the Wales No10 shirt from Biggar.
A series of incidents saw his star wane, however. “I picked up a groin issue before the Wales summer tour of 2017. In hindsight, I should have sorted that out but I was trying to be brave. I knew I’d be starting so I didn’t want to pull out. We got the two wins in horrendous conditions but that is when it really flared up and I came back struggling.
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“I remember being asked to play in a start-of-season game even though I’d done no running, but I was kidding myself. I remember us starting up at Glasgow where I couldn’t function properly and after a few games of trying to force it, my confidence started taking a bit of a kicking. I went into a spiral.”
After reaching a nadir, it was decided that Davies was to see a groin specialist in Dublin. Enda King had treated Dan Carter and that was enough of a recommendation for the fly-half to get himself fixed. “I stayed there for a week because Enda knows his groins. I told him I could run, but I couldn’t get to my top pace and kicking had become an issue.
“Thankfully he was able to get to the bottom of it. It was tough mentally but I’ve learnt it’s how you come out on the other side. Even in my final season I thought I played well at the Ospreys, picking up a few man of the match awards. I certainly didn’t feel the fans were desperate to get rid of me.”
With 19 games chalked off with the Dragons including a never-to-be-forgotten last-gasp drop goal against the Scarlets, Davies said the time in lockdown has given him time to reflect and refocus. “I guess I’ve matured. I’m no longer the 23-year-old who likes just going out for a drink with the boys.”
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On the field, too, Davies feels a new-found maturity has led to an evolution in his game. “I can rein it in nowadays. If you get a coach who allows you to express yourself and allows you to flourish under his framework, that’s ideal but you have to know where the line is and that’s where I’ve come on. My decision-making has improved.”
Known for prodigious footballing skills, Davies has been seen on social media trying a variety of trick shots, including chipping a rugby ball through an open house window. It begs the question, is he the northern hemisphere’s rival to Quade Cooper? “I’m not sure about that,” he laughed.
“But we’re eight weeks in (to lockdown) and it’s important to keep connected to the fans on social media. Some of the rugby boys take the mick but as players we have a responsibility to keep the game in the public eye because if we go cold the fans could fade away and get used to a life without rugby. That would be a nightmare for everyone.”
Whatever transpires in the coming months, Davies will keep working on his game. One of the areas he has come under scrutiny is his defence but he says he is not shying away from the physical stuff and is relishing his role as the Dragons’ matador-in-chief.
Thanks for nominations lads @aled009 @HTayls5 and @scottbaldwin2 .. I’ll pass the mantle onto @lukeymogz @tomhabbers @ashton_hewitt #goodtimes pic.twitter.com/i433jSY4gP
— Sam Davies (@samdavey1993) April 6, 2020
“As you get older, you fill out a little bit and I put some more emphasis on gym work last summer. Inevitably as an outside-half, you’re going to get targeted by every team you play, so you have to come to terms with that otherwise it will eat you up.
“The upside of getting clattered is seeing the player you have put through a hole going under the sticks. That’s the beauty of the game. Sometimes, I’ll dust myself off, look the opposition player in the eye and smile.”
Spoken with the swagger of a true fly-half, it’s clear Davies has relocated his mojo and is back to his old self, ready to breathe fire into the burgeoning Dragons renaissance.
Comments on RugbyPass
Fiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy 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 …
33 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!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 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 comments