Jonathan Davies recalls a very different 'warm-up' to the 1987 Rugby World Cup
England and Wales arrive at Twickenham on Sunday for the opening Rugby World Cup warm-up game having followed intensive training programmes dictated by cutting edge sports science that has taken the squads to an altitude camp in Switzerland and debilitating heat sessions in Italy. It is all in stark contrast to the build-up to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 which saw Wales head to the Pembrokeshire seaside resort of Tenby and take part in a fun run.
Former league and union great Jonathan Davies was the Welsh outside half during that 1987 campaign in New Zealand and Australia that saw Wales beat England in the quarter-finals and finish third – still their best showing at the Rugby World Cup. The current Wales squad has been based at altitude in Switzerland and will head to Turkey for heat training while facing four warm-up international matches – two each against England and Ireland – to prepare for Japan.
In 1987, the only match preparation for Davies and the Welsh squad was a controversial Five Nations tournament which featured the infamous Battle of Cardiff against England. The Welsh won 19-12 with the Rugby Football Union taking disciplinary action taken against captain Richard Hill, Gareth Chilcott, Graham Dawe and Wade Dooley, who had broken fellow policeman Phil Davies’s cheekbone during the fighting.
Wales didn’t play any warm up games before heading down under and Davies said: “Before the tournament we went to Tenby for a couple of nights and some training on the beach and that was about it.
“We started a two-mile fun run but there wasn’t anything special in terms of training and just had a bit of fun before what we considered to be a bit of a mini-tour to New Zealand! We didn’t have any warm-up games – we were amateurs!”
During the tournament the injury-ravaged Wales Cup squad called up two 19-year-olds who were playing for Northern Suburbs in Sydney – current Wasps director of rugby Dai Young and ex-Lions and Wales flanker Richard Webster. They had remarkable starts to their test careers with Young making his test debut in the quarter-final win over England while Webster’s first Wales game was the third-place play-off victory against Australia.
“We had injuries in the front row; Stuart Evans got injured, John Rawlins flew in and pulled his hamstring the first training session and flew back so Dai go the call along with Richard Webster because they were good players and already in Australia: “ added Davies. “It was all very amateurish at the World Cup but we wanted to win it and to get to Brisbane we had to fly in from Invercargill.”
Before the 1987 quarter-final in Brisbane, England, unlike the Welsh, headed to the Hamilton Island resort where they enjoyed swimming, sunbathing, para-gliding and water-skiing. The quarter-final contest was a damp squib compared to that violent 80 minutes in Cardiff and a key moment highlighted the difference between the amateur game played in 1987 and the current professional one.
England lost prop Paul Rendall to injury and faced a scrum five metres from their line and second row Nigel Redman moved up to tighthead prop as England didn’t have time to get replacement Chilcott onto the pitch. Gary Pearce switched from tighthead to loose where Rendall played. Not surprisingly, Redman was marched back in the scrum, the ball squirted out and flanker Gareth Roberts scored a crucial first of three Welsh tries as they won 16-3, earning the dubious reward of a semi-final against eventual champions New Zealand. “What happened with the injury to Rendall would never happen these days and it was their fault – the should have waited to have the scrum:” explained Davies. “ We wanted to play open rugby but it was the worst game ever.”
That win led to 46-9 beating, lock Huw Richards was sent off while All Black legend Buck Shelford stayed on the pitch despite knocking out the Welsh player. Wales would redeem themselves with a remarkable touchline Paul Thorburn conversion earning a third-place finish with a 22-21 win over 14 man Australia in Rotorua.
It remains one of Davies’s favourite memories from his career and thanks to the calmer conditions, Wales were able to play their style of rugby. Does Davies envy the current players and their intensive preparations? “Back in 1987 you never envisaged what the World Cup would become with even warm-up games for the tournament selling out. The players are professionals on big salaries and the whole tournament has grown and I would love to experience that now. Yes, the preparation is different and good luck to all those lucky enough to be at the Cup.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Did footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
31 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
31 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to comments