'At the end of the day he's my son and I want to see him enjoying himself'
Nigel Davies forged a career at Stradey Park with Llanelli, totting up 498 caps and reaching nine cup finals along the way. His stature as a legend of the game may be understated given he’s both played for, and coached, his country.
He’s since dabbled in the Gallagher Premiership with Gloucester and the Welsh Premiership with both Ebbw Vale and Merthyr. Despite his many accolades he’s now pushed coaching to one side as he aims for a seat on the WRU National Council.
Davies’ professional coaching may well be over, but he still delivers his passion to his son Sam, who is reaching elevated heights once again at the Dragons as he searches for another Welsh call-up. It’s his dedication for rugby and his love of his son that enables him to keep driving on in a sport that he has cherished for over four decades.
“We talk quite a bit about rugby. I’ve learned over the years not to be forthright with my opinions, so I’ve got to be a bit more subtle around some issues. The best way to improve a player isn’t to tell him how to do something, but let them decide himself how he thinks is best to do it as they have to make all their decisions on the field,” Davies explains.
Having that divide between father-son bonding and coaching advice could be difficult, but for the family who grew up near Gowerton it’s just an extension of life. Nigel doesn’t just offer his expertise. He wants to enjoy rugby and often discusses the ongoings at Rodney Parade with Sam in an attempt to maintain normality.
“We have conversations around that [coaching] or the game in general. I’m interested in seeing what’s happening at the Dragons as there seems to be a positive vibe there.”
Sam has now been out of the Welsh setup since June 2017 where he featured against Samoa. Out of form at the Ospreys, Nigel took it upon himself to offer some words of wisdom to enable Sam to push past his current tally of eight caps.
“When Sam was first talking about the move [to the Dragons], I said the main thing for you now is to just starting to enjoy rugby again, which would help him play better. That gives him a better platform to do things.
“I said he’d have to put his Welsh ambitions to one side as it’s about getting back and enjoying his rugby, which he’s been able to do at the Dragons. It’s been heartening to watch. At the end of the day he’s my son and I want to see him enjoying himself. If it comes it comes and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t but he’s still enjoying himself.”
When Sam made his second appearance off the bench against Japan the scene was set for him. The drop goal was there to win the game, and he duly accepted the challenge, Wales winning 33-30. Nigel doesn’t think about that drop goal in the Millennium Stadium, as it was then, but he reminisces of Sam’s younger days and practising drop goals on the Elba fields at Gowerton.
“I was in the crowd. You don’t just turn up and perform at that high level and do those things unless they’ve done it a million times before. Sam will have taken those goals on the Elba where he was brought up.
“From the age of five or six we’d always end the session by standing in-front of the posts and I’d pass him the ball for a drop goal saying, ‘this is the kick to win it for Wales’. “When he kicked that goal for Wales, I didn’t see him for that, I saw him kick the ball in the Elba. That was a really emotional moment.”
Nigel’s fondest memories have come on the rugby fields, including Sam within many of them, but looking back he remembers how difficult it was to come to terms with the end of his own career.
“It’s very difficult and a massive issue we have in the game now. I remember, on my 30th birthday, which was a surprise party at Stradey Park, that was the worst for me as someone in top level sport, the realisation that at best you only have a few years left in you.”
Davies’ career began in the late ‘80s and finished just over a decade later, managing to bridge both the amateur and professional era. A graduate in mechanical and production engineering and having worked as a consultant for major businesses, he had to balance his rugby career with his job, the former of which wasn’t a paid role. Transitioning into the professional era in 1996 wasn’t easy or without flaws. The changes didn’t occur overnight and Llanelli remained an amateur team at heart for several years after the official changeover.
“It wasn’t much of change as nothing really happened to start with,” explained Nigel. “I caught the first few years of the professional era and in that time we still worked outside of rugby and got paid full-time in rugby. Going into the third year it became a full-time environment and started to go down the professional route, in the true sense of the word.
“A lot of mistakes were made along the way and there was little clarity. At Llanelli it took us a few years to embrace that. Going from training twice a week to five times a week didn’t happen for the first two years.”
“It was something we were used to [working whilst playing]. It wasn’t ideal, but in my first season with the Scarlets I played nearly 50 games, as we played midweek games. We’d go from work, catch a bus up to Pontypool Park or wherever and play a game. Then we’d go back into work the following day, although you wouldn’t be able to after a trip to Pontypool…”
Despite the enjoyment of having to balance his job with his passion, he firmly believes the hardship has increased for players nowadays. “If you look at players now they’re far worse off,” he says. “From a young age they’re put into an academy and then a team, so their working week is set out for them, what they eat is set out for them.
“They get a lot of positive feedback, but when it finishes it leaves a big black hole. We talk about mental health issues, but they’re real for players. I don’t think any player I have spoken to recently who has finished recently has found it easy, they’ve all struggled with it.”
Nigel’s career as a player finished in 2000. The young boy who dreamed of playing for Wales as he turned out for Trimsaran youth had achieved his goal. His learning wasn’t finished and he set out to coach, where he helped boost Robin McBryde’s awareness.
“The thing about international coaching compared to regional or club teams is you have very little time with players so it’s a different dynamic with different skills. When you’re coaching week in, week out you have a lot of contact with players, you can evolve things reasonably quickly, whereas in international rugby it’s about man-management and getting the selection right and creating a good environment and culture.
“After I finished with Wales I went back to the Scarlets and Robin McBryde was with Wales and I suggested to him about coming to the Scarlets to coach the forwards, which he did for a year. He said it was completely different to coaching internationally as you have plenty of time to reflect on things whereas with Wales it puts pressure on you to react and problem solve quicker. He found it very rewarding.”
His time within the community game is also looked upon fondly. “Winning the league with Ebbw Vale, that was a fantastic achievement and that was one of the memories I’ll take to the grave,” Davies added. His time across the bridge with Gloucester was his last professional coaching role, but he now looks to apply his rugby and business knowledge to the admin side of the game. He is running for a seat on the WRU National Council, and he feels his skills brought upon by his time at all levels of the game can help move the game on within Wales.
“The community is the rock bed of the game in Wales. If we don’t support that area we won’t have a game going forward and these are issues that need to be spoken about and addressed. I know the Union are doing lots of good work already, but I bring a slightly different perspective.
“I love rugby and I love Wales, and I want to ensure we have a sustainable future and it’s not just about the professional game because that won’t exist without the community.”
“I’m keen to get on there [Council], ask some pertinent questions based on my experience and help drive change.”
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 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
1 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 Crusades , you can keep going.
1 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!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 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.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments