Davies: Return to full stadium 'mind-blowing'
Wales centre Jonathan Davies has admitted it will be “mind-blowing” to see the Principality Stadium full again for the Autumn Nations Series at the end of the year.
Tickets went on sale on Thursday for the home fixtures with New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Australia which take place across four consecutive weekends later in 2021.
While a limited number of spectators were able to witness the recent summer internationals against Canada and Argentina, those attendances of around 8,000 could be multiplied by nine when New Zealand roll into Cardiff on October 30.
Davies said: “That first game with a full stadium at the Principality, you want to be a part of that because it will be mind-blowing seeing thousands and thousands of people in the stands, singing Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.
“It is something you want to be part of as a rugby player and I am sure everyone will be competing hard to make sure they are in that team.”
Not since February 2020 have Welsh rugby supporters filled their home stadium, with the Guinness Six Nations games that year against Italy and France able to take place before the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then matches at domestic and international level have largely been played behind closed doors or with a small number of spectators, but that is set to change when Wayne Pivac’s team return to action in two months.
“The autumn itself is a huge opportunity to test ourselves against four of the best teams in the world,” the 87-capped Welsh back Davies added.
“Each team poses a different threat and we will be tested in all aspects of the game. The boys are going to be pushed hard but as a professional rugby player you want to test yourself against the best and those four games in the autumn will be a huge challenge for us all.”
Davies was a surprise omission from the British and Irish Lions’ recent tour of South Africa after he had starred on their trip to New Zealand in 2017.
Pivac handed the Scarlets centre the captaincy for the summer internationals, while regular skipper Alun Wyn Jones was with the Lions, and the 33-year-old led his country to victory over Canada, a thrilling draw in the first Test with Argentina before they lost the series when the Pumas won the final Test 33-11.
That final defeat of a long, arduous campaign, which had seen Wales claim the Guinness Six Nations title in March, occurred a week before the Lions series got under way, with the tourists going on to lose 2-1, but Davies spent much of his off-season in the Lake District and Scotland.
“I watched bits and bobs while we were in camp but I didn’t catch much of it,” he said.
'I hope we haven’t done something to upset Rugby Australia because we would want to be involved'
@Lala_Maps talks to @chrisjonespress ??? about a revamped 2025 Lions tour #LionsRugby https://t.co/Op58sZ1QyM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 12, 2021
“It is obviously devastating for the boys involved and hopefully they are able to have some time with their families now to decompress after what I can imagine was a very difficult tour. It can’t have been easy for them all.
“For us I think everyone will be raring to go against South Africa. They are the world champions and whenever you have the world champions turn up at your home stadium, the boys want to put on a show and make sure they get the result.
“I am sure every Welsh rugby player wants to be involved in that squad. It adds to competition for places and I am sure the Welsh public are excited to get back in the stadium as well.
“Even in the summer games, 8,000 people in the stadium made a huge difference to the atmosphere and times that by 10… it is going to be pretty special, I have to say.”
Comments on RugbyPass
An 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!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 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.
24 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.
24 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 commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to comments