Davies is in the process of selecting his Wales squad for the inaugural Prince William Cup meeting with South Africa at the Millennium Stadium on November 24th and is keen to assess the form of his potential squad in the pressure cooker environment of Europe’s premier club rugby competition.
“The standards and intensity of competition go up a level this weekend, all the players and the coaches know it and they will have targeted each of their games to get of to a winning start and there is no reason why they can’t do it,” said Davies.
“The Heineken Cup is the holy grail for all of the teams who take part and that means from a Wales team perspective that we have the chance to assess players under the unique environment of intense competition.
“There’s no substitute for it, watching a player at this level is the only way you can properly assess form and decide whether that form can transfer to the international stage.
“We will be watching all Welsh qualified players this weekend. Some we know plenty about already and others we will be watching for new things, but every player should know we will only select them if they are on peak form.”
The Dragons and the Scarlets both have tough away trips to France to kick-start their Heineken Cup campaigns, against Perpignan and ASM Clermont Auvergne respectively, the Ospreys also entertain French opposition in Bourgoin and Bristol Rugby cross the Severn Bridge to meet the Blues.
“It will be a tough ask for both the Dragons and the Scarlets travelling into French territory,” said Davies.
“French teams are never easy opposition on home soil and they will move up through the gears because the are in front of home fans and because of the magic of the Heineken Cup. But both Welsh sides have put in encouraging performances over the past few weeks and if they can play with tempo and take the game to the opposition then they have a chance.
“The Ospreys are beating teams well at the moment and we are all looking forward to seeing them reproduce those impressive performances in the Heineken Cup spotlight.
“The Blues may have suffered defeat last weekend to Leicester, but sometimes a defeat can stand you in good stead and it will have done them some good to meet top quality English opposition in the week prior to their big game against Bristol.”
Davies will select a 28-man squad next week which will prepare to face the Springboks at a training camp in Saundersfoot. That squad will be reduced even further after the second round of Heineken Cup pool matches so his message to Welsh qualified players is that they are not only playing for regional glory in the next fortnight, but also for a chance to represent their country against the World Champions.
“We are getting closer to knowing the squad and team we will select to face the Springboks,” said Davies. “But we are also very much keeping an open mind and a lot will depend on the rugby we will be watching over the next two weeks.
“I’ve spoken to a number of players already and the desire to wear the Welsh jersey is as strong as it has ever been. Players who were at the World Cup are itching to get back out there and show what they can do against the world champions and those that were not involved are also sending out the right messages.
“Its been great for this coaching team to move on from the World Cup and finally get down to the nitty gritty of planning and preparing for a Test match.
“We have a chance to put that tournament behind us once and for all and we are looking forward to the players to joining us from their regions hopefully on the back of some winning momentum.”
