Wales were beaten in the cruelest of circumstances in the second Test in Melbourne as Mike Harries stepped up to slot a last-minute penalty.
But rather than wallow in self pity or focus on what might have been, Davies insists he and his team-mates took a good, hard look at themselves and said it like it was as they began plotting Australia’s downfall in Sydney.
A two-day rest has also played a vital part in preparations for the third and final international at the Allianz Stadium, with a trip to the zoo and the British Consulate keeping the players fresh ahead of the final week of the season.
”A break was needed by this team, because losing that Test was obviously such a massive disappointment. We were all so devastated about how the Melbourne Test finished. It was a terrible feeling,” said Davies.
“With 30 seconds left I thought we had it, but then we did a long kick and gave away a penalty. The rest is history – it’s difficult to take as a player having been involved in that.
“As a squad we’ve been on a long journey and seen a lot of lows. But obviously the last couple of months we started to get some success [in the Six Nations] and so what happened is disappointing.
“The worst thing we could have done is try to train the next day. It was nice to have a break, get out together as a group and refresh ourselves.
“We’re an honest group and we are used to having some tough analysis sessions after a game. We know that if we’ve done something wrong it’s going to be highlighted and I’ve been in that situation before, getting rollickings after games and getting bans.
“It’s how you learn and adapt from that that matters and as a squad we are getting really close. It’s only by taking it on the chin that you improve as players.
“Now we want to go out on Saturday and finish on a high. We need to do that – we need to take something away from this tour and it is important to finish with a victory.”
