Coach Wayne Pivac singled out the flanker after the Scarlets back row entered the battle earlier than expected on his 24th birthday when Rory Pitman suffered an injury early on. Davies was at his destructive best at the breakdown and played a huge part in the Welsh region’s 15-3 victory over the English giants.
Having signed a development contract with the Scarlets ahead of the 2014-15 season and relinquishing his Wales Sevens commitments, the younger brother of former Scarlets and Wales centre Jonathan Davies, is beefing up his 6ft frame as he gets to grips with the fuller version of the game.
“It is about being patient. I’ve put the weight on, now it’s about keeping it on and chucking it around the field. It’s been tough; when you have to do it properly and work hard to do it, it’s difficult.”
“It was a good win against Leicester and the best birthday present you can have really.
“We knew before the game it would be physical. Leicester have always been a physical side. I thought we fronted up well tonight – we matched them during the game. We had a system in place during the week and it obviously worked.
“We defended quite a bit in the second half, we knew that if we kept to our systems we’d shut them out. We kept them out when they were looking for a bonus point in the end.
“Having the opportunity was great for me and having the time on the pitch. It was an intense and physical game, I felt strong and I’m quite happy with how I went in the end.”
With Scottish international John Barclay posing as strong opposition for the openside berth Davies is fully aware of the need to make the most of every opportunity; he went on to say: “I’ve been patient during the start of the season. John Barclay is a great player. John was talking a lot on the pitch, which is brilliant for me.
“I’m learning a lot from him. I’m keeping my head down and hopefully every opportunity I get I do alright.”
