Davies back on centre stage

Not only was he an integral part of the Scarlets side who romped to Guinness Pro12 Championship glory, Davies quickly followed that success by becoming the third Welshman on the trot to be named Player of the Series after a stunning British & Irish Lions tour in New Zealand.

Capped 64 times by Wales, Davies added three more Lions Test caps to the trio he collected in Australia in 2013. The centre played every minute of each Test against the All Blacks, producing outstanding displays both in defence and attack, as the Lions secured a drawn series against the world champions.

He was an obvious choice to be named Player of the Series, something he still feels humbled by.

“I was chuffed to bits to get the award, as it’s voted for by your peers. But you look back and it’s a team effort, with 40-odd players and we dug in and achieved something very special. I’m chuffed to bits,” he says.

Davies enjoyed a break from the game after his exploits in the land of the long white cloud, before making an instant impact as a substitute against Ulster in round three of the Guinness Pro14. Within seconds of coming on, he had touched down to score for the Scarlets, but it proved in vain as the hosts sneaked home with a 27-20 victory.

“It was good to get the feet up, as they say, and recharge the batteries and almost get away from rugby, as it’s a tough season,” he says.

So following in Jamie Roberts’ and Leigh Halfpenny’s footsteps, who snaffled the Player of the series gongs in the two previous Lions trips, what makes playing for the Lions so special for the Welsh lads?

“I don’t know about the other boys, for me the most important thing is to enjoy my rugby with the Scarlets – and going on tour was the same. It was a lot fun, you’re playing with a smile on your face, and when you’re enjoying your rugby that’s when you play your best rugby.

“There was so much hype around it [the series against New Zealand] leading up to it, every Lions tour is special, but it was a lot of fun and people just enjoyed being around each other as a group. It was a case of 41 boys who just got on well with each other.”

With the All Blacks set to face Warren Gatland’s men in the Under Armour Series this autumn, Davies is bracing himself for a blacklash as Steve Hansen’s side come to Cardiff aiming to put Wales in their place.

“They are a very professional outfit and they will want to make sure that when they came over to our shores they’ll want to put a few wrongs to right.

“For us as a Welsh team, a few of us went out there and enjoyed the success and the experience we had with the Lions and I think it’s important for us to bring that home when we take them on in the autumn to make sure we use those experiences to our advantage.”

So is he looking forward to taking on Sonny Bill Williams again?

“Hopefully, if selected,” he replies. “It’s a tough task whichever midfield the All Blacks put out. As a rugby player you want to test yourself against the best players and the best teams and the way they are playing at the moment they are definitely one of the best teams in the world.”

Davies is also wary of the challenge South Africa, Georgia and Australia pose in the other games of the autumn series. Davies is keeping one eye out for the Wallabies as he thinks accusations of them as a spent force, are wide of the mark.

“I think the performance they put up against the New Zealand in Dunedin shows they are not in decline. They are a quality outfit and are always well drilled and they are a very experienced side so we have to pay them the utmost respect.

“They’ve got a very good record when they come to Cardiff and I’m sure they will want to keep that going but, for us, it’s a challenge to try and break [that record].

“The autumn series are very difficult periods of rugby. In the Six Nations you play two weeks then there is a break of rugby – the autumn is four weeks and each week is Test match rugby. Every game is difficult and it’s making sure we prepare well, train smart and when it comes to game time we execute what the coaches want so the autumn is always a tough period of rugby.

“I think if we can carry on where we left off last season we’ll be in a good place, but we can’t ‘expect’ that to happen.”

And what about the Scarlets? Is he looking forward to defending the league title in a style fans have become accustomed to?

“We have got to make sure we go back to what we worked extremely hard on at the end of last year, like making sure of the basics of the game and making sure we execute the opportunities we create.

“The way we played was a great brand of rugby, but people will be out to get us this year – even more so – it’s a challenge we look to take on, as defending champions.”

Under Armour autumn series
 

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