Born in Cowbridge in 1936, he was educated at Cowbridge Grammar School and won Welsh Schools caps at both cricket and rugby. He went up to Cambridge University to read law and economics and won a rugby Blue in 1958.
His two Welsh Senior Schools caps came against England and France in 1954, when he played alongside future Welsh internationals Meirion Roberts and Gareth Payne, as well as future England star Derek Morgan. Wales beat England 8-3 in Leicester before losing 6-3 to the French in Cardiff.
His form in the Cambridge midfield playing in tandem with the Light Blues skipper Geoff Windsor Lewis earned him a Welsh Trial alongside his student teammate in 1958 – four days after they had helped his university win the Varsity Match at Twickenham, 17-6.
They teamed up in the Whites XV, who lost 8-6 to the Reds. It proved to be a bad afternoon for the two students, who were criticised for their ‘lifeless’ play in the centre and neither was chosen for the starting XVs in the Final Trial on 3 January.
Davies was playing his club rugby for Aberavon in the second half of the 1958/59 season and received 10 minutes in the Possibles XV that beat the Probables 8-3. He came on to replace the Harlequins centre J.R Simons and beat Llanelli’s Cyril Davies and Coventry’s W.J Stewart to an international place alongside Pontypool’s Malcolm Price.
At the age of 23 he was one of seven new caps selected to face England in the opening game of the 1959 Five Nations Championship. The other new caps were Price, Dewi Bebb, Cliff Ashton, Ian Ford, John Leleu and Derek Main.
The game against England at Cardiff Arms Park saw Bebb run in Wales’s first try against the auld enemy in the Welsh capital in 10 years as skipper Clem Thomas’ side went on to win 5-0. The Big Five obviously liked what they saw because they kept the same side for the trip to Edinburgh to face Scotland at Murrayfield.
A last minute drop shot from Ashton almost won the game for Wales, but it missed the target and the Scots made it three in a row against Wales in the Scottish capital. A 50 metre dash by Price earned Wales their only points with a try, but Scotland ran out 6-5 victors.
This time the selectors made three changes for the home match against the Irish and Davies joined lock Ian Ford and flanker John Leleu in dropping out of the side. Wales finished third in the championship behind France and Ireland.
On leaving Cambridge, Davies became a chartered accountant and eventually became the financial director at Clive Lewis and Co, surveyors. He moved to London and played for London Welsh, captaining the Exiles in the 1964/65 season.
His Welsh career had one final flourish when he toured South Africa in 1964 as a utility back. He was 29 by this stage and his form at full back for London Wales earned him a place in the 23 man party, although he didn’t get to play in any of the five games.
