Sam Davies says the resurgent Dragons would love to be the
first Welsh team to claim a victory out in South Africa in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
The four regions lost all eight games in the Rainbow Nation during last
season’s inaugural Vodacom URC campaign and they now head out there en masse at the end
of November for back-to-back fixtures.
For the Dragons, that means matches against the Lions in Johannesburg and the
Stormers in Cape Town.
They will make the trip in good spirits having already recorded more league
victories in their opening seven matches than they did all last season. Their 47-7 demolition of Zebre at Rodney Parade was their third triumph so far
this term, following up home successes against Munster and the Ospreys. So could they break the Welsh duck when they travel to South Africa?
“We are in the best possible place to do so,” declared fly-half Davies. “It is a tough place to go, no Welsh region has gone out there and won yet. We
would love to be the first team to do that.
“It’s going to be hard work and we understand that. But, for us, it’s just
about making sure we get better week on week. It’s been a good first block, but
we can’t rest now. It’s about backing it up. There’s still a large part of the
season to go.”
The Dragons’ rise has come under the tutelage of head coach Dai Flanagan who
joined from the Scarlets in the summer. “Dai has just given us a bit more freedom,” explained Davies. “He has come in
and got his attacking philosophy going with us. He understands what this group
needs and that’s what is getting the most out of us at the moment.
“You will see us playing some good rugby, but most of the time it’s in the
right areas of the field. Our set-piece is streets ahead of where it was last
year and that gives us a foundation to play off and that’s massive in rugby.
“You look at our lineout drive, we are stealing opposition ball, we are getting
penalties off our scrum. We are starting to change the perception of referees
and that’s credit to our forward pack, giving us the platform to play off. We
are also taking our opportunities a lot more now.
“We have got boys stepping up and performing when our internationals are away.
There’s depth building here, which is massive for us. It’s a privilege to be
part of such a good group.”
For his first three years at the Dragons, after joining fron the Ospreys,
Davies was a virtual ever present at No 10, making 60 appearances.
This season, it’s been a bit of a different story. He has had to bide his time,
with new recruit JJ Hanrahan and young Will Reed both featuring at fly-half.
But, after a start at full-back in the victory over the Ospreys, he was then
restored to his accustomed pivotal berth for the meeting with Zebre and
responded by landing all nine kicks at goal, as well as pulling the strings to
good effect behind.
“You don’t often get nine shots. To get them all over is a real confidence
boost,” he said.
“I know I am capable of doing it, but to be able to show it on a game day is
good. It’s something I work on in training every day. I’ve just got to make
sure I keep nailing them kicks.”
Talking about the competition at 10, he said: “JJ has come in and done really
well in the first block. It’s pushed me on to do well when I get my opportunities. It’s only going to benefit the squad. I look forward to sharing the game-time
with JJ. At 29 and 30, we can’t play week-in, week-out and I think that’s where
we came a bit unstuck last year. Whatever we are needed to do, we will do.”
It’s hard to believe Davies is 29 as it seems like only yesterday he was
playing for Wales U20s. It was, in fact, the summer of 2013 when he helped
guide Wales to the U20s World Championship final, being named Junior World
Player of the Year for his performances at fly-half.
It’s something of a Rodney reunion for that 2013 team right now, with Davies,
Rhodri Williams, Jack Dixon, Steff Hughes and Jordan Williams all together
again in the Dragons back line, while Elliot Dee and James Benjamin were among
the Welsh forwards nine years ago.
Centre Hughes is the latest addition to the squad at the Gwent region, having
come on board after being released by the Scarlets, marking his arrival with a
couple of tries in recent weeks.
“It’s amazing to get that partnership back with Steff,” said Davies.
“He has done really well coming in from the Scarlets. He has given us another
real option in the centre. I am really enjoying playing with him, I am enjoying
playing with JJ, I am enjoying playing with Rhodri and Gonzalo (Bertranou).
It’s like a breath of fresh air.
“If we can keep backing up the performances, especially at home, then we are
going to be in a good place come the end of the season.”
The eight-times capped Davies concluded: “I’m not a youngster anymore and my
body is screaming that out from the rooftops. But, at 29, I have still got
plenty of years ahead of me. I am here to add experience to the side and offer
everything I can and we will see where we go from there.”
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