page revision date : Sunday 28th june 2009
Dominic fires up the Scarlets boiler-room!
Dominic Day hails from Pembroke and it is good to report that although he is competing now at a very high level he is quick to praise the coaching he received as a youngster at Crickmarren as the basis for his success.
We were delighted to chat to Dominic recently for our ‘Sports Spotlight’ section and asked him lots of questions about his involvement in the oval ball game, where he was a comparatively late starter, up until the present time, where he has played over 30 times for the Scarlets alongside the likes of Steve Jones, Whitland’s centre Jonathan Davies and Australian No 8 David Lyons.
How did you set out in
the game of rugby?
I didn’t begin until I was 15 or 16 and played youth rugby at Pembroke where I was coached by Clive ‘Tosh’ Rowlands and his brother Adrian, who looked after me well when I started at No 8 but was soon switched to second row. My brothers Stuart (back row), Huw (winger)I also played in Pembroke School and Neil Truman, my games teacher, recommended me for the Pembrokeshire ‘Elite’ squad and my rugby really took off from there. I was a regular in the county under 18s alongside Aled Thomas and Roger Davies and I was invited to join the Scarlets’ academy when I was 18. All at Pembroke have been marvellous with their support from the outset and another Pembrokian in Rob Appleyard was also a great help as a skills coach when I joined Llanelli.
You played rugby for Wales Youth on a number of occasions – can you tell us about that?
Sure. I actually played ten times and must rank as one of my real highlights so far because there is no feeling like pulling on a Welsh rugby shirt, no matter what the level. I made my debut against Italy at Ebbw Vale in the youth Six Nations tournament and we won that before also beating Scotland, Ireland and England to win the Triple Crown but lost to France to miss out on the championship.
Then it was on to the World Championships in South Africa, undoubtedly the major highlight of my career so far, because it is an amazing country and there some smashing games under coaches Gareth Nicholas and Dai Rees.
We caused something of a stir when we beat Australia but lost to France and missed out on a semi-final place by a single point after England grabbed a late converted try in their final match. New Zealand eventually won the tournament and although I was, like all the other Welsh players, really shattered by going so close my Welsh Youth playing record of eight wins from ten starts is something to be proud off.
Where did rugby take you next?
I studied for a Sports Science degree at UWIC in Cardiff and played for the college during my first season but then moved to Carmarthen Quins during my second year of college since it was a higher standard – and then to Llanelli during my final year at UWIC. It was then that I made my Scarlets’ debut, against Northampton in a pre-season friendly and started to learn the harsh reality of what the game was about as I came up against some experienced Northampton players. It was even worse when I played my first league match, against the Dragons at Stradi Park, when I was very nervous before the start and I was taken to the cleaners so much that I was pulled off at half time. I played about five matches that season as replacement and I quickly had to learn to have my mind fully focussed on the task in hand.
A little bird tells us that you were also useful in athletics! Is that right?
I don’t know about useful but I did compete in the discuss event, perhaps because I was seen as a big lump who might be able to throw it a fair distance. Anyway, I learned a little technique to go with basic strength and to my surprise I won the school and county championships. Not only that but I did well in the Dyfed Championships and found myself representing Wales against the Three As in North Wales and came second – so I have a Welsh athletics’ vest to go with my Welsh Youth rugby jerseys!
Can you tell us a little about your time at Parc y Scarlets?
I started out last season mentally tougher and I was called in for my first game at Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup when someone dropped out through injury. I must have pleased the coaches because I have been involved ever since with Vernon Copper as my regular partner and sometimes with Lou Reed alongside me. I have been very lucky to have experienced players like Iestyn Thomas as a great help as well as those I mentioned earlier. I have played against big sides like Harlequins, Leinster, Munster and Ulster, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Dragons, Ospreys and Blues. The most special match was the final one at Stradi Park against Bristol, which I considered was a great honour just to be named in the side – and a 27-0 win just about put the icing on the cake of a very moving celebration.
What is the normal week for you as a professional rugby player?
It varies so much because it is no longer the case that we play only on a Saturday afternoon because games can be played at any time – our last match, against Ulster, was played at 7.30pm on Saturday, and we often play on Friday evenings or Sunday afternoons now.
But our training schedule basically follows a similar weekly pattern.
Monday am - Weight-training, looking at the opposition for the next match
pm – Working on basic skills
Tuesday am – Similar morning
pm – set-piece work with lineout and scrummaging
Wednesday Day off – sometimes plays a few holes of golf with his pals
Thursday am – plenty of hard work on skills
pm – tapered down a little with a match approaching
Friday Team runs through planned moves – talk about focussing on match
Saturday Match day – a relaxing morning and light meal - if there is a 5.30pm kick off time he goes for a stroll because he wants to get on with the game!
Sunday Day of rest, perhaps an iced bath and a chance to recover from the physicality of the match.
Dominic - you’ve done brilliantly so far - what are your remaining ambitions?
I have enjoyed playing this season for the Scarlets and at 23 years of age I am relatively young as a second row so I want to stay injury free and keep my place in the squad. It means raising my fitness levels even further so that it will help me avoid injury with the physical contact that the modern game involves.
We have Paul Moriarty and John Muggleton, an Aussie, as defence coach and I know that I have to satisfy them that I am giving 100% so that I can keep progressing well. Beyond that I can look no further at the moment but I love my life as a rugby professional and know it is worth the effort. I finished the season with tries against both Cardiff Blues and Ulster – so wouldn’t it be great if I could maintain that sort of form next season?
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