Sports Spotlight . . . from PEMBROKESHIRE SPORT

Welsh prop John has a host of special memories

John Davies played no fewer than 34 times for Wales, was held in high regard across the rugby-playing world for his work-rate and total commitment up front whilst with Neath, Richmond and Llanelli – and he is still showing both in the twilight of a distinguished career in the front row at Crymych RFC!
We were delighted to catch up with John at the County Show, where he was working with Kiwifit, and asked him some questions about his days at the very pinnacle of rugby as well as his start in the game, all of which he answered with the quiet, no-nonsense approach that marked his play in the hurly-burly action of the front row.

Can you tell us about your first cap for Wales?

Yes, it came in February 1991, when I was called into the side to play against Ireland in Cardiff. Naturally I was thrilled but it was tinged with some sadness because my dad, known to all as ‘Daff’, had died the previous September and he would have been thrilled to see me in my Welsh shirt and receiving my Welsh cap. We drew 21-all and I couldn’t get over how fast it was after the national anthem had been sung – it seemed just like the blink of an eyelid and the game was over. But I had played for Wales, a dream for all rugby players, and that was that!

Can you take us on from there with the start of your international career?

I was picked again for the match against France, in Paris, and again it sped by as we lost 36-3. I ruled myself out of the end-of-season tour to Australia because there was too much work to do at home on the farm and I didn’t get back into the side until 1993, when I again played in Paris but we lost 26-10 this time. Then we went to Harare and beat Zimbabwe 42-13, followed by a 55-5 win over Japan in Cardiff – but we managed to lose 26-24 to Canada, which was disappointing, to say the least.

What was the best period of your involvement with Wales?

I suppose it was the period when Alan Davies took over the side because I played all ten internationals in 1994, when we almost won the ‘Grand Slam’. We beat Scotland 29-6 in Cardiff and then won 17-15 in Ireland, which was no mean feat because the Irish at home are a tough bunch indeed. Then we beat France 24-15 at home, the first time Wales had beaten them in 18 years thanks to a Scott Quinnell try, so that we had to travel to Twickenham to try and  claim the ‘Grand Slam’ We had high hopes and played our hearts out but we lost 15-8 in a really tight battle, which was really gutting.
I had plenty of travel that season because we then beat Portugal 102-11 in Lisbon, Spain 54-0 in Madrid, Canada 33-15 in Toronto, and Rumania 16-9 in Bucharest. But we lost to Western Samoa in Moamoa by 34-9 before beating Italy 29-19 in Cardiff, where we also went down 20-12 to the South Africans as we completed a busy schedule.
I scored a rare try in Zimbabwe and was convinced that I had crossed the line in a strong drive against Scotland but there was no video evidence in those days and the referee was unsighted! On the travel front, I also played for the Barbarians a number of times, including visits to Spain and Tunisia, and I also scored a try on my debut for the Barbarians against Cardiff.

That leads us nicely to the 1995 World Cup. What are your memories of that?

First of all it was a real thrill to be chosen to go to such an occasion – again it is every rugby player’s second dream after playing for their country. It was held in South Africa and there was enormous interest across this rugby-mad country as we started off with a 57-10 win over Japan in Bloemfontein. But then we encountered New Zealand in Johannesburg, faced the famous Haka and lost 34-9. It meant we had to beat Ireland at the same venue in our final group match to reach the quarter-finals but we lost by 24-23 and were out of the World Cup – and no words could describe what it felt like!

You were back in action with Wales again the following campaign. How did that go?

I had another nine matches for Wales during 1996, where the highlights were a 16-15 home win over France in the Five Nations Championship and beating the Barbarians 31-10 in Cardiff. But we lost to England, Scotland and Ireland as the down side of a good season for me in terms of representing my country.

You’ve talked about the high points of your international career, what were the lows?

Undoubtedly the World Cup defeat against Ireland by a single point but also my final appearance in 1998, when we took a weakened squad to South Africa and after beating Zimbabwe 49-11 in Harare we were smashed 96-13 by South Africa in Pretoria. It was tough going against a very powerful South African side and they loved every minute of it as we struggled to contain them.

Can you take us back now to the start of your career in rugby?

It all began at Ysgol y Preseli, where I played for the county at every level and was a very young founder member of Crymych Youth when the team was started. I always played at prop and Pembrokeshire Youth reached the MK Final, where we lost to Bridgend under the captaincy of Paul Jenkins, who is still going strong with me at Crymych. There were some good players in that side, including Neil Morgan, Corrie Williams, Huw Morris and Ian Wall.
After two Welsh trials up the line, Corrie, Ian, Huw and I were selected to play for Wales Youth against England at Wellfield Road, Leicester, where Neil Back was in the opposition as we lost.
I had also been capped a year earlier when we beat Italy in Ravigo where unusually everyone was making their Welsh debut, and we beat Italy 8-7 as Phil Ruddle (Kidwelly) crossed for two tries (each worth four points in those days!) Brendan Roach and Byron Hayward were the Welsh Youth half backs at that time.

Where did you go from there?

Ron Waldron was Welsh Youth coach and he took me straight to Neath, where the great Brian Williams and Kevin Phillips were regular members of the front row alongside Jeremy Pugh. I made my debut against Cardiff and then played against Llanelli, both at The Gnoll, in televised matches against renowned scrummagers like Jeff Whitefoot and Anthony Buchanan. I stayed with Neath for eight seasons where we won almost everything there was to win in Wales, including one season under Kevin Phillips where we won four different trophies and broke the world record for number of tries and points in a season. I actually scored a couple of try hat-tricks in those days and we lost narrowly to South Africa in one tremendous game I still remember.
Then I moved to play for Richmond in the English Premier League and my brother Edward looked after the farm as I played against the likes of Harlequins, Gloucester, Leicester and bath in front of big crowds. I had also been approached by Brive, Swansea and Newcastle but enjoyed my 18 months at Richmond a great deal.

Then you joined Llanelli – was that a good home-coming?

It certainly was. I had over seven very happy years there, played in four Welsh Cup Finals and loved the Heineken Cup competitions where we took on most of the top teams from across Europe. I actually was chosen as man of the match for consecutive games against Wasps and Edinburgh, which was good going for a prop, and the crowd were always brilliant to me. I will never forget the build-up to the two semi-finals against Leicester and Northampton, where we just missed out on the big day. It was gutting to lose but at least we could say that we had served our club well and on a personal note I loved playing for a club steeped in history and with more than its fair share of characters. I was only the second player, behind Adam Jones, to make 100 first team appearances for the Scarlets, and I am very proud of that fact. I also coached the Llanelli semi-pro team for a season before I finally left the club.

And now you have come full circle back to Crymych. Are you enjoying yourself there?

Yes – I decided it would be nice to give something back to the club which started me off in the game and I managed to play every league game last season and I have been looking forward to this new season because we have some useful talent there. We only just missed out on promotion and have worked hard pre-season under Lyn Williams and Elgan Vittle. Andrew Morris is still going strong as another 40 year old in the side and characters like Cennydd James provide some of the hwyl off the pitch. As to how long I will carry on it is anyone’s guess because I’ll play for as long as I can contribute to the team and I still enjoy it. It’s been a long road so far and I can honestly say I wouldn’t have missed a step of it!

** PembrokeshireSport.co.uk was delighted to talk to John Davies, who is as modest and unassuming as he is capable on the rugby pitch – and Crymych are lucky to have such a superb role model for their young players to try and emulate! **