Sara is a rugby star - on and off the pitch
Sara Davies has been immersed in rugby, and a heap of other sports, almost since she can first remember, has played the oval ball game up to international level – and is now one of only two females involved as a team manager at the higher levels of rugby as she does a great job with the Dragons in Newport.
She still finds time to be a regular player with Whitland Ladies, where she has played for a number of years, and her mum Sue is the team manager.
“Both my mum and dad loved rugby,” Sara told us, “so it was only natural that I got involved in the sport. My dad had played a lot up until injury whilst mum was a fan and was involved in the committee side of the sport. They both enjoyed driving Alan ‘Santa’ Reynolds and Frankie Setaro to games and trials when their families were busy.
Top jobs in rugby!
“When I left the Cardiff Metropolitan University I took a rugby administrator’s job at the Welsh rugby union centre of excellence, and worked for the whole department but mainly for Joe Lydon and helping with admin for age grade and the sevens.
I loved it but one day I had a call from the Dragons asking if I wanted to go and work for them as team administrator. I bit their hand off and was there like a flash!
I'm in my fifth season at the Dragons and now team manager so it's amazing working in the professional game in Wales, but it's an eye opener!
Wide range of duties
My duties include all logistical aspects of the team, especially to away games, where I organise flights, hotels and making sure the kit man sets off on time in his van for games in France so there is no chance of losing at airports!
Then there’s player welfare; their plans and schedules, educational and training issues, paper work like team sheets linked to home matches, plus popping in to see that match officials are well catered for. Small wonder that is nice for Sara to relax a little when match days are over!
Sara also works closely with coaches Lyn Jones, Kingsley Jones and Sean Connor, plus high performance manager Huw Bevan, who also has a Pembrokeshire link because his wife Anne is the daughter of Pembroke’s JR ‘Johnnie’ Jones, who was an excellent District H rep on the WRU for over a decade!
Lighter moments too!
“I have always been treated with respect by everyone at the club but there are inevitably lighter moments – like her first trip abroad for a match she had been involved in as team manager at Perpignan.
“On the morning after the match I went down for breakfast and when I reached the foyer I was put in a gentle headlock by Andy Tuilagi as his way of saying ‘good morning’ before his brother Henry lifted me aloft, and spun me round before they both ran off laughing like rather outsize naughty schoolboys!
“I'm lucky to have worked with some fantastic rugby players and general good guys but it's always good over my time with the Dragons having a boy from nearer home in the squad too, like Sam Parry, Nathan Williams, Nick Cudd and Hugh Gustafson, so they have been my home from home when I needed it!”
Early start to her own rugby
“My rugby started when I was eight, after Cally Jones suggested it would be good for me to come along, so I did, and I’ve been involved ever since!
“I was initially coached by Jeff Gibbon and Kevin Evans, who were the perfect coaches since they encouraged me to enjoy the game and have fun. Like all newbies I started on the wing but it didn't last long, as I ended up playing mainly in the second of front row.
“I played rugby with the boys until I was 12 but then had to stop. Girls’ rugby was in its infancy at that point so I had to travel a lot to play and train with Llanelli Wanderers, Cardigan, Lampeter, Carmarthen; anywhere that had a team or a game really, mostly at Llanelli Wanderers until I turned 18, so thank god for mum’s chauffeuring skills!”
Fishguard Ladies – and UWIC too
Then Sara started playing for Fishguard Ladies under the guidance on Min and Paul Walsh, plus Alan Phillips at 16 and really loved playing the senior game in a pretty strong team.
But 18 after losing her dad, she and mum agreed that going to university was still the next step for her so off she went to UWIC, now known as Cardiff Metropolitan, and was soon involved in rugby there.
“In my four years there we lost a handful of games; we were British Universities' champions at Twickenham in all four seasons, as well as twice winning the double of Welsh cup and league.
“The visits to Twickenham were great although I did disgrace myself on one occasion by falling flat on my face whilst warming up in front of 5,000 people – and I tried in vain to make it look as if it was part of my training routine!”
Back to play for Hendy Gwyn
“Whilst I'd been away mum started the ladies’ team in Whitland so I knew I had to play for them when leaving, and that's where I've been since. We've developed from having to play ten aside in Sundays, with girls dropping out all the time, to where we are now, a premiership team with under 18s and under 15s sections.
“Outside of my rugby, I started swimming when I was only four; everyone in Clunderwen did because of Sue Richards. I really enjoyed it and swam regularly and somewhat competitively in butterfly and backstroke until I was about 12. I always played any sport I could in Brynconin Primary School and especially enjoyed the yearly swimming galas, but would always do what I could.
“I even tried cross-country once – but never again! When I went to Ysgol y Preseli I again played any sport I could, including my involvement as a goalkeeper in hockey, where my only ‘war wound’ was a chipped tooth, netball, more swimming, athletics (all the throwing events!) and of course rugby.
And finally . . .
Back in rugby, Sara would say that playing for Wales’ under 19s and getting a few caps was special whilst being cut twice from Wales’ senior training squads ahead of the Six Nations was a huge disappointment although she has managed the team in in two Six Nations competitions since – but admits it isn’t quite the same!
“I am really happy in my current role but in the future I would love to manage some international teams right up to Barbarians (a girls gotta have dreams) and on the playing side I haven’t given up hope of a Welsh cap or a Welsh Cup win with Whitland.
“I would also love see the women's and girls’ sections of the club continue to grow and be successful, and helping girls understand rugby really is a sport for all ages and abilities.”
Sara Davies really does inspire with her enthusiasm and knowledge of the game and we wish this smashing young lady continued success with her terrific efforts!