By David Williams
Scarlets scrum half Gareth Davies has revealed he came close to giving up on his international career before Warren Gatland’s return as head coach.
The 33-year-old will head to France this weekend for his third World Cup, but only after overcoming an 18-month period in which he lost form and confidence due to a breakdown in his relationship with Wayne Pivac.
“I hadn’t played for the last year or so because I was out of favour under Pivac, and that was difficult to take,” admitted Davies.
“When I saw Mr Gatland was coming back it gave me a bit of hope. I worked extremely hard to get back into a bit of form and into the best shape I’ve ever been in.
“When Pivac took over I didn’t really get on with the way he and some of the other coaches wanted me to play. Defensively I wasn’t allowed to do my thing and I lost all confidence in my game.
“It was a tough 18 months to two years for me, but as soon as Warren was back in charge, and I saw which coaches were going to be working with him, I got my hopes up again. I thought I’d go for it again.
“I had some good conversations at the Scarlets with my coach Dwayne Peel and he filled me with a lot of confidence. I almost gave up internationally when all that happened.”
The Gareth Davies interview: I should never have changed my game for anyone else — I'm so glad I've made it back for Wales | @KESands https://t.co/QVt3RXGR6M
— WalesOnline Rugby (@WalesRugby) August 26, 2023
Having been the No 1 choice for Gatland at scrum half at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, Davies is now travelling to France to battle with Tomos Williams for a starting berth. Gatland has gambled by taking only two No 9s, but knows he can rely on both men to deliver for him.
“As soon as Gatland came back in I wanted to get involved again. I went through a stage when I wasn’t enjoying my rugby because the way the Welsh coaches wanted me to play just wasn’t my sort of game,” admitted Davies.
“It was a change in style, and it was more about defence than anything else. I enjoy the defensive side of the game, it gives me a lot of confidence for other parts of my game.
“Gethin Jenkins (Wales defence coach) didn’t like the way that I defended at all. I tried to change my ways, but I just didn’t enjoy it.
“It ruined things with me at the Scarlets as well, because I thought if that’s what they want me to do to get picked for Wales then I’ll have to play the game he wants me to play with the Scarlets. It was probably the worst mistake I could have made.
“I should just have stuck to my guns and played the way I wanted to play. That’s in the past now, though, and I’m happy.
“I worked extremely hard to get back into the squad, and it has paid off with my selection – and hopefully it can pay off even more over the next few months.”
🏴 Massive congratulations to Ryan, Gareth, Sam & Johnny, who have been selected in the Wales squad for the @rugbyworldcup
Llongyfarchiadau i'r chwaraewyr wedi'u henwi yng ngharfan Cymru ar gyfer Cwpan Rygbi'r Byd 🏆#YmaOHyd pic.twitter.com/cmqe0uOHo6
— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) August 21, 2023
Meanwhile, Fiji’s brilliant all-round performance in beating England 30-22 at Twickenham would have made their Pool C rivals Wales and Australia sit up and take notice as the Pacific Islanders fully justified the growing expectations that they will claim some major scalps at the World Cup.
“We don’t get to play at Twickenham too often so this was a great honour for us. It’s huge to get the victory and I’m very proud of the boys,” head coach Simon Raiwalui said.
“I wouldn’t say we were comfortable because it was a tough match. We’ve made a huge progression with our rugby.”
Former Newport forward Raiwalui believes the balance of power in world rugby is shifting fundamentally.
“The gap is closing, which is good for rugby in general,” said Raiwalui.
“It’s been really good to watch the progression of teams who have traditionally struggled. There’s been more of a level playing field in terms of preparation.
“We’ve been together for seven or eight weeks and you see the benefits. It’s going to be the closest World Cup we’ve seen.”
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