If there is nothing new to England’s preoccupation with previous stage fright in Cardiff then it would appear Wales are also ready to go back to the future. Such was Sam Davies’s impact as a replacement in the 33-7 victory against Italy that, regardless of whether Dan Biggar’s rib injury heals in time, the 23-year-old fly-half could not be making a stronger case to start on Saturday.
With a playmaking ability that evokes memories of Wales’s illustrious fly-halves of yesteryear, Davies had a hand in all three tries in Rome in another impressive cameo. If he makes the initial XV against England it would be his first international start for Wales, but Davies has already demonstrated considerable composure, having knocked over the winning drop-goal against Japan in the autumn.
It would also be a popular choice with the Wales faithful, who are growing tired of Biggar’s struggle to ignite his backline and who long for a fly-half who plays what he sees. Someone in the mould of Sam’s father, Nigel, an inside-centre with wonderful vision, a former Wales coach and particularly proud parent. “Lots of people have said that Sam’s an old fashioned No10,” Davies Sr says. “He bases his game on his ability to see things in the match and to do the basic skills very well. His game is not the modern game, which is built around power, although you have to have that edge and that physicality. His point of difference is that ability to see the picture and react to the picture.
“I can see elements of my own game which was based on distribution and creating space and opportunities and Sam has got that. But he’s also got a lot more. His kicking game for instance. He has taken a lot of that from his early years when he was in the Swansea City academy.”
Davies’s talent has been evident for some time after coming through at Swansea with Tottenham’s Ben Davies before opting for the oval ball. He was named the world junior player of the year in 2013 and has served a lengthy apprenticeship under Biggar at the Ospreys.
“It has been a little bit frustrating for him but in some ways I think it’s been very positive,” Davies Sr says. “He’s been at the Ospreys with Dan Biggar and Dan is a strong character and one of the best 10s in European rugby, he casts a long shadow. But the flipside to that, and I always spoke about this with Sam, Dan would be an excellent role model for him.”
It is hard to imagine any father saying their son would not be ready for an occasion like Saturday but Davies Sr reveals Sam has long since been preparing for the international stage. “You’d like to think he’d be ready to start against England and that’s because of that apprenticeship. You don’t just come into one of your first tastes of international rugby and drop a goal [to win the match], he’s been dropping those goals in the park since he was four. I’d say to him: ‘Right, you need to kick this to win the game for Wales.’ He’s been doing that type of thing for a very long time. You don’t just turn up on the stage and do it because there is immense pressure. That’s something he’s learned from a very early age.”
The Davies dynamic is hardly unique – Ross Moriarty is the son of the former Wales second-row Paul while Thomas Young, called into the squad for the first time last month, plays under his father Dai at Wasps – but Davies Sr’s approach is clearly paying dividends.
“When it’s your son, to just go and tell him that was wrong, you shouldn’t have done that, will create friction. So it’s getting him to think about his processes,” says Davies Sr, currently head coach at Ebbw Vale.
“That’s what I do with a lot of my players, because at the end of the day at least 90% of the decisions players make have to be made in the moment on the field. That’s why he’s able to come on to the field and make decisions and see the picture. It is quite nerve-racking as a parent. [Against Italy] it was a tough time to go on but in many ways a good time as well because it was an opportunity. And I certainly like to think that he contributed to decent second-half performance.”
