Axing of O’Driscoll made me a public enemy
JONATHAN DAVIES is recalling the 2013 Lions tour when his mischievous younger brother butts in. ‘I loved every second of it,’ says Jonathan. ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’
There is a pause to sip his coffee and James Davies fires his shot.
‘What about O’Driscoll?’ asks the sibling. ‘Wouldn’t you have him at 13?’ He is stirring the pot over one of the most infamous selections in rugby history.
It was the third and final Test against Australia and Brian O’Driscoll was dropped in favour of the Welshman.
Warren Gatland subsequently faced the wrath of Ireland and beyond, while trolls threatened to break Davies’ legs.
‘I think Warren was public enemy No 1 and I was public enemy No 2,’ says Jonathan.
‘I didn’t actually speak to Gats about it. I’d been playing 12 and Rob Howley came over and said, “Jon, you need to learn the 13 role for these moves. Do you understand what I mean?” I instantly knew there was a storm coming.’
Even Davies’ own family jumped on the O’Driscoll bandwagon. ‘There was a fair bit of abuse,’ says Jonathan. ‘My phone didn’t stop. I went to meet mum and dad for lunch in Sydney the day before the Test and they jokingly made me walk 15 metres ahead of them to the cafe. My own parents didn’t want to be seen with me!’
James was away on Sevens duty at the time. He won silver with Team GB at last year’s Olympics and has starred alongside Jonathan in the Scarlets Pro12 triumph this season. His omission from Wales’ summer tour sparked heated debate but instead he plans to cut loose and will soon arrive in New Zealand to watch the Lions.
‘In the words of Del Boy, we’ve had worse years,’ says James. ‘The Olympics was one of the times of my life. As for playing for Wales, all I can do is play my heart out for the Scarlets. I would say I’m good enough to get selected but it’s out of my hands. It’ll be good to watch Jon in New Zealand. I’ve got a couple of stops planned on the way: Australia, Thailand and Bali. All aboard Cubby Boi tours!’
The letters that spell ‘Cubby Boi’ are tattooed across James’ eight knuckles. It is a nickname that dates back to their upbringing in the Fox and Hounds pub in Bancyfelin, west Wales. Jonathan was the ‘Fox’ and James the ‘Cub’.
‘The tattoo was a £1,000 bet with Rhys Priestland,’ says James. ‘I was getting a slickback haircut and he said, “All you need now is a tattoo”. A few weeks later I’m in a taxi from a pool party in Vegas to a tattoo parlour. I woke up with the worst hangover. It felt like my life was over!’
It was at the Fox and Hounds where the brothers had their first taste of the Lions. Jonathan recalls the 1997 tour of South Africa and picks out the Jeremy Guscott drop goal that clinched an 18-15 victory in the second Test.
Like Guscott, Jonathan is hoping to be a star of the screen this summer, but admits ‘ time moved slowly’ when Gatland named his 41-man squad. The 29-year- old struggled for form when he returned from Clermont and made a costly error during the Six Nations. ‘All I have to do is mention that kick against England,’ says James, referring to the skewed clearance kick that set up Elliot Daly’s winning try at the Principality Stadium. ‘It was like you were trying to kick a Cornish pasty!’
But Gatland’s loyalty has been unwavering. Jonathan has recovered from a head injury to start against the Maori All Blacks, partnering England rookie Ben Te’o.
He has done his homework on possible Kiwi midfield combinations for next week’s Test. ‘You go on Facebook now and all you see is videos of Beauden Barrett tearing it up so he’ll probably be at 10,’ he says. ‘There’s Ryan Crotty and a couple of others. They could pick any two out of six or seven players in the midfield, really.’
Everyone loves a selection debate, but there will not be too many like Davies and O’Driscoll.