Davies must spike big guns of Nonu and Bastareaud
JONATHAN Davies is used to the big occasion. Six consecutive Test starts for the British & Irish Lions and 64 caps for Wales make the Scarlets centre one of the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest properties.
Further international honours can wait for now though, because Davies’ priority is today’s Champions Cup opener with Toulon at the Stade Felix Mayol.
Wayne Pivac’s side sealed a stunning PRO12 title success last season, now Europe is their next target. In fine form and with Davies in their side, the Scarlets can travel in confident mood, but he is remaining down to earth on what can be achieved this season.
“At the start of the year we looked at the first block of fixtures and wanted to make sure we left this part of the PRO14 in a good spot. I think we’d have taken five wins,” Davies told The Rugby Paper.
“I think we should be pretty happy with where we are. Now it’s the big competition and away to Toulon is a great place for us to start. I never played in Toulon when I was with Clermont. We played them in Marseille. They’ve got a very powerful squad and it will be a test for us to see where we’re at.”
Scarlets head coach Pivac has revolutionised the way the Scarlets play, the men from Llanelli flying the flag for Welsh rugby with an enterprising brand of rugby.
PRO12 title success was Scarlets’ first silverware since 2004, but it has been ten long years since the men from West Wales reached the latter stages of a European competition.
Drawn in Pool 5 along with Toulon, Bath and Treviso, Scarlets are in a good place to try and reach this season’s quarter-finals. Despite his personal heroics in the Lions’ 1-1 draw with New Zealand last summer – Davies was named man of the series – the 29-year-old remains humble about his own performances.
“The Champions Cup is a tournament we’re really excited about. I don’t want to make any predictions, but we’re looking forward to taking on teams like Toulon and Bath,” Davies said.
“I’m not playing my best rugby at the moment, there are improvements for me to make from the start of the year, but I’ve just got to be patient and keep working.
“I always work hard to improve my game and the more I play, the better I get normally. In France the games are very power orientated. There are big, heavy packs and the games are slower than in the PRO14. We have to make sure we’re accurate in every phase of our attack, otherwise we’ll be paying the price against Toulon.”
Davies starts against Toulon alongside captain Scott Williams in midfield. Tadhg Beirne continues in the unfamiliar position of No 8, while Leigh Halfpenny plays against his former side at full-back.
Club skipper Ken Owens and Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies are among the replacements.
Toulon have named a strong side in the knowledge that they were beaten by the Scarlets in Llanelli last season. Mathieu Bastareaud captains the French giants alongside Ma’a Nonu in a giant centre pairing.
Davies remains undaunted: “Bastareaud and Nonu are two vastly experienced individuals and they’ve played a lot of rugby together, so they have a good understanding.
“We have to cut their time on the ball down, get in their face and try to put them under pressure.”
Scarlets travel to France in high spirits. In the likes of young wing Steffan Evans, they have players at the top of their game. Combined with the experience of men like Davies, that could yet prove to be a potent European combination.