Ospreys veteran issues warning to Beard

BRADLEY Davies has warned Wales lock Adam Beard he faces a fight to regain his Ospreys jersey when he returns from Six Nations duty.

Beard has been a revelation since making his Test debut against Samoa in 2017 and has won each of his 11 Test matches to date.

But the 64-times capped Davies, who has recently returned from a lengthy lay-off with a knee injury, insists he is up for the challenge when Beard comes back to the Liberty Stadium.

“Adam won’t have it all his own way when he comes back,” said the 32year-old. “I never shirk a challenge. If he’s picked on merit then fine but I’ll back myself against anybody.

“Adam has done well and I hope he continues to push on. The key for him is staying fit. That’s the challenge because rugby has gone a bit like NFL in the way that careers are getting shorter.

“The fire burns as bright for me now as it’s always done. I think when you’re a youngster you don’t think about the smaller things like managing your training workload.

“After these injuries I've had I am starting to feel better about my body and I just want to enjoy it. I like the thought of coming to training every day because your career can end in an instant.”

Despite being in the twilight of his career, Davies is hell bent on earning a place in Warren Gatland’s Wales World Cup squad.

Being on the sidelines can be a challenging time for a professional rugby player, but Davies has kept himself busy by trying his hand at coaching which is something he’ll like to pursue in the future.

He said: “I definitely want to play for Wales and I’ve got big ambitions to play in the World Cup. I’m not going to leave any stone unturned in getting there.

“If I don’t get picked then someone must have played a lot better than me to get there. I help coach the line-out with the senior squad at the Ospreys and when I was injured I did a bit of work there. I enjoy learning off other coaches because it’s something I’d like to get into after rugby.”