Support for 7s ace after rare cancer diagnosis

FORMER Wales Sevens player Ethan Davies has announced he has a rare form of cancer.

The 28-year-old has been diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T Cell Lymphoma which affects his liver and spleen.

He needs a stem-cell transplant and has appealed for a donor.

Davies is a former Wales Under-20s international, played for the Sevens squad between 2015 and 2020, and was a member of Pontypool RFC last season.

In a message on social media, he wrote: “For those that don’t already know, I have been diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T Cell Lymphoma. It’s a very rare form of cancer that is affecting my liver and spleen.

“To beat this I’m going to need a stem-cell transplant and for that to happen I need to find a donor.

“So the more people I can reach with this, the better chance I have of finding a match.

“Not only that, if you aren't a match for me you could be for someone else and save their life.

“Initially I had no intentions of posting anything on social media about this, but after thinking things over it makes more sense to do so.

“The more people that sign up, the more matches they will find for others as well. Even if one person finds a match from me doing this it will have made a difference.”

Davies played for the Wales Sevens side in the World Cup in San Francisco and Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018. He has since been playing semi-professionally for Pontypool while training as an electrician.

Wales Sevens coach Richie Pugh said: “When news broke amongst the squad about Ethan the boys took time to reflect.

“He was a special player when he was on the world series with Wales. He did a lot in the Welsh jersey, so our thoughts are with him, and we want to support him and give him strength through this time.

“He is a fighter, and he is a strong kid and we're all here for him.”