Premiership rivals target ex-bath lock
Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester Rugby are both ‘interested’ in talking to young former Bath lock Rhys Davies about moving back to the Gallagher Premiership next season, according to the latest reports.
The Rugby Paper reports that four Premiership clubs, with Wasps Rugby and Worcester Warriors also looking for talented young locks, are keen to speak to the 22-year-old Welsh second row who is in the final year of his contract with Welsh Rugby United Championship side Ospreys.
Former Wales U20s international Davies, inset, spent three years in Bath’s academy while at Millfield School before returning to his hometown club in 2020 having previously come through the ranks at Swanseabased side Ospreys.
After impressive displays last season, Davies received a call-up from national head coach Wayne Pivac to train with the Welsh senior side this summer ahead of their internationals against the USA and Argentina.
But the 6ft 6 inch, 114kg lock did not get selected in a matchday squad which means he could return to play in England without ruling himself out of international contention for Wales providing he doesn’t get capped in the next nine months.
Following the WRU’S selection policy, capped players with fewer than 60 international caps must play for one of the four Welsh regions to be eligible for international selection.
The likes of Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter and Cherry and Whites head coach George Skivington will face competition for Davies’ signature should talks progress, with Ospreys boss Toby Booth reported to be very keen to keep him at the Liberty Stadium beyond his initial two-year contract.
Booth said of him: “He’s really exciting. I’ve been really impressed with how far he’s come in a short period of time. We talk about talent, but talent isn’t just about whether a player improves. It’s about how fast a player improves.
“He’s definitely one who’s accelerated quickly.
“He plays is in a position where there’s a lot of competition with Brad Davies, Al Wyn [Jones], Lloyd Ashley and Beardy [Adam Beard], but he’s got himself in a physical condition to deliver, and deliver consistently.
“We have a few internal awards which he’s been the recipient of, the unseen stuff, which shows that he’s definitely committed to us and his own performances.
“The best compliment I can pay him is to point out that when we’ve had a lot of people away on international duty, our performance hasn’t diminished in that area.”
A tug of war looks set to ensue.