Former Wales star opens up after contracting the coronavirus
NIGEL Davies is well aware of the challenges of overcoming coronavirus from personal experience.
Now he is eager to play his part in helping Welsh rugby come out the other side of the crisis.
The former Wales player and coach, who is standing for a post on the WRU council, has recently emerged from a nasty bout of the illness.
“I think what happened was I went down to Twickenham to watch the Wales game and I spent the Friday night in London,” he explained.
“It was pretty much a week after that I started having symptoms.
“I was with Rupert Moon for two days up there and we both had it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where we picked it up.
“It’s an odd thing. It’s something I’ve not experienced before.
“I’ve had the flu and it was different to that. Shaking it off was the difficult thing. Just when you thought you were getting better, it would hit you back down again.
“Myself and my wife, Antonia, had quite severe symptoms.
“She had terrible headaches, while my chest was really bad. I had a really nasty cough and I would wheeze when I was breathing in.
“That was probably the most worrying bit, as when you can’t breathe is the thing that really gets people.
“I did speak to my daughter a few times. She’s a sister in A & E, so she was able to reassure me.
“Her advice was to just rest as much as you can. Even if you are over it, give yourself an extra couple of days and take on plenty of liquid.
“I made the mistake of trying to get out and about too early. Then it knocks you back.
“Your immune system needs a chance to deal with it and, for that, you’ve really got to rest up.
“You have got to be very, very careful with this thing.
“It lasted about ten days in total. It just leaves you feeling really washed out.
“But, thankfully, we are fine now and have come through it.”
How Welsh rugby comes through the crisis is now a big focus for Davies, who is standing for the WRU council spot vacated by another ex-international centre, Mark Taylor.
“In rugby, and in sport in general, it’s really quite frightening how quickly things can just disintegrate,” he said.
“It’s something we’ve never faced before.
“It’s a jolt for everyone just how fragile the game, and society in general, can be.
“There’s no doubt we face some huge challenges in Welsh rugby, particularly now coming out of this period.
“A lot of clubs will face difficult situations because they rely on their income, either on a match day or through events held in their clubhouse, like weddings or funerals.
“Of course, all that is not happening at the moment. So financially there will be some real challenges.
“When the sport does get back up and running, the priority will be getting international games played, because of the finances. They fuel a lot of other things within the game.
“That’s only right and proper. That’s the reality of it.
“But, longer term, this is maybe a catayst to consider what the game looks like in the future.
“Now is a good time to do that at all levels of the sport.
“There are lots of day-to-day issues Unions are going to be facing, but the smarter ones are going to be looking at the long-term as well.”
Rugby has been a huge part of Davies’ life, with his playing career having brought him 29 caps for Wales, while he has had coaching spells with Llanelli, the Scarlets, Wales, Gloucester and Ebbw Vale, with his most recent role having been as chief executive at Merthyr.
Now he is keen to carry on contributing as part of the WRU council, as he stands for election in a contest with former Wales skipper Ieuan Evans and Old Illtydians chairman John Manders.
“Before all this happened, I wanted to get involved anyway, but I think it’s really critical now,” he said.
“When we come out the other side of this, there are going to be some real big challenges which were already there in many cases, but this is just going to exacerbate them.
“Recognising those challenges is key and looking to find solutions and having a clear strategy.
“I want to be sitting round the table having those discussions because I think I’ve got something I could add having been so close to the game at all levels.
“I have been directly involved in rugby for the last 40 years. It’s been my life.
“I’ve been involved in virtually every aspect of the game, whether it’s playing, coaching, administrating.
“I think that gives me quite a breadth of understanding and knowledge of the game.
“I would like to try and bring that experience to the Union.”
The former Llanelli playmaker continued: “I have a genuine passion for the game.
“I was very privileged to play when I did.
“I was from a mining village in Trimsaran and probably didn’t go outside a radius of five miles for 13, 14 years of my life.
“Then all of a sudden, I was getting exposed to travelling to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. That
gave you a completely different perspective. The game was very kind to me in that regard.
“It’s been fantastic and I’ve learned so much from all the different experiences I’ve had over the years. The game in Wales has been huge for me. It has given me virtually everything and I feel I am well placed to really help it now with the difficulties we are in.”
To Davies’ mind, safeguarding the future of the community clubs is absolutely pivotal.
“I have operated at the professional level and I completely understand how important the international game is and how that brings in a lot of revenue which can help the grassroots,” said the 55-year-old.
“But I think the club game is the core and base of our game in Wales.
“We have to recognise that and getting that balance right is one of the challenges we face.
“It’s important to involve the clubs in the process, because the people who have the answers are often the ones on the shop floor.
“We need to have a strong thriving community game because that underpins everything. That is the key to this.
“The nightmare scenario for me is the game ends up being played in schools, colleges and professionally, but not in communities.
“There is evidence of that happening in other sports.”
Davies, who now lives between Usk and Raglan, added: “I really enjoyed getting involved with Ebbw Vale and Merthyr in recent years.
“You learn what it means for people in those communities, that once a week they get to support their team.
“The success those teams enjoyed meant so much to people, they were so delighted. It was so special.
“That’s club rugby in Wales and we have to understand that.
“We are Welsh and very parochial and whatever the solutions are moving forward has to accommodate that.
“The club game is at the heart of the game in Wales and we must never forget that. If we do it will become something completely different.”