Edwards ‘incredibly upset’ over Davies loss

SHAUN Edwards has admitted Jonathan Davies is “a massive loss” and one of the players Wales would least want to be without.

The Lions Man of the Series will miss the rest of the autumn campaign and the Six Nations after suffering a serious foot injury in the final play of last Saturday’s 29-21 defeat to Australia.

The Scarlet will require surgery that is expected to keep him out for six months and defence coach Edwards conceded that the centre will be a very hard man to replace.

“I’m obviously incredibly upset for the player,” he said. “It’s his third really big injury in the last three or four years.

“Our thoughts are with him and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“He’s one of the form, if not the form 13 in world rugby and he is going to take some replacing. It’s a massive loss and he’s got big shoes to fill, there’s no doubt about it.

“I have got a lot of work to do over the next three weeks and the Six Nations. I’m not saying he’s irreplaceable but he’s definitely one of the positions you would least want to lose.

“It’s unbelievably disappointing. But it’s just the way it goes sometimes. The last World Cup was a great example that sometimes you are going to get injuries and you just have to get over it.

“We were in the toughest group there has ever been at the last World Cup and we had an horrific injury list, with people falling down left, right and centre and we still got through it.

“We have to show a bit of resilience like we have shown in the past. I am sure there will be players who will put their hand up to play 13.

“We will just have to look at it over the next three game and obviously the Six Nations.”

Edwards was full of praise for the bravery shown by Davies’ centre partner, Owen Williams, who gave a good account of himself against the Wallabies on his first Test start.

Whether he liked it or not, the Gloucester man was the face of Wales’ new attacking style but it was his defensive work that caught Edwards’ eye.

“Owen is a very meticulous lad. He does his homework on the computers,” he said.

“He looks at every different aspect of the opposition attack.”

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