Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies says he is enjoying his rugby again during a World Cup campaign that has seen him produce record-breaking form.
Davies’ early touchdown in the 40-6 rout of Australia set a new World Cup best of eight tries for a scrum-half.
And it represents an impressive return to international rugby after he missed out on Wales’ South Africa tour last year, the 2022 autumn Tests and Six Nations campaign two months later.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland’s predecessor Wayne Pivac preferred players like Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy and Dane Blacker in the scrum-half position.
And although Gatland was in charge for last season’s Six Nations, Williams, Hardy and Rhys Webb fought for the number nine shirt.
Crucially, though, a door opened for the 33-year-old when Gatland named Davies in the World Cup training squad, and he has not looked back.
He starred in the tournament warm-up victory over England and regained the number nine shirt for key Pool C wins against Fiji and Australia
“I love World Cups,” Davies said. “I love the build-up to them.
“It is the only time that we really get a full pre-season (with Wales). It has been a tough couple of months, but I have enjoyed it.
“Physically and mentally, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life. I am really enjoying my rugby again.
“We are all back to where we want to be under this management. We are fighting for each other, playing for each other and the environment is good, which is the main thing.
“We are enjoying our time off the pitch as well. We’ve got a good bunch of boys, and it shows.”
Davies, who made his Wales debut nine years ago and was the team’s starting scrum-half during the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, is once again excelling under Gatland’s direction.
He scored five tries at the 2015 World Cup, then two more in Japan four years later – including an interception effort in a pool-stage win against Australia.
“Warren has got his way,” Davies added. “It works for me and it obviously works for everyone else in the squad. It gets us all going.
“The other coaches as well, Mike (Forshaw) with defence, Kingy (Alex King) in attack and Humphs (Jonathan Humphreys) with the forwards. We’ve had a lot of changes with coaches, and I think that’s made the difference, to be honest.”
Wales’ crushing success against Australia secured a quarter-final place – the fourth World Cup in a row for them to achieve that under Gatland – and has set up a potential last-eight appointment with Argentina in Marseille on October 14.
“I thought our win in 2019 against Australia in the World Cup was big, but this is right up there,” Davies said.
“Momentum is key, especially in World Cups. We had a good week’s training preparing for the game, and I thought it showed on the pitch.
“We obviously won’t look too far ahead of ourselves. We have got a few days off to recover, and then we will focus on Georgia the following weekend.
“We have still got a job to do against them first, and then we will start looking at the quarter-final draw.”
Australian adventure could come under consideration for Desert Hero
William Haggas has raised the possibility of the King and Queen’s Desert Hero running in Australia in the new year.
A winner at Royal Ascot in June, he then chased Classic glory in the St Leger at Doncaster but with the King and Queen in attendance he could only finish an honourable third.
He was briefly under consideration for the Melbourne Cup which created a real buzz in Australia, but plans were shelved to give him time to recover from his Classic bid.
Now Haggas, who has enjoyed great success in Australia with the likes of Addeybb and Dubai Honour, has suggested the Tancred Stakes, a Group One over a mile and a half at Rosehill in Sydney, could be a viable option.
“We won’t decide until January. They won’t go into quarantine until February 20 and the first race is March 23, I think they would arrive in Australia on March 9,” Haggas told Sky Sports Racing.
“Dubai Honour is going to go and a staying horse called Post Impressionist will go who has been sold to Australian connections.
“We are umming and ahhing about Desert Hero maybe going for the Tancred Stakes, I’m not sure. He’s not thriving at the moment so I’m not sure. He’s just not enjoying the cold but there’s plenty of time, he’s come back in from his holiday so we’ll see.
“We won’t make any decision on him for ages. It’s a long way off.”
Owen Farrell set for first Saracens appearance since announcing Test break
Owen Farrell will make his first appearance since his decision to step away from Test rugby was announced when Saracens launch their Investec Champions Cup campaign on Saturday.
England captain Farrell will be unavailable for the Six Nations later this season after choosing to take a break from the international game to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being.
He then missed Saracens’ Gallagher Premiership defeat against Northampton due to a knee problem.
But Saracens rugby director Mark McCall has confirmed the 32-year-old fly-half will face leading South African challengers the Bulls in Pretoria.
“He’s available and he is going to play this weekend,” McCall said. “He has trained fully over the last two days.
“He has enjoyed being with his team-mates, and it is a great opportunity for us all to spend a bit of time together away from the British winter.
“I don’t know how many European Cup games he has played – him and Alex Goode have probably played in more than anybody at the club.
“He is our captain, he is our leader, someone who is respected by everyone at the club. To have him on the field, of course, is an enormous benefit.
“Not just to have him on the field, but have him in the team-room, in the meetings… His contribution is so enormous and it is great to have him here with us.”
Three-time European champions Saracens have won the tournament more than any other English club, although they made a quarter-final exit last term to eventual winners La Rochelle.
And they will tackle a Bulls side currently third in the United Rugby Championship, having won five out of seven league fixtures this season.
McCall added: “We have been really impressed with what we have seen, especially in their last couple of home games. They are strong in all areas.
“Games don’t get much tougher in round one than coming to the Bulls, especially with the run of form they are on, but it is a challenge which usually brings the best out of the group we have got.
“We’ve had a good relationship with this competition for a very long period of time. It has felt really good on the training field from the moment we touched down here.”
Frankie Dettori pledged to “rebuild his reputation” on this day in 2012 after receiving a six-month ban for taking a prohibited substance when riding in France.
The three-times British champion jockey, 41, tested positive following a routine examination at Longchamp on September 16.
Dettori’s suspension, from French racing authority France Galop, was backdated from November 20 and ran until May 19, 2013.
In a statement to the PA news agency, Dettori’s solicitor Christopher Stewart-Moore said: “France Galop have announced their finding Frankie Dettori has committed a breach of their rules relating to prohibited substances.
“I have spoken to Frankie since the announcement was made, and he has told me he fully accepts France Galop’s decision.
“He also accepts that he has let down the sport he loves and all those associated with it, as well as the wider public. But most of all, and this is his greatest regret, he has let down his wife and children.
“Racing has been good to Frankie and he knows that his privileged position brings with it responsibility.
“For this reason he is determined to rebuild his reputation when he returns to the saddle.”
Dettori had four rides at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe trials meeting, after which the sample was returned.
The case was then put before an independent medical commission in Paris on November 20, where Dettori spoke via conference call, but it was announced a day later that he was temporarily suspended from competing in France on medical grounds.
The file was passed on to a disciplinary panel of the stewards at France Galop, and Stewart-Moore said his client had received “a sympathetic hearing”.
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