Never say never – Davies back in pro rugby 11 years on

Nigel Davies will complete a remarkable comeback this weekend when he returns to top flight rugby for the first time in 11 years.

The 60-year-old is back in charge at Scarlets for a third time – now as interim director of rugby – in time for Sunday’s Champions Cup tie against Northampton Saints.

It was back in 2014 when Davies, who had a brief spell as Wales caretaker coach, parted company with Gloucester.

Since then the former Wales and Llanelli centre has had spells in the Welsh domestic league with part-timers Ebbw Vale and Merthyr while also running a management consultancy business, largely in the aerospace sector.

Now it is his coaching career that has surprisingly taken off once again.

“It has been a bit of a whirlwind. The board had a review and felt there was a need for new impetus at a crucial time for Welsh rugby,” he said.

“I was asked if I would be interested and it didn’t take me very long to make a decision because this club is very dear to me, and also the people within it.

“I’m old enough to know that the phrase ‘never say never’ is very true.”

Davies has taken charge until the end of the season with Scarlets bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) and winless in Europe.

He has been appointed above head coach Dwayne Peel, who played under Davies as scrum-half for both club and country, with rugby performance director Leigh Jones leaving the club.

Peel, who led Scarlets to the URC play-offs last season, has survived festive derby defeats by Ospreys and Dragons and then a home Champions Cup loss to Pau.

But he is no longer the man in charge and despite holding the top role since returning from Ulster as head coach in 2021, he now reports to Davies.

“It’s probably not great for him [Peel] and they [the coaches] probably didn’t want to see me in here on Tuesday, and I understand that,” said Davies.

“But he is a passionate Scarlet. He knows that a lot of the work he has had to do has taken him away from where he needs to be.

“We have taken that pressure away and he’s now allowed to do what he is really good at.”

Despite Peel have been at the helm for the past four seasons, Davies was adamant he will now make the big decisions for the next five months.

“It’s very straightforward. From day one I was quite clear that if I was to come in I would have to have complete accountability for performance and selection,” he said.

“People need to know that. It’s a line of clear responsibility and within that, a big part of what I do is work with the coaching group.

“Dwayne is still head of that coaching group. I sit above that in terms of working with them, helping them to do what they need to do.

“Dwayne is completely 100% on the field now, he’s an excellent coach and that’s what we need him doing.”

Scarlets can yet progress in Europe – albeit most likely by dropping down to the Challenge Cup – before league games against Ulster and Benetton ahead of the Six Nations break.

After a chastening first half of the season, Davies is confident his squad can turn their fortunes around on both fronts.

“The mindset is a big thing. This is an opportunity for a reset for everyone,” he added.

“I’m excited about the group. We’ve got some tremendous players and coaches [and] a fantastic opportunity on Sunday to go up against one of the top teams in Europe.

“Results haven’t gone the Scarlets’ way this season but games have been close.

“I’ll be very mindful not to try and change everything because this is the end of day two – but we have refocused and simplified things.

“We’re looking at being really clear about the DNA of this team, what it is that we are as a Scarlets team.”