Former Wales attack coach Rob Howley has revealed Jonathan Davies wrote an emotional letter to disciplinary chiefs after he was sent home from the 2019 Rugby World Cup in disgrace.
Davies was called on as a character reference for Howley after the betting scandal that rocked the Wales camp just days after arriving in Japan.
Howley was left devastated after being forced to leave, later being banned from rugby for nine months after being found guilty of placing 363 bets covering more than 1,000 matches, including some involving Wales, for a period of 45 months from November 2015.
And, during the earth-shattering process, he asked a favour of the player he was closest to in the Wales squad.
Davies and Dan Biggar were the men to face the media in the immediate aftermath of the story breaking, and Howley has now revealed what the former did for him in an interview with MailOnline.
Both players will win their 100th Test caps against Scotland on Saturday, assuming Davies gets on the field from the bench.
Howley said: "Before speaking to you about Jonathan, I read the letter he wrote about our relationship again.
"It meant a lot and it’s quite emotional for me when I read those letters back, particularly Jonathan’s. The key thing in a relationship between a coach and player is trust.
"We both felt that was a two-way process. I’ve trusted Jonathan’s opinion for the last 10 years. He’s got it right 90 per cent of the time!
"He was one of the few players I felt able to ask to write a letter for me and that’s the relationship I had with him. As he always is, he was open and honest. The players used to take the mick out of me because of the relationship I had with Jonathan, but I knew where the line was and we both respected that. He was hugely respected by the player group.
"Some of the players used to call Jon my son. Dan [Biggar] used to take the p*** saying to me 'You’ve got a soft spot for Jonathan.'
"I cared about all the players I coached, but there are certain ones you have a special relationship with because you see them go through tough times."
You can read more from Howley, Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and James Davies on the making of the soon-to-be centurion here.
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