He’s got a big new job and a new streamlined look. For Phil Davies, it’s very much a new beginning in a rugby life that spans more than four decades.
The former Wales international and much-travelled coach is now some three months into his role as World Rugby’s Director of Rugby, having taken over from ex-Ireland boss Joe Schmidt. Not to put too fine a point on it, he is just about the most powerful Welsh person in the sport.
He’s also in the best shape he’s been for years, having lost some five stone in the space of eight months, more on which later. You can read about Davies' eventful rugby journey here. First of all, how did his high-profile new job come about? He had began the year as director of rugby at Leeds Tykes, having returned to the club where he began his coaching career way back in 1996. But then everything changed when his phone rang out of the blue.
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“I had a phone call off these headhunters asking if I would be interested in the job and I thought ‘Right, OK, that’s interesting’. I had a few interviews with people at the top of World Rugby and here I am,” he says.
“I feel a little humbled in a way. It’s a big role and very demanding, but it’s just a wonderful opportunity. I am just three months in now and getting my feet under the table. I’m building relationships more than anything at the moment.”
It’s a role that’s really a culmination of a life spent in rugby, with Davies having played 350 games for his beloved Llanelli and won 46 Wales caps, in the back row and at lock, during a decade-long Test career. Then came coaching spells at Leeds, the Scarlets, Cardiff RFC, Wales U20s, Worcester, Cardiff Blues, RGC and Namibia, ahead of his return to Yorkshire.
“I have had some fantastic times and some times which, in some people’s minds, have not been so successful. But ultimately those experiences shape you,” he says.
“I have enjoyed coaching at Premiership level in England, at regional level in Wales and at international level. I’ve also done Welsh Premiership and National 1 in England. The experiences I’ve had and the ups and downs I’ve had at times have sort of prepared me for a role which I feel very privileged to have. It’s a huge, huge challenge, but I am loving it.”
What then does the job entail exactly? “There are four pillars I am involved in really,” he explains.
“One is the shape of the game, global law trials and how the game can improve and be relevant in today’s society. Another is supporting the emerging nations and creating increasingly competitive World Cups. Then there is dealing with all the elite match officials and the process of analysing referee performance. The fourth one is the development of the game, with brilliant people like Jason Lewis and Greg Woods, two Welshmen, involved there.
“It’s a wide and varied role in many ways. It’s all about how you can join the game up, from training and education into high performance. It’s a case of getting the opportunity to speak to people all over the world really.
“It’s great to be involved with some great people, sitting down with the likes of Joe Schmidt, Dave Rennie, Steve Hansen and the Six Nations coaches and talking about rugby. I get to speak to people like Nigel Owens and Wayne Barnes about refereeing. It’s just wonderful to have the opportunity to speak to such polished individuals in the game. It’s a really exciting role.
“It’s amazing seeing the work people are doing around the world to grow the game. The amount of work going into player well-being, mental health and concussion is incredible. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all perfect, but the intention World Rugby has to grow the global game is genuinely amazing. I have been blown away by it all, to be honest.”
It’s a job that sees Davies splitting his time between his home in west Wales and World Rugby’s base in Ireland, while also taking in plenty of globe-trotting.
“I am all over the shop at the minute!" he adds. "I have just come back from a week of workshops in Australia, looking at the next World Cup and how we can support the emerging nations, like Fiji and Tonga, how we can put in extra coaching, conditioning and physio resource in if they need them. I am off to London next for some referees coaches’ meetings and then we are over in Dublin for a week.
“It has been a really exciting, busy time. It’s just fantastic, the whole thing. It’s been fabulous so far being involved in it all. I am acutely aware of the responsibilities and of the hard work a lot of people are putting in all over the globe really.”
So what then are the biggest challenges facing the sport at the moment, in his view?
“One of them is making sure the game keeps going," he explains. "Player welfare and player well-being is a massive thing moving forward. We have got to keep working on making the game as safe as possible for everyone concerned. It is a contact sport, there is a certain element of risk, of course, but we are trying to mitigate that risk as much as possible.
“So it’s trying to grow the game, while making it as safe as possible and as entertaining as possible. That can come down to tweaking the laws a little bit. We’ve seen the recent law trials. The 50:22 has been really popular and there’s a huge drive to make the scrum as safe as possible. Those are the key things. It’s not as easy as perhaps it sounds.
“There are a lot of challenges for rugby because there are so many other different sports that people can do. So we have to protect the game and keep it relevant and keep it moving forward. We have all got a responsibility to do that, the media, the players, coaches, administrators, everyone involved in the game. There are a lot of challenges, but the intention is there to keep the game growing and make it as safe and attractive as possible.”
As mentioned earlier, the 58-year-old Davies also has a new look to go with his new job. He explains the background.
“I was going to have my crooked finger straightened in June of last year, so I had a pre-op assessment," he says. "They cancelled the operation because they found an irregular heartbeat, an atrial fibrillation they call it.
“I thought I have got to do something about this, so I just cracked on. I changed my diet quite a bit and I’ve not drunk much at all over the last 12 months or so. I have just been on a bit of a health kick.
“I have lost a few kilos to be fair. I was up to 22 and a half stone at one point. I am about 17 and a half now. It took me about eight months. I have done a bit of work. I am just trying to look after myself. I’m 60 next year, which I cannot believe.”
Davies has the whole of the world to consider when it comes to rugby, but he clearly still has a huge affinity with the game in Wales, so how does he view the current state of affairs?
“There are obviously lots of reports coming about what is the way forward," he says. "What I would say is there are a lot of passionate people in and around rugby in Wales and I know people are trying to find solutions to push forward. Hopefully the regions can grow and the pathway will continue to develop.
“I thought Nigel Walker spoke exceptionally well on ScrumV last Sunday. He is a good man in charge of that side of the game now and it’s about everybody getting behind the game to try and keep it growing.”
Finally, as he settles into his big new role, how does the man from Seven Sisters reflect on what rugby has given him since he first pulled on his boots for Llanelli as a teenager way back in 1982?
“I was listening to someone speak the other day about the World Cup," he says. "The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up because there were people in the room who played in the first World Cup in 1987 and I was one of them. To think how far the game has come since then is amazing.
“I have met some amazing people through rugby and what it’s given me and my family over the years has been incredible really. I played nearly 400 games for Llanelli and captained the club for six years. I feel amazingly privileged and proud about that and to have played for one of the greatest coaches I think Welsh rugby has ever produced in Gareth Jenkins. What he achieved at Llanelli, when you look at his statistics, is unbelievable really.
“What the game gave me as a player was amazing. I have always tried to give back and that’s why I’ve enjoyed coaching. I have coached since 1996 all over the place. I have loved it. The journey has been wide and varied and what I’ve gained out of it has been immeasurable. It’s been brilliant.
“I’m a passionate rugby man. I’m proud of the contribution I’ve made and I’m still trying to make a contribution. I am settling in slowly but surely and it’s been awesome so far.”
