Jonathan Davies
Encyclopedia
Jonathan D. Davies MBE
(born 24 October 1962) is a Welsh retired professional dual-code rugby footballer who represented his country in both rugby union
and rugby league
. A goal-kicking backline player in both codes, he played his club football in Wales, England and Australia. Davies has since become a television rugby football commentator and media personality, in both the English and Welsh languages.
, Carmarthenshire
. Davies is the son of Diana and Len Davies, who worked in Trostre, Llanelli
, he started his career in rugby union at amateur level but was recruited into rugby league. He would later return to rugby union. Davies played centre for Swansea and Llanelli RFC
. Len had also been made Captain of Trimsaran Rugby Club. Davies has one younger sister, Caroline (born 1964).
Davies started school at Trimsaran Primary School, where he was part of the Welsh medium class. His teacher Meirion Davies introduced him to rugby, and he started playing Rugby Sevens. Although he did not have the strong physique for the contact sport, his talent and flair for the game was recognised by many, including local great Carwyn James
. Davies passed his Eleven Plus and was sent to Gwendraeth Grammar School, where he met his first wife Karen Hopkins whom he was to marry some ten years later. In 1974 Davies played for the very first time at Cardiff Arms Park
, when he was chosen for the West Wales Under 12's.
but was rejected. Neath
gave him another chance and he signed with them in 1982, selected to play at fly-half.
After 35 games for Neath he was selected to play for Wales
, against England
at home in the Cardiff Arms Park. After scoring a try and a drop goal, Davies was named Man of the Match in the Welsh victory.
Jonathan was made Captain at Neath before being transferred to Llanelli. In 1988 he played a very important part in the Triple Crown success for Wales and between 1985 and 1997 he won 37 rugby union caps.
Problems in the Welsh game were cruelly exposed on the 1988 New Zealand
tour, with injuries meaning Davies captained the side in four games - he stood out as the class player. The two tests were lost by fifty point margins, although Davies did score a 90 metre try in the second. Davies returned with ideas for Welsh rugby on how it could improve - he was ignored. Davies was blamed in the media for the surprising Welsh defeat to Romania
. As Llanelli placed pressure on him from the WRU to commit himself wholeheartedly to them, he controversially decided for the best interests of his family to move to the rugby league
team Widnes
, who signed him for £225,000
victory against the visiting Canberra Raiders
. In 1991 he took on a further challenge when he spent the summer in Sydney
playing for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
After Widnes
got into financial difficulties, in 1993 he moved to their local rivals Warrington
. During his time in rugby league
he represented both Great Britain and Wales
, memorably scoring the lone try in Great Britain's last defeat of the Kangaroos at the old Wembley in 1994. He was also named player of the 1993-94 season
, winning the RFL's Man of Steel Award.
Davies' final rugby league match was for Wales against England in the 1995 World Cup semi final
, which Wales lost.
n rugby league teams the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 1991, and the North Queensland Cowboys
in 1995. A huge signing with fantastic potential for the Cowboys squad, was unfortunately unable to get out to Australia until mid way through the 1995 Winfield Cup Premiership. Thus the Cowboys were already looking down and out for the year and the team morale was rather low. He showed signs of brilliance, especially in a fantastic full field try against the Newcastle Knights
in Newcastle. But he was openly critical of the infant club's administration and struggled to have an impact week in and week out, resulting in a release from the club.
. In need of family support and as rugby union
had turned professional, Davies went back to South Wales and signed to play for Cardiff RFC
.
Davies had a lot of trouble readjusting to rugby union
, particularly as he was played out of position: despite the fact that he had played many different positions in league he had only ever played fly-half in union. Many thought that his team mates deliberately did not pass the ball to him as they considered him a traitor for 'going North' in the first place. On a guest appearance on A Question of Sport
in 1995 he was asked what the biggest change was after returning to rugby union. Davies replied "It's the first time I've been cold for seven years. I was never cold playing rugby league."
In 1996 Davies was awarded an MBE and went with his family to Buckingham Palace
to collect his award. Sadly in 1997, his wife Karen died.
Since retiring from rugby, Davies' cross-code technical knowledge of rugby tactics has enabled him to easily gain media work commentating and reviewing rugby games in both codes. He has worked as a television pundit for the BBC
covering both rugby codes, in both English and his native Welsh language.
Since 2004 Davies has hosted his own rugby themed chatshow, Jonathan, on S4C
, the Welsh-language channel, on the nights before international matches.
He is an active supporter of Wooden Spoon
charity.http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/category/46
Davies was also the President of Super League
side Crusaders, until 2009, when he was replaced by David Watkins.
It was shortly after Geena was born that Karen was diagnosed with cancer
, and so the family moved back to South Wales in 1995 for family support. Karen died in 1997.
In August 2002 Davies married his second wife Helen in Cardiff
who was formerly part of the Welsh dance troupe the DCD seniors the Dance troupe who reached the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent in 2009. The best man role was taken by his long-time friend and ex-rugby player Ieuan Evans
.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 24 October 1962) is a Welsh retired professional dual-code rugby footballer who represented his country in both rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. A goal-kicking backline player in both codes, he played his club football in Wales, England and Australia. Davies has since become a television rugby football commentator and media personality, in both the English and Welsh languages.
Biography
Jonathan Davies was born in TrimsaranTrimsaran
Trimsaran is a former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.Trimsaran is six miles from Llanelli, and from Carmarthen...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. Davies is the son of Diana and Len Davies, who worked in Trostre, Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, he started his career in rugby union at amateur level but was recruited into rugby league. He would later return to rugby union. Davies played centre for Swansea and Llanelli RFC
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
. Len had also been made Captain of Trimsaran Rugby Club. Davies has one younger sister, Caroline (born 1964).
Davies started school at Trimsaran Primary School, where he was part of the Welsh medium class. His teacher Meirion Davies introduced him to rugby, and he started playing Rugby Sevens. Although he did not have the strong physique for the contact sport, his talent and flair for the game was recognised by many, including local great Carwyn James
Carwyn James
Carwyn Rees James was a Welsh rugby union player and coach. He won two Welsh international caps but is most famous for his coaching achievements for both Llanelli and the British Lions.-Personal history:...
. Davies passed his Eleven Plus and was sent to Gwendraeth Grammar School, where he met his first wife Karen Hopkins whom he was to marry some ten years later. In 1974 Davies played for the very first time at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
, when he was chosen for the West Wales Under 12's.
Rugby union
Age 17, Jonathan left school and became an apprentice painter and decorator. After developing at Trimsaran RFC, he was given a trial with LlanelliLlanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
but was rejected. Neath
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
gave him another chance and he signed with them in 1982, selected to play at fly-half.
After 35 games for Neath he was selected to play for Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
, against England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at home in the Cardiff Arms Park. After scoring a try and a drop goal, Davies was named Man of the Match in the Welsh victory.
Jonathan was made Captain at Neath before being transferred to Llanelli. In 1988 he played a very important part in the Triple Crown success for Wales and between 1985 and 1997 he won 37 rugby union caps.
Problems in the Welsh game were cruelly exposed on the 1988 New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
tour, with injuries meaning Davies captained the side in four games - he stood out as the class player. The two tests were lost by fifty point margins, although Davies did score a 90 metre try in the second. Davies returned with ideas for Welsh rugby on how it could improve - he was ignored. Davies was blamed in the media for the surprising Welsh defeat to Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
. As Llanelli placed pressure on him from the WRU to commit himself wholeheartedly to them, he controversially decided for the best interests of his family to move to the rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team Widnes
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
, who signed him for £225,000
Rugby league
Davies started in Rugby League with much anticipation, and took time to adjust to the differing sport and its rules. As he learned the game and tried to bulk up, during the 1989–90 Rugby Football League season, he played for defending champions Widnes at centre in their 1989 World Club Challenge1989 World Club Challenge
The 1989 World Club Challenge was the third ever and first official World Club Challenge match. 1989's NSWRL season premiers, the Canberra Raiders traveled to England to play against 1988–89 RFL champions, Widnes.The match was played on Wednesday, 4 October at Old Trafford, Manchester...
victory against the visiting Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
. In 1991 he took on a further challenge when he spent the summer in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
playing for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
After Widnes
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
got into financial difficulties, in 1993 he moved to their local rivals Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
. During his time in rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
he represented both Great Britain and Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
, memorably scoring the lone try in Great Britain's last defeat of the Kangaroos at the old Wembley in 1994. He was also named player of the 1993-94 season
1993-94 Rugby Football League season
The 1993–94 Rugby Football League season was the 99th ever season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams competed from August, 1993 until May, 1994 for a number of titles, primarily the Stones Bitter Championship.-Season summary:...
, winning the RFL's Man of Steel Award.
Davies' final rugby league match was for Wales against England in the 1995 World Cup semi final
1995 Rugby League World Cup
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
, which Wales lost.
Australia
Davies had small stints playing with AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby league teams the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 1991, and the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
in 1995. A huge signing with fantastic potential for the Cowboys squad, was unfortunately unable to get out to Australia until mid way through the 1995 Winfield Cup Premiership. Thus the Cowboys were already looking down and out for the year and the team morale was rather low. He showed signs of brilliance, especially in a fantastic full field try against the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
in Newcastle. But he was openly critical of the infant club's administration and struggled to have an impact week in and week out, resulting in a release from the club.
Return to rugby union
After the birth of daughter Geena in 1995, Davies' wife Karen was diagnosed with cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. In need of family support and as rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
had turned professional, Davies went back to South Wales and signed to play for Cardiff RFC
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
.
Davies had a lot of trouble readjusting to rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, particularly as he was played out of position: despite the fact that he had played many different positions in league he had only ever played fly-half in union. Many thought that his team mates deliberately did not pass the ball to him as they considered him a traitor for 'going North' in the first place. On a guest appearance on A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport is a long-running BBC quiz show which started on 2 December 1968 and continues to this day. It is currently recorded at The Studios, MediaCityUK...
in 1995 he was asked what the biggest change was after returning to rugby union. Davies replied "It's the first time I've been cold for seven years. I was never cold playing rugby league."
In 1996 Davies was awarded an MBE and went with his family to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
to collect his award. Sadly in 1997, his wife Karen died.
After Rugby
Davies's parents left Trimsaran and moved to Cardiff so that they could help their son raise his young family.Since retiring from rugby, Davies' cross-code technical knowledge of rugby tactics has enabled him to easily gain media work commentating and reviewing rugby games in both codes. He has worked as a television pundit for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
covering both rugby codes, in both English and his native Welsh language.
Since 2004 Davies has hosted his own rugby themed chatshow, Jonathan, on S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, the Welsh-language channel, on the nights before international matches.
He is an active supporter of Wooden Spoon
Wooden Spoon Society
Wooden Spoon is a children's charity founded in 1983, when the England rugby team received the Wooden Spoon in the 5 Nations. Spoon is dedicated to helping children and young people who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially by using sport as a method of improving lives while...
charity.http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/category/46
Davies was also the President of Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
side Crusaders, until 2009, when he was replaced by David Watkins.
Personal life
Davies passed his Eleven Plus and was sent to Gwendraeth Grammar School, where he met his first wife Karen Hopkins. The couple married ten years later, and had three children: Scott (born July 1988); Grace (born November 1992); Geena (February 1995).It was shortly after Geena was born that Karen was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and so the family moved back to South Wales in 1995 for family support. Karen died in 1997.
In August 2002 Davies married his second wife Helen in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
who was formerly part of the Welsh dance troupe the DCD seniors the Dance troupe who reached the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent in 2009. The best man role was taken by his long-time friend and ex-rugby player Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Wales. He is regarded as one of the best Welsh wingers of all time, despite playing through a disappointing era of Welsh rugby. A prolific try scorer at International level, Evans is listed 19th in the world on the all-time...
.
Career Records
| Clubs | Season | Games | Tries | Goals | Drop Goals | Points | Comment |
| Cardiff RFC Cardiff RFC Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since... |
1996-7 | Retired at end of season | |||||
| 1995-6 | |||||||
| Total | 9 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 43 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Queensland Cowboys North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... |
1995 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 43 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 43 | ||
| Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... |
1995-6 | 8 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 77 | |
| 1994-5 | 29 | 18 | 104 | 12 | 292 | ||
| 1993-4 | 30 | 21 | 99 | 11 | 293 | ||
| Total | 67 | 43 | 232 | 26 | 662 | ||
| Canterbury Bulldogs Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions... |
1991 | 14 | 7 | 36 | - | 100 | |
| Total | 14 | 7 | 36 | - | 100 | ||
| Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward... |
1988-89 | 12(4) | 7 | 47 | 1 | 123 | |
| 1989-90 | 29(1) | 14 | 98 | 0 | 252 | ||
| 1990-91 | 32(2) | 30 | 110 | 2 | 342 | ||
| 1991-92 | 24 | 13 | 73 | 1 | 199 | ||
| 1992-93 | 29(1) | 14 | 106 | 0 | 268 | ||
| Total | 126(8) | 78 | 434 | 4 | 1184 | ||
| Career Totals | |||||||