Davies loving life at the Dragons

Catalans winger Tom Davies has settled seamlessly into life in the South of France – he joined the Dragons at the end of the 2019 season in the hope of taking his career to the next level.

“I thought it was the best time for me to move and do what’s best for me and my career. Looking back on it now, it’s the best decision I ever made.

“Coming here, Steve’s really got the best out of me and the lads are brilliant – everything really worked out well.

“Moving to a different country there’s always going to be some difficulties, but to be honest with you I absolutely love it here.

“I tried to come here and really immerse myself in it as much as I could do, and I absolutely love it.??

Davies arrived in France still recovering from a horrific leg injury he suffered whilst playing for his former club Wigan in 2019. 

He missed the beginning of the 2020 campaign as he continued his rehabilitation, but was afforded time when the season was suspended amidst the ongoing Covid pandemic. That break proved invaluable, allowing Davies to have more time to prepare for a return to action when the season finally resumed. 

“It was a bit of a weird situation because I came to the club injured. It’s a weird thing to say but Covid came at the perfect time for me.

“I was just getting my leg right and it gave me three months then to not only get back to fitness, but actually get back to where I used to be and surpass it."

Davies hit the ground running in 2020 for a Catalans side that ended the year as play-off semi-finalists. He finished the season with 12 tries in 11 appearances in what turned out to be a whirlwind second half of the year for the Dragons winger.

“I didn’t want to come in and just be happy to be back playing, I wanted to improve on where I was and come back fitter, faster and stronger.

“Coming into the team last year I really wanted to be a difference. I didn’t want to be a hinderance or just be there to play games, I wanted to benefit us as much as I could do and make us a more complete side, whatever that may be - whether it’s my yardage carries, scoring tries or my defence - that was big for me.

“I was happy with how last year went – just to be back playing again was the main thing, but I was buzzing with how it went.

“I made it a strong point for this year that again I was constantly improving and surpassing that form. Touch wood it’s been going well so far - I love it here and I think the squads playing great.??

Same side, same result 💪@Dragonsofficiel Tom Davies with three impressive finishes as he helped himself to a hat-trick in round 5 🙌#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/S6CEedbtUG

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) May 6, 2021

Davies has continued his stellar form into the new season – he’s been an ever present for the Dragons and has scored 7 tries in his 9 Super League appearances. He also sits second in the metre making charts, averaging a huge 163 metres per game in 2021 - playing in arguably his career best form.

That form earned him a called up to Shaun Wane’s England squad ahead of their mid-season clash against the Combined Nations All Stars.

“It was a complete surprise. I never spoke to Waney prior to it. I made no secret about it – if you speak to anyone, I always said my main goal was to get in the England first team, that’s the very top of the sport. That was the big one for me.

“I was desperate to get into it. Each week I thought if I do well then hopefully I might be there or there abouts, but you never actually think you’re going to get that call.

“It’s a dream come true; I’ve been playing since I was 6 so it’s a big thing. If you ask any kid who’s playing rugby what they want to do, they want to be playing for England. That’s how I’ve always thought about it.

“The big thing obviously is the World Cup at the end of the year, but I want to make sure that I can focus on Catalans first and foremost and make sure that we’re doing well.??

 Catalans have enjoyed a dream start to 2021 and sit top of the Betfred Super League table after 10 rounds, having lost just once in the league this season.

The Dragons have beaten both of last years Grand Finalists in back-to-back weeks – victories which helped head coach Steve McNamara earn May’s Coach of the Month award.

In Tom’s eyes, the Dragons recent success is partly down to the Dragons efforts in building a strong culture at the club, something that McNamara has himself helped instil in his players.

“Steve’s very big on culture. He’s not just trying to get us performing well on the pitch, he wants us to be good people. He wants a good culture at the club.

“When I came here last year, we had to do a shift working for Bernard (Gausch) - he owns two or three meat factories. We had to go out, see the cows get butchered and help deliver the meat to places.

“I think Steve wanted to make us realise that we have got a good life. We’re living in the South of France and we’ve got a dream job.

“He wanted to let us know that these are real people doing that work and this is what real people do, so we can count ourselves lucky.??

As well as their focus on culture, the club's player development alongside the promotion of more young, local players into their squad, has come to fruition this year.

“It wasn’t a short-term fix – Steve wouldn’t just come in, win games and everything would be sorted. He was really trying to build a process, coming from the younger ages and academies up into the reserves at the UTC and then into the first team.

“You see the likes of Arthur Mourgue, Matthieu Laguerre and Joe Chan, along with players that are on the fringes of the first team that are just coming up.

“And in the first team, you don’t want it to be a holiday destination for players coming in. First and foremost, you’re here to play rugby and to win trophies. Steve’s really tried to build that.??

However, despite their strong start, the Dragons are reluctant to look too far ahead. Davies recognises that the season is far from over and the team still have a big job to do.  

“We’re not going to get too carried away. We’re doing ok at the minute and we’re pretty happy, but it’s only June and it’s a long season.

“We’ve still got quite a way to go yet and hopefully we’ll be there or there abouts come the end of the season when it matters.??

And for Davies, his aim is to constantly improve each week and contribute to a successful Catalans team. If he does that, he will give himself every opportunity of earning representative honours at the end of the year.

“Each week if I can get that steady performance and always be up there, I’ll be happy – I don’t want to be a fluctuating player – I want to make sure that week in week out I’m someone the team can rely on.

“As much as scoring tries is great, it’s not something I judge my game on. It’s the little stuff like the yardage carries, getting quick play the balls, catching on the full in the back field, my defence on the edge and talking to the players inside me. If I’m doing my best with that then I’ll be happy.

“The World Cup is a big one for me. I’d love to play in a World Cup for England, so that’s my aim. Do my best each week and hopefully get the nod at the end of the year.??