Jonathan Davies, the Wales and Clermont centre, marked his return from seven months out with a ruptured achilles ligament against Exeter Chiefs with a try and a big sigh of relief. “The knee is fine,” he confirmed. “It is the rest of the body that is struggling right now.”
Of all Wales’ many World Cup absentees, Davies was arguably missed the most by Warren Gatland. On Sunday night, he gave a resounding reminder of his talents, saving one try with a tackle on Alec Hepburn, creating another with a searing break for Sebastien Vahaamahina and scoring one of his own by gathering Camille Lopez’s crossfield chip.
“I was just trying to get oxygen on the wing but thankfully Camille put a lovely kick in and it was nice to get a try tonight,” Davies said. “I felt rusty at times but fortunately the team did very well which made it easy for me to get back into it. It was great to be part of a very good performance tonight and I look forward to the rest of the season.”
Jonathan Davies is relieved to be back playing
When Davies was replaced in the 67th minute, he left to a thunderous ovation from the Stade Marcel-Michelin faithful who have not always taken him to their hearts. In his first season, he only captured his best form at the end of season run-in when he ruptured his ACL in the process of scoring a try against Montpellier. The temptation would have been to fast-track his return, but Davies, who has agreed a return back to the Scarlets, was determined to go at his own pace.
• Leicester Tigers 17 Munster 6, match report
“I understand where I was when I was injured and where I wanted to be,” Davies said. I knew there was a lot of work to be done. I can imagine there was frustration from the supporters but there was frustration from me as well. I had those frustrations as well.
“It was not a point of proving anything to anyone. I knew there was a lot of work to be done to make sure I was back fit. I have been injured before and knew the importance of concentrating on your rehab.
Wales suffered a raft of injuries prior to the Rugby World Cup
“It is a case of almost being selfish that because you are out for so long you have to make sure that you work hard on yourself. It was difficult watching the team train. In the gym they have a nice glass front where you can see the training field. It is very difficult when you are on your own. Thankfully things went smoothly.”
Having previously injured his ACL nine years ago, Davies could afford to maintain a degree of his perspective on the gruelling nature of his rehabilitation as well as missing out on a World Cup. “It was obviously gutting at the time but for me I was fortunate that I had a few months to come to terms with it,” Davies said. “You look at the cases of Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny being named in the World Cup squad and then getting injured that’s far greater. I can’t imagine how they must have felt.
• Brian Moore: RFU have shown their amateurism yet again
“For me having a few months to come to terms with it was really beneficial. By the time September came I was walking fine, the surgeon was happy with my knee and I was in a place where I was personally very happy with my rehab. It was difficult don’t get me wrong but I would much rather be out a few months before the World Cup than days before the World Cup.”
About Quang
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét