One of the deadliest weapons in Test rugby
If rugby’s equivalent of Frankenstein was going to cobble together the ideal rugby player using the current stars of the game, Jonathan Davies’ right arm would be at the very top of his shopping list.
Some of the best defenders in the game have fallen victim to the Welshman’s right arm fend when he has been given a sniff of space on the left side of the field. The outside centre’s arm is nothing short of a steel bar, launched into soft shoulders to leave tacklers flying away as if they’ve been electrocuted.
So there are not many cooler highlights reels than a collection of savage hand-offs from the 33-year-old. That video has been made, and includes some of his best moments in a Wales shirt, one of which even includes a fend on reigning World Rugby player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit, although the South African was able to track back and bring Davies down.
Take a look at the video:
Name a more iconic duo than Jonathan Davies and a right-handed fend. I'll wait… pic.twitter.com/aBPMCOE02z
— Andrew Forde (@andrewfrugby) September 23, 2021
Davies captained Wales this summer after being one of the controversial omissions from Warren Gatland’s British & Irish Lions squad. The centre has always been a favourite of Gatland’s for both Wales and the Lions, and was named the Lions player of the series in 2017 against the All Blacks. He was also at the centre of one of the most divisive in recent Lions history when he replaced Brian O’Driscoll in the No13 jersey for the decisive third Test against the Wallabies in 2013. However, he missed this year’s series after failing to regain his form after recovering from a long term knee injury.
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac will hope that Davies has many more moments of magic like these to come in a Wales shirt, and so will the player himself, as he only needs three more caps to reach his century in Test rugby.
