Reds flyer Rod Davies vies for the ball with the Chiefs' Aaron Cruden. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail
ROD Davies' flying feet were in a Test backline 18 months ago but the winger is now eager to force his way out of a five-way crush to claim a Queensland starting spot.
Such is the depth on the wing for the Reds that Digby Ioane, Dom Shipperley, Luke Morahan and Davies are all Wallabies while Samoan-bred powerhouse Chris F'Sautia is a teenager waiting to build on his three Super Rugby appearances last year.
Davies is on the bench behind Ioane and Morahan for Saturday night's Super Rugby trial against the Auckland Blues in Toowoomba.
"This is my fifth season at the Reds and it's the most competitive I've seen for wing spots," Davies said.
"Chris is as good a young kid as I've seen talent-wise so it's not just the more experienced guys going for the spots.
"I'm the fittest I've been for a while so I'm keen to get on in Toowoomba, rediscover some form and hopefully impress.
"You've got to be 'on' at every training session. That's the environment at the Reds.
"The competition is fierce but I'm still confident in my ability."
Davies hit the heights against the Blues in the 2011 Super Rugby semi-final with a breathtaking hat-trick of tries which showcased his pace, his timing and confidence.
He earned a Test jersey against Samoa with that display but 2012 was a tame follow-up that was cut short by visits to the surgeon for a shoulder reconstruction and a knee operation.
The popular Davies is looking well-conditioned and is showing the benefits of a full pre-season, two factors that will hopefully feed into "Rocket" making a successful relaunch against the Blues.
Senior Blues Ali Williams, Piri Weepu and Rene Ranger will not make the trip for the trial but it will be an energised Blues touring party eager to impress new coach John Kirwan.
Young lock Blake Enever, 21, gets a starting chance to show his improvement while Albert Anae's growth as a prop will also be measured against a top opponent.
Livewire halfback Nick Frisby will make his return from a shoulder reconstruction off the bench.
Ben Lucas and Frisby have to find a dynamic and resourceful 80 minutes to fill as much of the void as possible while Wallaby Will Genia spends the opening month of the season on the sidelines building more strength into his knee.
No comments:
Post a Comment