Terry Davies - Early and Club Career

Early and Club Career

Born in Llwynhendy in 1933, Davies was an international Welsh Youth with Bynea, before making his debut for Swansea, against Ebbw Vale in 1951. He gave an excellent performance and soon was a regular in the squad, facing the South Africans for Swansea on 15 December later that year. Given the kicking duties against the Springboks, it wasn't the best performance from Davies, who missed a drop goal, penalty and an easy conversion; the points lost would have changed the result to a Swansea victory.

Davies was a notoriously heavy and accurate tackler, and was a reliable rear guard defense against break away wingers, but he suffered physically through it. In the 1953/54 season he dislocated his shoulder for the first time and in a pre-season tour of Romania with Swansea in 1954 he shattered his shoulder when a heavy tackle took him into a concrete surround. His rugby career looked over until his shoulder was wired back together in a successful operation. In 1956, Davies left Swansea and joined Llanelli, the club he would remain with for the rest of his career, even when offered an £8,500 to transfer to Leeds.

In 1960 the South Africans played Llanelli as part of their tour. Davies was more than aware that in an earlier game against Swansea, the Springbok Francois Roux, had taken out Malcolm Rogers in a late tackle as Rogers had kicked a clearance. The tackle had sent Rogers to hospital with a dislocated shoulder and Davies was expecting Roux to try the same on him. When the South Africans played Llanelli, Davies was placed into the situation he had predicted. He collected a high ball at full back position and saw Roux closing in on him. Instead of kicking the ball clear, Davies, expecting the high tackle, kept the ball and swung his shoulders into Roux, knocking him to the ground. Roux recovered quickly but missed the next game. Davies later described Roux as a "...silly little man".