Phil Davies facts for kids
| Birth name | Philip Thomas Davies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 19 October 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Seven Sisters, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Philip Thomas Davies (born 19 October 1963) is a former Welsh rugby union player. He played as a lock or flanker. After his playing career, Phil became a successful international coach. He currently works as the director of rugby at Leeds Tykes. He also runs his own sports consulting business.
Playing Rugby for Wales
Phil Davies played club rugby for Llanelli. He also had a great career playing for the Welsh national team. He earned 46 caps, which means he played in 46 international matches. This was between 1985 and 1995. During this time, Welsh rugby teams were not as strong as they had been before. However, Phil Davies was one of the top players.
He was a valuable player because he was good at attacking. He could also play in different positions. These included flanker, number eight, or lock forward.
Memorable Matches
One famous game in Phil's career was the "Battle of Cardiff" in 1987. This was an intense match between Wales and England. Phil's first international game was also against England in Cardiff. Wales won that game 24–15. His brother-in-law, Jonathan Davies, also played his first game that day.
In his next game, Wales played Fiji at the Arms Park. Wales won 40–3. Phil scored two of his team's seven tries in that match.
The next year, Phil played in seven test matches. Wales almost won the Triple Crown. But they lost to England 21–18 in their first game. Wales then beat Scotland and Ireland. They later lost to France.
After this, Phil and his teammates went on a tour. They played games in the Southern Hemisphere. This was to get ready for the 1987 Rugby World Cup. They won against Fiji, Tonga, and Western Samoa. The game against Tonga was very physical.
Awards and Achievements
Phil Davies achieved many honors during his playing career.
* Five Nations Championship * Winners: 1988 (shared with France), 1994 * Runner-up: 1986 * Triple Crown * Winners: 1988
- Llanelli RFC
* Welsh Premier Division * Winners: 1993 * WRU Challenge Cup * Winners: 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993 * Runner-up: 1989, 1994
Coaching Rugby Teams
After retiring as a player, Phil Davies became a rugby coach. He has coached many teams.
Coaching Leeds Tykes (1996–2006)
Phil was the director of rugby at Leeds Tykes from 1996 to 2006. When he started, Leeds was in National Division Four. He helped the club move up through the leagues. In 2001, Leeds won the National Division One title. They only lost two games that season. This meant they were promoted to the top league, the English Premiership.
In the 2002–03 season, Leeds finished fifth. They also reached the second round of the 2002–03 European Challenge Cup. In 2005, Leeds won the Powergen Cup. Phil left Leeds in 2006 when the team was relegated. He said it was time for a break after ten years.
Returning to Wales (2006)
In August 2006, Phil returned to his old club, the Scarlets. He became their Director of Rugby. In his first season, the team finished fourth in the 2006–07 Celtic League. They also reached the semi-finals of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup.
In the 2007–08 season, the Scarlets had a tough time. They lost all their games in the 2007–08 Heineken Cup. They also dropped to sixth place in the 2007–08 Celtic League. Phil was let go by the Scarlets in April 2008.
After leaving Llanelli, he worked as a consultant coach for Cardiff RFC. This was from November 2008 to May 2009. Then he became the National Academy Manager for the Welsh Rugby Union. In this role, he helped develop young players. He also became the head coach for the Wales U20 team.
Coaching Wales U20
As head coach for Wales U20, Phil led the team in the 2009 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. They finished fifth, beating only Italy. In the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship, Wales finished sixth.
In the 2010 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, Wales finished third. They had wins against Scotland, France, and Italy. In the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship, Wales finished seventh.
Coaching Worcester and Cardiff (2010–2014)
In 2010, Phil joined Worcester Warriors as a forwards coach. He helped Worcester get promoted back to the Premiership. They won the 2010–11 RFU Championship, losing only one game. His work helped Worcester stay in the Premiership.
In May 2012, Phil became Director of Rugby for Cardiff Blues. His first game was a win against Connacht. The Blues had a difficult period with six losses in a row. They finished ninth in the 2012–13 Pro12 league.
During the 2013–14 Heineken Cup, Phil led the Blues to a big win. They beat the champions Toulon 19–15. They also won two games against Glasgow Warriors. Phil resigned from Cardiff Blues in March 2014.
Working with Namibia (2014–2019)
After leaving Cardiff, Phil Davies became a technical adviser for the Namibian national team. This was in November 2014, before the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He helped Namibia in their November 2014 international games.
Head Coach of Namibia
On June 26, 2015, Phil became Namibia's new head coach. This was just three months before the 2015 Rugby World Cup. His first match as head coach was a 39–19 win against Russia. Namibia then won the 2015 Africa Cup title. They beat Kenya and Zimbabwe with big scores.
At the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Namibia played much better than before. They earned their first ever World Cup point. This was a losing bonus point against Georgia. They also scored three tries against Tonga, their most in a World Cup match.
In 2016, Namibia finished second in the 2016 World Rugby Nations Cup. Phil also led Namibia to win the 2016 Africa Cup title again. They won all three of their games.
In 2017, Namibia continued to dominate the African Cup. They won all five games of the 2017 Rugby Africa Gold Cup. This included a 95–0 win against Senegal.
The 2017 and 2018 seasons were important for qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Namibia won all their matches in the 2018 Africa Gold Cup. This meant they qualified for the World Cup. Phil left his role with Namibia in 2019.
Return to Leeds Tykes (2020–Present)
On January 3, 2020, it was announced that Phil Davies had returned to Leeds Tykes. He became the Director of Rugby again.
Coaching Awards and Achievements
Phil Davies has led teams to several victories as a coach.
- Namibia
* Africa Cup * Winners: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 * World Rugby Nations Cup * Runner-up: 2016 (shared with Emerging Italy)
- Leeds Tykes
* National Division One * Winners: 2001 * Powergen Cup/Anglo-Welsh Cup * Winners: 2005 * Yorkshire Cup * Winners: 1998, 2006
- Worcester Warriors
* RFU Championship * Winners: 2011
Sports Consulting Work
In December 2016, Phil Davies rejoined Worcester Warriors as a coaching consultant. He helped the club stay in the top English Rugby league. Worcester had important wins against teams like Harlequins and Saracens.
In June 2017, Phil returned to Wales. He became head coach for his former club, Llanelli. He worked for both Llanelli and Namibia at the same time. He left Llanelli at the end of the Welsh season. As part of his own consulting company, he also advised Nuneaton R.F.C. in 2018. He focused on his work with Namibia in 2019.
