View source for Gerald Davies

{{Short description|British Lions & Wales international rugby union player (born 1945)}}
{{for|those of a similar name|Gerald Davis (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name            = Gerald Davies<br/>{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|DL}}}}
| image           =
| caption         = 
| birth_name      = Thomas Gerald Reames Davies
| birth_place     = [[Llansaint]], Wales
| death_place     = 
| height          = 
| weight          = 
| position        = [[Wing (rugby union)|Wing]]/[[Centre (rugby union)|centre]]
| amatyears1      = 1960s
| amatyears2      = 1960s–1965
| amatyears3      = 1963–1966
| amatyears4      = 1965–1968
| amatyears5      = 1966–1977
| amatyears6      = 1968–1974
| amatyears7      = 1968–1971
| amatyears8      = 1974-1980s
| amatteam1       = [[Kidwelly RFC|Kidwelly]]
| amatteam2       = [[Llanelli RFC|Llanelli]]
| amatteam3       = [[Loughborough Students Rugby Union Football Club|Loughborough Colleges]]
| amatteam4       = [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]]
| amatteam5       = [[Barbarian F.C.|Barbarians]]
| amatteam6       = [[London Welsh RFC|London Welsh]]
| amatteam7       = [[Cambridge University R.U.F.C.|Cambridge University]]
| amatteam8       = [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]]
| ru_amclubcaps   = 
| ru_amclubpoints = 
| ru_amupdate     = 
| repteam1        = [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]]
| repteam2        = [[British & Irish Lions|British Lions]]
| repyears1       = 1966–1978
| repyears2       = 1968–1971
| repcaps1        = 46
| repcaps2        = 5
| reppoints1      = 72
| reppoints2      = 9
| ru_ntupdate     = 
| coachteams1     = 
| coachyears1     = 
| ru_coachupdate  = 
| school          = Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Carmarthen
| university      = [[Loughborough College]]<br>[[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]<br>[[Cardiff University]]
| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1945|02|07}} 
}}
'''Thomas Gerald Reames Davies''' [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] [[Deputy Lieutenant|DL]] (born 7 February 1945 in [[Llansaint]]) is a Welsh former [[rugby union]] wing who played international rugby for [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] between 1966 and 1978. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three [[Grand Slam (rugby union)|Grand Slams]] including [[Gareth Edwards]], [[J. P. R. Williams]], [[Ryan Jones]], [[Adam Jones (rugby union, born 1981)|Adam Jones]], [[Gethin Jenkins]] and [[Alun Wyn Jones]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17416299 Three Grand Slams]</ref>

==Early life==
Born in [[Llansaint]], [[Carmarthenshire]], under the local coal miners scholarship scheme he studied at [[Loughborough University]], before studying at [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]],<ref name="Davies90">Davies (1979), pg 90.</ref> and appearing for the University rugby team. Davies taught at [[Christ's Hospital]] in [[Horsham]], Sussex from 1971 to 1974<ref name="Davies126">Davies (1979), pg 126.</ref> when he took up a post with the Sports Council for Wales.<ref name="Davies130">Davies (1979), pg 130.</ref>

==Rugby career==
Davies played club rugby for [[Cardiff RFC]] and [[London Welsh RFC|London Welsh]]. He captained Cardiff for three seasons in the 1970s, his most famous game for Cardiff probably being a 1977–8 Welsh Cup game against Pontypool when he scored four tries (beating his marker and near namesake Gareth Davies on each occasion) to earn his side a 16–11 win.

He made his international debut on Saturday, 3 December 1966 against Australia in [[Cardiff]], where Wales lost 14–11 – he was to face the Wallabies again in his final appearance for Wales in 1978, this time in Sydney, and again a loss. All in all, he was capped 46 times for his country.  He was switched from his original position of [[Centre (rugby union)|centre]] to the [[Wing (rugby union)|right wing]] by Wales coach [[Clive Rowlands]] on their 1969 tour of Australia and New Zealand, and thereafter played in that position.

Davies toured with the [[British & Irish Lions|British Lions]] in 1968 and 1971 and was part of the group of Welsh Seventies legends, ranking in rugby history alongside [[Gareth Edwards]], [[Barry John]], [[J. P. R. Williams]], [[Phil Bennett]] and [[Bobby Windsor]]. A superb attacking player, he has been called one of the best wingers rugby has ever seen. Davies is best remembered for his try – one of 20 in 46 Tests – in the 1971 [[Six Nations Championship|Five Nations]] match against Scotland. The Scots were leading before Davies scored in the corner in the last minute. Backrower [[John Taylor (rugby union, born 1945)|John Taylor]] then kicked his famous conversion to steal victory.

Invited to join the 1974 Lions Tour of South Africa, he turned the opportunity down on his personal uncomfortable position at the consequences and realities of [[apartheid]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/gerald-davies-on-the-adventure-of-the-lions-870061.html|title=Gerald Davies on the adventure of the Lions|work=The Independent|date=17 July 2008 | location=London | first=Peter | last=Bills | access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref>

== Welsh & Lions Honours summary ==
For [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]]: 46 Internationals, of which Wales won 29, lost 14 and drew 3 (points for 758, points against 507). 20 tries, 8 of them before the value of a try was raised to four points in the 1971–72 season (72 points in all).

For the [[British & Irish Lions|British Lions]]: 5 Internationals of which the Lions won two, lost two and drew one (points for 54, points against 53). Davies scored three tries for the Lions during Test games, all of them on the [[1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand|1971 tour to New Zealand]] (9 points).<ref>[http://www.lionsrugby.com/6012.php?player=15805&includeref=dynamic Gerald Davies' Lions profile] lionsrugby.com</ref>

==After retirement==
After retiring as a player, Davies became a journalist, writing on rugby matters for ''[[The Times]]''. He sat on [[Tasker Watkins]] committee to reform Welsh rugby. He became chairman of the [[Wales Youth Agency]], and in the [[2003 New Year Honours]] he was appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) "for services to Young People and to Rugby in Wales."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/celtic/2616131.stm|title=Gerald Davies CBE|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=31 December 2002|access-date=21 April 2009}}</ref><ref name=GBR>{{London Gazette |issue=56797 |date=31 December 2002 |pages=7  |supp=y}}</ref>

Davies holds Honorary Fellowships from the [[University of Wales, Lampeter]], the [[University of Wales, Aberystwyth]] and [[Wrexham Glyndŵr University]].<ref name="WRU">{{cite web |title=Presidents |url=https://community.wru.wales/the-wru/about-the-wru/presidents/ |website=[[Welsh Rugby Union]] |access-date=24 November 2022}}</ref> He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from [[Cardiff University]] in a graduation ceremony held on 15 July 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/articles/honorary-fellowships-awarded.html |access-date=8 July 2008 |title=Honorary Fellowships awarded |publisher=[[Cardiff University]] }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On 18 July 2008, he received an honorary doctorate from [[Loughborough University]] for services to sport and journalism, and has also received an honorary doctorate from [[Swansea University]].<ref name="WRU" /> He is also a [[Deputy Lieutenant]] of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]].<ref name="WRU" />

In November 2007 he was announced as the manager of the [[2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7103531.stm Davies named 2009 Lions manager, BBC website 20 November 2007]</ref> Davies was elected to the post of President of the [[Welsh Rugby Union#Presidents|Welsh Rugby Union]] in September 2019 and took up the role in November 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wales legend Gerald Davies elected WRU president |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49880384 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=8 May 2020 |date=30 September 2019}}</ref> In October 2023, Davies was replaced as President of the WRU by former {{em|Director of Rugby}}, [[Terry Cobner]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.wru.wales/2023/10/three-impressive-new-board-members/ | website=wru.wales| title=Three new Board members appointed| date=28 October 2023}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Davies |first=Gerald |title=Gerald Davies – An Autobiography |year=1979 |publisher=George Allen & Unwin|location=London |isbn=0-04-796052-3}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110526065044/http://www.wru.co.uk/14256.php?player=25901&includeref=dynamic Gerald Davies], WRU profile

{{British and Irish Lions 1968}}
{{British and Irish Lions 1971}}
{{Barbarian F.C. captains for international games}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Gerald}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from Carmarthenshire]]
[[Category:Alumni of Loughborough University]]
[[Category:Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:The Times people]]
[[Category:Welsh rugby union players]]
[[Category:Welsh journalists]]
[[Category:Wales international rugby union players]]
[[Category:Wales rugby union captains]]
[[Category:Rugby union centres]]
[[Category:Rugby union wings]]
[[Category:Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Cardiff RFC players]]
[[Category:Llanelli RFC players]]
[[Category:London Welsh RFC players]]
[[Category:British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales]]
[[Category:Barbarian F.C. players]]
[[Category:World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Gwent]]
[[Category:Loughborough Students RUFC players]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Wales, Lampeter]]
[[Category:People associated with Aberystwyth University]]
[[Category:People associated with Wrexham University]]
[[Category:People associated with Swansea University]]