Is the man for Glaws just up the road?

Davies - new man?
By Cherry Picker
May 21 2012

While Gloucester continue their world-wide search for a new coach to replace Bryan Redpath, the man who could do the job could be just a few miles to the west.

Scarlets coach Nigel Davies is being touted as the right man to fill the vacancy, following a couple of his backroom colleagues out of the Welsh club.

Davies is contracted to the Scarlets for another nine months and while Glaws have indicated that they are willing to pay compensation for the right man, in this case that might not be necessary – after all, nine months will only take Davies to the beginning of 2013, not the end of the new season.

Davies has extensive international experience with Wales and would tick many of the boxes on the Glaws shopping list, which now appears to have been cut down to just two names.

The club’s desire to scour the world for the right man might sound impressive from the point of view of ambition, but there is a school of thought that suggests the world of rugby coaching is filling up more and more with fancy dans who talk a good game but can’t deliver the right results week after week.

A down-to-earth coach who lets his work do the talking might be a better prospect.

Scarlets president Phil Bennett told the BBC: "Nigel's come a long way. He's rebuilt the club after a dreadful couple of seasons.”

Meanwhile, former Welsh star Emyr Davies added: "They've lost Garin Jenkins, they've lost Vernon Cooper and it looks quite likely that they're going to lose Nigel Davies as well."

"From a financial point of view the allegation is he's probably made the right choice in going to Gloucester.

"He's outside that goldfish bowl and if he has got further aspirations of coaching Wales in the near future then I think it might be the right move for him.”