Bradley Davies

Bradley Davies followed in the footsteps of his father, Bradley, who played for Pontypridd, in becoming a second row, although his first steps on the rugby field at Pontyclun and Y Pant Comprehensive School were as an aspiring outside half.

He was capped by Wales at Under 16 and 18 levels before captaining the Under 19 team to a Six Nations Grand Slam and a win over Australia in 2005. He also led Wales into the Under 19 Junior World Cup.

Warren Gatland first included him in the Welsh senior squad ahead of the 2008 summer tour of South Africa, but an injury stopped him from playing. He was included in Wales’ 2009 Six Nations squad and made his senior Wales debut as a 71st minute replacement for Shane Williams against Scotland at Murrayfield on 8 February, 2009.

He captained the Welsh team in Japan in 2013 and reached his half century of caps when he came on as a replacement in the draw against Ireland in Dublin in the opening game of the 2016 6 Nations championship.

He launched his professional career at Cardiff Blues having progressed from Beddau Youth team into the Blues Academy. He was in the Blues team that won the Anglo-Welsh Cup at Twickenham in 2009 and was a try scorer in the 2010 European Challenge Cup final triumph over Toulon in Marseille. He left the Blues to join Wasps in 2014.

He returned to Wales with the Ospreys in 2016 after signing a National Dual Contract. 

He missed the summer tour in 2017 for personal reasons and wasn’t picked for the Autumn matches. He returned to Welsh action in 2018, playing throughout the 6 Nations campaign and then twice on the summer tour.

He replaced Cory Hill in the World Cup squad in Japan after the Dragons second row was forced home due to injury without having played any part in the opening game against Georgia.