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Wales scrum-half Davies apology over brutal Dragons verbal smackdown
Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies has been forced into an apology after ripping apart the Dragons in the aftermath of the Scarlets 33-8 PRO14 win at the Millennium Stadium.
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The match was part of ‘Judgement Day’ where all four Welsh regions played, and it was Davies’ withering judgement of the Dragons that caused major controversy.
Assessing the Dragons, Davies said they were guilty of “bringing us down to their level, which is very average”.
It’s been a horror season for the Dragons winning just two of their 21 matches in PRO14, the last of which was back in September when they beat Conference B bottom club Southern Kings 29-13.
But Davies has apologised for his comments.
Scarlets Head Coach Wayne Pivac elaborated “I would like to clarify that. Gareth was one of a number of players who were pretty frustrated after the game, probably because I may have put a bit pressure on them, which I did intentionally, just to challenge them about going for five points.
“I have had a chat with Gareth and he formally apologised to Bernard Jackman on Sunday in writing.
“Bernard has replied to him and understands so they have had a good conversation about what was said in the media and I don’t think you will see a repeat of that.
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“I am very pleased that Gareth has taken the stance that he has in terms of straight away, waking up the next morning, understanding what he had done and putting it right the best he could.”
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Video: The Dragons Lair
Meanwhile, the Scarlets have recruited two new scrum-halves for next season with Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and Kieran Hardy joining the club.
Aled Davies is heading for the Ospreys, so Scottish international Hidalgo-Clyne and Hardy will vie with Davies and Jonathan Evans for a starting spot.
24-year-old Hidalgo-Clyne was out of contract at Edinburgh this summer.
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TNEWSDAY | We're delighted to confirm that @Hidalgoclyne will join Scarlets this summer from @EdinburghRugby and @Kieran_Hardy9 will make a return to the region from @jerseyrfc! #inthepack pic.twitter.com/uL8FoVgmI2
— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) May 1, 2018
Hardy is Scarlets Academy graduate, but the 22-year-old made a move to English Championship side Jersey ahead of the 2016-17 season, where he has impressed.
He played for Wales Under 20s in the RBS 6 Nations and Junior World Cup in 2015, having previously played for his country at both Under-16 and Under-18 levels.
Commenting on the news Pivac said; “We’re delighted to be in a position to welcome both Kieran and Sam to the Scarlets. Kieran makes a return to his home region having had a couple of seasons to continue his development in the Championship with Sam bringing with him a wealth of Guinness PRO14 and international experience from Edinburgh. With Aled moving on and Gareth away during the international window it’s important to have strength in depth in each position.”
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