The Welsh fly-half pulled the strings in a masterful display as his side took another step towards promotion to the top flight
Wales international Sam Davies delivered another masterful performance as he guided Grenoble to victory in their Pro D2 play-off semi-final against George North’s Provence.
The former Ospreys and Dragons fly-half – who won the last of his eight Welsh caps in 2017 – has been a revelation since moving to France two years ago, earning glowing reviews week in, week out and being named as the league’s player of the season at the end of his maiden campaign across the Channel.
His outstanding performances were not quite enough to guide Grenoble to promotion to the Top 14 last season, as they suffered an agonising play-off final defeat to Vannes. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
However, Davies and his team-mates are determined to go all the way this time around and made a very promising start to their play-off journey as they recorded a commanding 38-17 win over Provence in Thursday night’s semi-final.
As usual, the 31-year-old was at the heart of the action as he notched 18 points with his boot, nailing three conversions and three penalties as well as landing a stunning drop goal towards the end of the the first half.
With Grenoble leading 13-0, Provence cleared the ball from a goal-line drop-out, but it fell right into the hands of Davies, who caught it while stood just inside his own half.
After stepping into the opposition half, however, the Welshman let fly with his left foot from 40 metres out, with the ball sailing through the posts to send the home fans wild and put his team further clear, with Romain Fusier crossing for a try moments before half-time.
However, Davies would top his drop goal just two minutes after the break, as he set up his side’s third try in remarkable style and at the expense of his fellow Wales international North.
Despite their commanding lead, Grenoble flew out of the blocks again in the second half and piled pressure on Provence, with Thibaut Martel reading the run of North and leaving him on the deck with a thumping tackle that saw the Welsh legend spill the ball loose.
The ball was instead pounced upon as the home side started a counter-attack, and it fell into Davies’ hands again just outside the Provence 22.
From there, he floated a pinpoint cross-field kick in the direction of the onrushing Gerswin Mouton and it bounced just inside the left touchline and into the arms of the wing as he evaded two defenders to touch down.
It was another moment of magic from Davies, who earned the plaudits from his team-mates, fans and the media post-match, with reporters in France hailing him as a “maestro”.
For North, however, it was a less memorable night as he was withdrawn from the action after 52 minutes, with his team falling to defeat despite having a man advantage for the final 25 minutes after Richard Hardwick was shown a red card.
Grenoble will now go on to face either Brive or Montauban in the final next weekend as they bid to win promotion to the Top 14.
The Brive side includes Wales international Ross Moriarty, who is hoping to help deliver a parting gift to the team ahead of his expected return to Welsh rugby with the Ospreys next season.
