Welsh international Aled Davies has confirmed his move to relegated Saracens. The 27-year-old scrum-half will move from the Ospreys to start at Saracens in the 2020/21 season.
Some will question this move, given that Davies will be playing next season in the Championship. This may harm his international hopes but with Rhys Webb and Gareth Davies both plying their trade in Wales, Aled Davies faces tough competition to impress Wayne Pivac.
? Saracens is thrilled to welcome Welsh international scrum-half Aled Davies to the club.
The 27-year-old has signed a three-year deal in north London.#TogetherSaracens ⚫️? | @aled009
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) May 27, 2020
Saracens Attracting Players Despite Relegation
Given Saracens will be playing their rugby in the second tier of English rugby, many thought their ability to recruit would be hampered. In order to bolster their squad, the consensus was that they would target younger talent rather than established internationals.
However, this has proved not to be the case as Aled Davies has signed a three-year deal at Saracens. This will keep him at the club until 2023. Davies described the move as “It’s a great opportunity for me at a massive club”.
“I’m looking forward to putting my stamp on things and making an impact, hopefully.”
Mark McCall was also thrilled at the prospect of a new scrum-half to add to their options. He said, “Aled is an experienced, talented player and we are delighted to welcome both him and his family to Saracens.”
The End of Welsh Hopes
This move may spell the end of Davies’ hopes as a Welsh International. Pivac already has strong options at scrum-half and with restrictions on overseas players in place, it could be a while before Davies pulls on the red shirt again.
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This, therefore, makes this move slightly hard to understand. Moving to an already-relegated club as well as potentially throwing away further international recognition has raised eyebrows.
However, Saracens has a track record of improving the players in their ranks. The likes of Sean Maitland and Liam Williams have reached great heights since moving to the north-London club. Perhaps Aled Davies sees tremendous growth opportunities at Saracens and that is the rationale behind this move.
It could be a while before we see the 20 times capped Welshmen in a Saracens shirt. With so much uncertainty surrounding when rugby will restart, especially below the Premiership who knows what this move will bring.
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