Heartbroken Welsh star issues emotional message as video shows moment it all went wrong
Heartbroken Welsh star issues emotional message as video shows moment it all went wrong
The eight-cap international's impressive season ended with a crushing disappointment
The moment Davies dislocated his shoulder against Perpignan
(Image: Instagram: @samdavey1993 )
Welsh fly-half Sam Davies has issued an emotional statement to Grenoble supporters after his team suffered double Top 14 promotion heartbreak for the third year in a row.
The 31-year-old had another impressive campaign in the Pro D2 as he pulled the strings for his side, helping them to finish top of the league table in the regular season. Having made it through to the play-off final to face underdogs Montauban, it looked as though Grenoble were finally going to jump up to the top flight, but it soon began to go wrong for Davies' side.
A shock defeat to Montauban meant that Grenoble's last chance to win promotion came in the Top 14 Access Match play-off final, where they faced Perpignan, who had finished second from bottom in the top flight this season.
However, after missing out in the Access Match for the last two years, it wasn't to be yet again for Grenoble, as they fell to a narrow 13-11 defeat to consign them to another season in the second tier.
That match saw the talismanic Davies leave the field with a shoulder injury minutes into the contest, only to return to the action later on as he tried but ultimately failed to rally his side and lead them to victory.
Having initially said that he had "no words" to convey his heartbreak in the wake of the defeat, the eight-cap Wales international has now taken to social media to issue a full statement to supporters.
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He has also confirmed that he dislocated his shoulder moments into the Perpignan match, sharing a video of the incident on Instagram.
"The pain never stops, but the motivation grows," he wrote. "Thank you to our wonderful supporters. I assure you, we will be back stronger.
"After dislocating my shoulder four minutes into the final, here's to a challenge that raises many questions. It was difficult to play through the pain, but I would do it again and again for this team."
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It comes after former Ospreys and Dragons star Davies admitted he had "found the spark again" since leaving Wales for France in the summer of 2023, with the fly-half now playing the best rugby of his career.
'I wouldn't go as far as to say that I have been reborn, but rather that I found the spark again,' he told RugbyPass.'I feel appreciated and respected.
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"I think I've been playing some of my best rugby. I feel I have been unshackled. I am now allowed to make mistakes without someone immediately putting me back in my place.
"Grenoble allowed me to follow my instincts, while in Wales every mistake I made was put under the magnifying glass," he added. "It was a complete change of pace.
"The Grenoble staff try to value the positives more than the negatives. It pushes us to be better individuals and team players."
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