Davis wins bronze on England debut

STRATFORD’S Nye Davis earned his first England Touch Rugby cap at last week’s European Championships in Nottingham.

The 21-year-old also picked up a bronze medal, as part of the mixed open team that beat France in the third-place play-off after narrowly losing to eventual winners Scotland during sudden death extra-time in their semi-final.

“Touch rugby is such a fantastic game,” said Davis, who started playing tag, then contact rugby at Stratford Rugby Club in 2001, at the age of five.

“It’s so dynamic and fast and to get selected for England and to win a bronze at the Euros is absolutely awesome.

“I really hope I can get selected for the World Championships next year.”

Davis also played tag rugby at St Gregory’s Primary School and then played at King Edward VI School for seven years, before heading off to Bath University in 2015 to study engineering.

At Bath, he switched from contact rugby to touch in order to allow him to focus on middle distance athletics, representing Bath in the University Athletics Championships at 1500m in 2016.

Last year, the Bath University touch team, the Hawks, won the English Universities Touch Championship, earning Davis a call-up to the English students team, the Scholars, who he represented at last year’s development Championships in France.

Following another successful season with the Hawks and also playing time with the London Scorpions, Davis joined the full England squad earlier this year.