Prop-forward Trevor Davison is determined to seize his big chance after switching from beer delivery man to full-time rugby player with Newcastle Falcons.
The 24-year-old England Counties international has played for Blaydon RFC since the age of 11, where for the past five years he has been under the tutelage of Falcons forwards coach Micky Ward.
“I played hooker until I was 19, and it was Micky who changed me to a prop when he joined the club,” said Davison, the Denton Burn native who is one of 11 siblings.
“I’ve lived in Newcastle all my life, I’ve played a few A-Team games for the Falcons and last year I got invited in for a few days training with the squad. I already know quite a few of the lads who have been on dual-registration with Blaydon but it was a life-changing moment when the contract offer came through. I was actually planning to move to Australia but this is a great opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, and I’m just enjoying getting started.
“I had been working for a brewery delivering kegs of beer, so it’s a bit different going into full-time rugby training. I’m really enjoying it, learning loads every day and just getting used to the workload. Recovery is a big thing and just the little details of how the lads look after themselves, but I’m taking it all on board and loving the experience.”
Ward, who spotted Davison’s potential as a teenager, said: “I worked with Trevor for all the time I was at Blaydon, and as soon as I saw him playing hooker in training I said this kid’s got to move over to prop. He was playing for the Second Development Team at the time and everyone was saying he was strong, but it wasn’t until I got in there and started wrestling with him that I realised just how strong he actually was.
“He has a great attitude and works extremely hard. At the end of every game you do your analysis and speak to people about the match, asking who played well and what you’ve learned from the game. Every time his name kept coming up, and he was one of those lads who had the respect of everyone in the team. I spoke to our director of rugby Dean Richards about getting him in at the Falcons, just to see how he goes in a professional environment, and he seems to be taking well to it.”
Explaining Davison’s path to the top, Ward said: “From Blaydon’s Development Team we got him into the club’s second team, then the first team, and from there he has played the past two years for England Counties. He has pushed on every step of the way and deserves this opportunity.
“Trevor’s story is something that should hopefully be a boost to any lads who are playing rugby for their local club. He hasn’t been to private school, he hasn’t been in any academies or anything like that – he has just grafted away at his local club and played to a consistently good level.
“He is a strong kid who has been given a chance, and the message really is that people will spot you if you’re playing well. We’re always watching, and it’s important that people know that.”
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