ROBIN DAVEY is a regular at Rodney Parade, acting as chief rugby writer for the South Wales Argus over the last 42 years before retiring in December. The Argus praised his enthusiasm and knowledge of the game saying he was irreplaceable and that they were ‘pretty sure we won’t see his like again’ but ... he’s back!
His retirement has allowed him to break free of the journalistic shackles and devote more time to his love for the Dragons!
JOE Bedford has no regrets after facing up to a complete change of lifestyle moving his growing family from their Yorkshire base and setting up home in Wales when he joined the Dragons last summer.
In fact, he is loving every minute after departing from his home city of Leeds where he spent most of his life and where rugby league and football are the number one sports to an area where union is king.
"It was a big change for me, my wife Katie and both sets of parents are from Leeds and live within two miles of one another. It meant taking the children away which was a difficult decision," admitted the former Leeds and Rotherham scrum half.
"But I fancied a taste of something completely different in a new league for me, travelling to Scotland, Ireland and Italy. And it is a different brand of rugby, too, playing rugby without fear of relegation gives you so much more freedom.
"I've had to adapt my game as in England scrum halves have to be a bit more physical, the forwards are more abrasive and direct whereas here they are more skilful and there is more variation.
"With my own game I've had to focus on the speed of getting the ball away and delivering it quickly. Darren (Edwards, the Dragons head coach and a former No 9 himself) has been superb so I feel my game has come on in leaps and bounds.
"I've been involved in every game apart from Perpignan when my wife was heavily pregnant - baby Lucy is now three weeks old, sister Poppy is one - and I've captained the side twice in the LV= Cup against Bath when we were given a real lesson and against the Ospreys when it was more even."
Joe has, in fact, got plenty of experience of leading teams having captained England Schools Under 18s after being spotted playing at his Bradford public school and later joining Rotherham as club captain. That came after a spell at Leeds when he helped them gain promotion to the Premiership.
He began his career with local club West Leeds, following in his father's footsteps, and he also played for England Schools Under 19s, England Under 21s and England A at senior level so his pedigree is pretty impressive.
He has played all his rugby in the north of England, always as a scrum half, apart from a season with Saracens where he faced competition from England international Kyran Bracken.
He also had a season with Sale where the going was even tougher, for they had Bryan Redpath, Richard Wigglesworth and Nick Walshe there as well.
Consequently it was back to his native Yorkshire where he enjoyed three years with Leeds and three with Rotherham.
But then came that big change in his life and the move to Wales. And there has been no looking back. "I've only been here half a season, but I've never witnessed anything so intense as the atmosphere here," he said.
"At Headingley (Leeds' home) there were maybe 5,000 in a 20,000 stadium whereas here in some games, like the one against the Ospreys, you can't even hear yourself think.
"We had derbies in Leeds, but nothing like here and I have found it a breath of fresh air because I've always been rugby mad."
And after an initial settling-in period Joe believes his game is improving and he insists there is a lot more to come from the Dragons in the rest of the season.
"We were dealt a hard task at the beginning of the season with so many away games, but now we're starting a run at home," he said. "And I'm starting to feel comfortable with the way Darren wants us to play and the transfer from the training field to the playing field.
"I've scored my first league try (against Edinburgh last Saturday after a thrust from close-in) and I feel I'm developing as a player week by week. I've got another year on my contract and I'm getting into the swing of it here, so I need to push on and finish the season strongly.
"I'm desperate to play in the Heineken Cup and I'd love to stay on beyond my current contract. The Dragons are in a transitional phase, it's the same for all the regions with the new salary cap coming in, but we've been building here, we've got a crop of good youngsters starting to come through who are very talented mixed with some experience."
Joe has just turned 28 and is sure his best days are yet to come - hopefully at Rodney Parade with the Dragons.
