Welsh rugby legend Jonathan Davies is undergoing a gruelling fitness regime after piecing his battered body back together following two major operations. The 63-year-old underwent a full knee replacement in September 2024, before a major back operation that saw a metal cage and four screws inserted in his back, leaving him feeling like he's been "run over by a bus."
Despite this, Davies shows little appetite to slow down. He will set off this Sunday for his sixth Jiffy's Cancer 50 Challenge bike ride, along with hundreds of cyclists aiming to raise tens of thousands of pounds for Velindre Cancer Charity.
Decades of Charity Work
Davies became president of Velindre Cancer in 2009 and has helped raise more than £50 million during his time with the charity. He was awarded a CBE for his contribution earlier this year.
Davies is being kept in shape by former Scarlets hooker Craig Hawkins, who played for the Barbarians and is now a fully qualified personal trainer. Hawkins has worked with well-known names including Ceri Sweeney, Rhys Williams, Josh Adams and Gareth Davies, with Carol Vorderman among his former clients. Current Wales star Jac Morgan has also recently called upon his expertise.
Training Through Recovery
"He's been brilliant," Hawkins told WalesOnline. "Last year I was advising him on how to manage his body. He kind of turned around and told me that he's going to get major back surgery and his knee done within a range of three months. That just sums up the type of bloke he is. He's all in for it."
"We still work quite hard on weights and functional training," he added. "He's still able to, and because he's so competitive he kind of enjoys that side of it. We'll have little rowing or assault bike sessions that we do. He's just a competitive athlete, so it's anything I set him."
Hawkins has been impressed by Davies' progress, though they had to temper efforts following his surgery. "We did have to tinker it down quite a lot last year post-surgery. I think he struggled with that because he's a bit like myself. [As former rugby players] We're programmed to go hard and fast. But yeah, he did have to slow down quite a bit, although he's really back and firing as good as he was like when we were training in COVID."
"So yeah, he plays hard and he goes hard. He still has a good social life. I sometimes don't know how he does it. If I had a drink at the weekend, I'd probably struggle on the Monday. But he's there at nine o'clock. I turn up, and then we go hard at it every Monday and Wednesday."
