Tom Davies: Hull KR’s band of Wigan-born ‘country bumpkins’ can win Grand Final

Tom Davies insists Hull KR’s unlikely band of Wigan-born “country bumpkins” are ready to rip the Super League title back over to the east side of the Pennines at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Along with Joe Burgess and Oliver Gildart, Davies is one of three members of the Rovers squad who were born in Wigan, and whose shared hunger for silverware has led them to pitch up over 100 miles away close to the crumbling Holderness coast.

Joining in the wake of last year’s Grand Final loss to the same team, Davies set about making an immediate impression at Rovers, leading the league for carries and scoring 21 tries, including the last-ditch effort that helped the Robins end 40 years of trophyless hurt in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley in June.

Despite having arrived in east Yorkshire straight from sweltering Perpignan, where he spent five seasons with Catalans Dragons after leaving his boyhood club in 2019, Davies laughed off any suggestions of a culture shock and quickly found life in his new home to his liking.

“I’m in a little village in between two farms, the house has thick walls and no phone signal, and it’s quite a long way from civilisation,” Davies told the PA news agency.

“A few of the Wigan boys are already here. I spoke to them and they told me not only how well the club is run but just how enjoyable it is. It’s a wonderful lifestyle out here in the sticks, and we’ve turned into a real bunch of country bumpkins.”

For all the lifestyle benefits, the 28-year-old Davies is adamant that his number one priority in joining Rovers was to win more silverware.

Davies enjoyed a meteoric start to his career, featuring in Wigan’s 2018 Grand Final win over Warrington in only his second full season, before going on to play in two subsequent Grand Final defeats with Catalans.

“Looking at where Hull KR were heading made my decision for me, because I want to be in a team that is pushing to win trophies, and Rovers can help me fulfil my aims in the game,” added Davies.

“My first final in 2018 feels like a bit of a lifetime away right now. You get that taste of success so early in your career and then you realise how hard it is to recreate.

“I went out to Catalans when I was 22 and I loved my time there under Steve McNamara but then I spoke to Willie (Peters) and the boys at Hull KR and everyone said how much they want to win. That has been the main driving factor for me.”