Williams is fit again after getting injured during the Autumn Nations Cup and could figure in the Scarlets side that heads to Cardiff City Stadium to take on Cardiff Blues in the final round of Welsh derbies this weekend.
If he does make that game then it will be only the second time the two midfield aces have teamed up together since Williams moved to Llanelli. Their one previous outing was for the Scarlets in their 20-7 defeat in Glasgow in round two of this season’s PRO14.
“Johnny is exciting, he’s got a bit of X-Factor about him and hopefully he can showcase that on the weekend,” said Davies.
“Just like Hadleigh Parkes, he’s got a great work ethic and I’m looking forward to playing with him. They’re both big, physical men who do the simple things well, although their accents are definitely different.
“Johnny has probably got less experience than Hadleigh had, but the way Johnny applies himself in the week is just like Parkesy.
“He’s got a huge amount of confidence, he’s very strong with the ball and has a great offloading game. He’s been excellent and what’s great about him is that he’s willing to work.
“He works extremely hard on his individual skills and he wants to improve and to play at the highest level. Credit to him, he’s been excellent since he’s come into the Scarlets and I think that’s shown in his performances leading up to the autumn and before he picked up that knock.
“He was growing in confidence and stature. Hopefully now, with the Scarlets, we can get a partnership going because we haven’t played much together.
“He’s worked hard to get back fit and I’m sure he’s chomping at the bit to get out there against the Blues.”
While the Scarlets are looking to make it a clean sweep of their three Welsh derby assignments, having seen off the Dragons 20-3 and the Ospreys 16-14 at Parc Y Scarlets, they will travel to Cardiff City Stadium looking to complete a clean sweep.
The Blues will be smarting from their home defeat at the hands of the Ospreys and their players will not only be seeking to make amends, but also to impress their on-looking new interim director of rugby, Dai Young, who will be at the game.
“It’s important to make sure we don’t give them an easy ride or give them a chance to find their feet in the game. We’ve got to take the game by the scruff of the neck,” said Davies.
“We have to be on the same page when we go out there and back the structures to try and negate their threats. It’s an exciting challenge and the boys are looking forward to playing on what will hopefully be a fast track.
“It’s going to be a good game, I’m sure. The Blues pose threats all over the park, on both sides of the ball.
“Defensively, they’ve got a lot of poachers and they’re all very comfortable with ball-in-hand. They like to play with tempo, their half-backs are very dangerous and control the tempo of the game and they have threats.
“We’re going to have to make sure that we prepare well to put ourselves in a position where we’re not surprised by anything. We’re looking forward to finishing off this period with three wins from three, but we’ll have to be on our toes and play well.”
Davies has a big year ahead of him with a potential third tour with the British & Irish Lions on the horizon in South Africa. He returned to international rugby in the Autumn Nations Cup after coming back from another injury, but feels in great nick as the Six Nations approaches.
“My game time has been a bit staggered since coming back from injury, but my work ethic hasn’t changed. I feel like my body is in a good place now and it’s just about getting that confidence back,” added Davies.
“It’s about making sure that I do the simple things well and slowly build my game around that. I don’t want to be forcing it too hard, too quickly.
“It’s about making sure I stick up my hand for the Scarlets because the competition here is good. I want to build on that and test myself.
“With the game against the Blues followed by European games – hopefully! – it’s a test for me to get back to where I want to be. It’s been frustrating, but rugby is challenging at all times.
“If I can string three performances together and get some game time, I’m pretty confident, with the way I feel in training, that I can put in performances to earn my place. We’re looking at finishing the derbies well and kicking on in Europe because we’re in a good position.
“It’s about knuckling down and doing everything I can to get the performances on the field.”
