Davies is far from the only sportsman or woman to have contracted coronavirus, but his story of how he was laid so low by the pandemic is certainly an anomaly.
A fit and healthy 34-year-old international player, Davies is well-known in Welsh rugby circles as an upbeat, hilarious character who is always cracking jokes.
But he turns deadly serious when he reveals his January brush with Covid-19. The man from Llantrisant didn’t require hospitalisation, but came far too close for comfort.
“I had a nasty shoulder injury and midway through my rehab I caught Covid quite bad,” said Davies.
“That put me back four or five weeks. It’s nice to be back on the field and still be alive the way things went. I got tested then went home and trained in my garage and felt fine.
“I hit the wall then. My wife was peeling me off the sofa every day and I realised it was quite bad. It was ridiculous and I wish it on nobody. It was quite sketchy.
It’s nice to be back on the field and still be alive the way things went
“I bought an oxygen monitor after being told by the doctor it was quite low at one point and I was probably on the verge of falling off the sofa.
“I am fine now, but it is not a laughing matter because it was terrible.
“I was definitely scared because of the way it affects you. When I had it, I typed Covid-19 into Google and it comes up with a list of symptoms. I was going top to bottom every day and ticking them off.
“Migraine? Yes. Loss of taste and smell? Yes. It went all the way down to the bottom. At first, I was lucky because it did not affect my lungs, but in the end it did.
“I remember I was sat at the end of my sofa watching TV and my wife said I was sounding funny and I was wheezing. It was shocking, but I am over it and I don’t want to have it again.”
Bradley Davies is now back up and running again with the Ospreys
I remember I was sat at the end of my sofa watching TV and my wife said I was sounding funny and I was wheezing. It was shocking, but I am over it and I don’t want to have it again
In his own words, Davies “locked myself in my wardrobe for 14 days” while battling Covid to keep himself isolated from his wife and two young children.
He has made his first appearances since contracting the virus in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup.
“It has probably taken me an extra month or so to get my lungs back. It was difficult to run and it was pretty bleak at one stage,” said Davies, who represented Wales at three World Cups.
“Maybe I trained too hard when I had it at first. I should have listened to my wife, but I went into the garage and was training on my bike for five hours. The next day, I was on the floor.
“I was in the house with my wife telling her jokes she did not really get so I am glad to be back with the boys.”
Davies has admitted his Covid scare has made him realise what he’s achieved in a career which has taken in spells at Cardiff Blues, Wasps and now Ospreys.
“It’s not like I’ve taken things for granted because I’ve been very careful. When the lockdown restrictions came in, I stuck by them to the letter,” Davies said.
“I was good and never went out. To catch it was the biggest surprise to me because I hadn’t been anywhere. I blamed the dog! We took it for a walk and I said the dog must have given it to me!
“I did pass it on to my wife. She was positive about five or six days later than me and was bad for a couple of days. I was more worried about infecting my children or family.
“We’re engrained as players to only look back on our careers when we’re right at the end.
“I have achieved a lot and there are still things I’d like to achieve, but it can easily be taken away from everyone. I’m just lucky.”
I have achieved a lot and there are still things I’d like to achieve, but it can easily be taken away from everyone. I’m just lucky
S4C – Sunday, 5.30pm: Clwb Rygbi
Dragons v Ospreys: Full broadcast of the Rainbow Cup match between the sides played earlier at Rodney Parade.
