Loughborough Lightning
LIGHTNING'S MEG DAVEY IS ONLY GETTING STARTED
Loughborough Lightning's Meg Davey wants to be the topic of conversation, writes Megan Armitage.
The 23-year-old scrum-half has become a key part of Nathan Smith's squad from the offset this season, crossing the whitewash twice during their 38-29 victory over Harlequins in Round 3 of the Allianz Cup.
Davey has been part of the Lightning set up for seven seasons now but is intent on making 2023 her standout year as she chases her first senior international call-up.
With three starts and the brace against Quins already to her name, the Stafford native feels she is only getting started.
"I want to have a big season and to consistently be starting for Lightning," she said.
"Every single game I want someone to be saying something about me and mentioning that I have done something well. It's just about that consistency and I want to continue that in the coming months.
"Because our training has been so hard, I haven't felt this fit playing in so long and everything feels so much easier.
"I feel really sharp and I obviously love to kick and snipe and the way we have been playing as a team has really allowed me to do that.
"I never get over the whitewash so doing that twice against Quins was a nice feeling."
Davey first stepped onto the rugby pitch as a young girl, following in the footsteps of her older brother Jack.
Quick as a youngster, the scrum-half initially started out on the wing at Lichfield Rugby Club and has seen an upwards trajectory on the pitch ever since - but is constantly reminded to thank her brother for his inspiration.
42'| TRY by Megan Davey!! Conversion by Lia Green HAR 14-26 LOU#LightningStrikes #HARvsLOU #AllianzPremCup #PWR pic.twitter.com/3Ic4KcZ9Vf
— Loughborough Lightning Rugby ⚡️ (@LightningRugby) October 14, 2023
"My dad would always drag me along every Sunday and suddenly I wanted a go so he just shoved me in," said Davey, who is currently studying for her PGCE at Loughborough University.
"I went straight into the boys’ team, and I was quick so I was put on the wing and stuck there.
"It was just about consistency, I never stopped going on a Sunday and it's now blossomed into what it is today.
"My brother says it's all thanks to him though!"
A multi-talented sportswoman, Davey also stood out on the football pitch as a youngster.
The Lightning player was a promising midfielder in the Aston Villa Academy before stepping away to focus on one sport, though she maintains her time in the round-ball game aided on the rugby pitch.
"I played football to quite a good level when I was younger as well," she said.
"I was actually lucky enough that I was in the Villa Academy when I was about 10, until I had to make the decision to either play football or rugby.
“I think that's why I can kick pretty well and find space on the rugby pitch. I have to thank my football career for that."
Lightning finished eighth in the 2022/23 season but have taken plenty of positives from their performances in the Allianz Cup, with victory over Harlequins following two narrow defeats against Saracens and Gloucester-Hartpury.
Davey credits new head coach Smith with instilling plenty of belief in the squad since his arrival and she believes they will reap the rewards of meeting his high standards.
"As soon as Nathan walked in, he set the standard," she said. “He has come in and been the glue.
"Three games in now, you can see that the team morale is so much higher and everyone is really playing for each other.
"I remember in one of our first meetings, he was like, 'these are the standards I'm going to uphold and you need to uphold them as well'.
"He's always early to everything, setting out the pitch like half an hour before the session. When you see him doing that, you think 'we're going to go out 15 minutes early now'. That standard is definitely bleeding into our games."
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