SCARLETS: ‘I didn’t know he said that’: Grounded Page takes confidence from being Davies’ first name on the team sheet

Macs Page did not know his director of rugby had called him “probably the first name on the team sheet”.

When he heard, the 21-year-old wing took it straight on board. “That’s awesome, I didn’t know he said that. That’s very positive, I take confidence from that. That’s nice,” he said.

Nigel Davies made the comment at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against Benetton.

Page has starred in the opening games of the season, scoring both of the Scarlets’ first-half tries at Rodney Parade, the first after running from inside his own half.

Why Davies puts Macs Page first on the Scarlets team sheet

Davies said: “He’s somebody that really excites me. He’s probably the first name on the team sheet. He’s one of those players that excites everybody.”

He added: “Macs has been great. He’s a true pro. I think he’s got the highest turnovers of any of our players. He’s also effective in the wide channels defensively.”

Davies wants him on the wing rather than at centre. “I think he’s still got the option to play centre, but I think when we have him on the wing, he’s a bit freer to roam and pop up in places, whereas when he’s at centre, he’s got to be linked and connected in the midfield area, so that limits sometimes his ability to roam freely,” he said. “I like him on the wing because of that, really.”

From Pembrokeshire to 45 Scarlets appearances

Page only made his Scarlets first-team debut in 2023 and has already made 45 appearances for the region.

The Pembrokeshire product was on the books of Swansea City as a youngster.

His breakthrough came in 2024-25. He won the region’s try of the season award for a stunning effort against Zebre, and was called into the Wales squad for the summer tour of Japan.

“Trying to be a player which I wasn’t”

Page admits his confidence dipped after that breakthrough. “After that season I was on a high and then I kind of dipped in confidence and I was trying to be a player which I wasn’t,” he said.

He added: “This season I’ve just realised that my strengths are carrying the ball, taking people on and probably just trying to keep that level head of confidence and just keeping that on.”

A full pre-season has helped. “Last season I went to Japan I missed most of pre-season. I think this pre-season I had a bit of time off, to get my head straight, and then just went into pre-season full ball then, ready to attack it,” he said.

He said scoring two tries against the Dragons is something to build on. “It’s always good to do something well and probably just keep building off that now. I know I can do it,” he said.

Macs Page “not sure about the entertain thing”

Page says he wants to make things happen every time he plays. “That’s the aim, every game is to try and get myself on the ball, try and do something special,” he said.

Asked whether he sees himself as an entertainer, he played it down: “I’m not sure about the entertain thing, I don’t really think about it, but if it comes with it, yeah.”

He does not pay attention to the noise either. “If I’m honest, I don’t really look at the stuff that goes on social media and stuff like that. It doesn’t really affect me. I don’t really look into it,” he said.

Hunting the ball, and the turnovers, on the wing

Page says playing on the wing means going looking for the ball. “When I play centre, I probably get more of the ball, but now I’ve moved to the wing, it’s about me now trying to get myself on the ball as much as I can, seeing how many touches I can get when the ball’s not coming my way and working infield,” he said.

He has also spent the summer working on his defence. “Over the summer I’ve worked on getting that tackle tech right and seeing how I can bring that different side to my game into being on the edge, so slowing that ball down, trying to turn over, helping our forwards out, seeing how I can affect the game differently on the wing,” he said.

Jonathan Davies and Brian O’Driscoll the models

Page named former Scarlets and Wales centre Jonathan Davies as the player he modelled his game on. “Foxy is obviously very strong attacking, but he’s also very good at balancing the attack and defence,” he said.

He added: “Someone else is probably Brian O’Driscoll. Over the last couple of years, just watching him, he’s not the biggest player, but how he can affect the game in different ways.”

Page starts on the wing against Benetton at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday (5.30pm), in an unchanged back three.