“I am glad he has not made me look silly in training here yet but he certainly has at Bath,” admits Archie Griffin.
When it comes to speaking about Regan Grace, who will pull on the red jersey of Wales for the first time in rugby union this Friday, you find that most people say the same things. There’s only so many ways to say how foolish the 27-year-old can make you look with a step and a shift of direction.
The former St Helens winger, who had carved out a fine career in the 13-man code, would have hoped to have shown all that to a rugby union audience before now.
But Grace has endured a torrid time with injuries since deciding to switch codes. Now, after just two friendly appearances for Bath and a considerable amount of rehab work, he’ll be handed the chance to start for Wales against Queensland Reds in Brisbane at the end of this week.
Wales’ wing resources aren’t as strong as they once might have been. Josh Adams and Rio Dyer are constants, despite the former not touring this summer, but after Louis Rees-Zammit headed stateside and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso chose England, the next cabs off the rank are all starting from a similar point of heading into the unknown.
In that sense, Grace, in his first rugby union tour, has a chance to lay down a marker in a city dominated by rugby league this week. Although, as Warren Gatland points out, there’s no pressure on a player who has worn Bath’s colours just twice and never in competitive action.
“We had a big discussion last week about whether we threw him in at the deep end in terms of a Test match,” said Gatland. “But we felt just a little bit more time in the environment.
“He’s been recovering from a pretty horrendous Achilles injury that he had, and then redid again. He’s taken time in terms of his rehab and making sure he’s done everything right.
SIGN UP: Get the new exclusive Inside Welsh rugby newsletter for full insight into what’s really going on around all the big issues. This special offer will get you full access for the entire year for just £10 instead of £40.
“We’ve been looking after him as well. He’s sharp, he’s explosive and we’ve got to try make sure we get the ball in his hands as much as we can. But not have too many high expectations.
“He’s not played a lot of rugby since coming back from league. There’ll be no pressure on him from my part. Just get his hands on the ball, enjoy it and see what he can do.”
That Achilles injury, and the subsequent relapse, came at the worst possible time. There’s never a good time to get injured, but when you’ve left the comfort of the code you know and headed to France to play a different version of the sport, being handed that hammer blow hits doubly hard.
Grace’s former team-mate at St Helens, Lachlan Coote, knew the player well during his time at the Totally Wicked Stadium. He also knows the work that the Welshman has put in to get to this point.
“I can’t imagine what that was like,” said Coote of Grace’s significant injury. “I’ve had a few season-ending injuries, but to switch codes and have all the expectations he’s probably promised, having that injury isn’t the best feeling.
“I sent a few texts here and there during his rehab. It gets a bit tedious so I sent him some texts, congratulating him on him coming back from all the injuries.
“It’s good to see the type of bloke he is. He’s good for his word and it’s good to see him get back to his best. Now he’s representing his country. “How good’s that? I’m very happy for him. Obviously I’ve seen what he’s been through and all the adversity he’s faced.
“It’s finally good to see things are going well in rugby union, but not only that, to represent his country in union. It’s great to see where he’s come from and where he is now.”
Coote, one of an exclusive band of players to have won both Super League and NRL Premiership titles in league, spent three seasons with Grace at St Helens. In those three years, the pair lined up next to each other in the Saints’ backline as they won three consecutive Super League titles as well as the Challenge Cup in 2021.
The season they lifted the Challenge Cup at Wembley, Grace was the competition’s top-scorer with seven tries. The prolific wing was also among the top 10 try-scorers in Super League in every season between 2018 and 2021.
Coote, who played international rugby for Scotland, also represented Great Britain when the side made its short-lived comeback in 2019.
Many would have expected Grace to make the squad too, but coach Wayne Bennett didn’t consider him for his England-heavy squad. Regardless, it was one of the few honours that Grace missed out on during his time in league as he proved the ideal team-mate.
“It was always good having him around, especially on those kick returns,” said Coote, now a real estate agent in Townsville. “It was awesome.
“Obviously, as you know, he’s not the biggest bloke, but his speed makes up for that. And the way he can make people look stupid with his step.
“It was always good having him back there. Any time I was tired, I’d just offload it to Regan and he’d find a way to break a game. It was awesome to have him as a team-mate.
“Just seeing his development in that short period of time when we were team-mates. When I came to the club, he was a winger and wingers have to be good at catching the ball.
“It’s something that he wasn’t very good at, but it was good to see how hard he trained to the point where it became second nature to him, catching high balls. I know how determined he is and that’s why he is where he is today.”
Those in union are acutely aware of that work ethic and desire to be better.
“He has certainly got the X-factor,” said Wales attack coach Alex King. “He has a change of pace and explosiveness about him. If he has an opportunity with a one-on-one and if he has any kind of space he will light it up.
“He has been great. We have only seen him in training. He is constantly asking questions, asking the senior players about positioning.
“He wants to get things 100% right but it won’t be that because it’s rugby and never a perfect game. His desire to get better and be a student of the game and learn his craft is impressive.
“I hope he gets some opportunities with the ball in hand on Friday because he is a player who has a point of difference. He has been successful in rugby league and I really hope he can transfer that to rugby union.”
And that aerial ability that Coote noted Grace worked so hard on hasn’t gone unnoticed. Reds coach Les Kiss will be working out how to stop Grace and Rio Dyer on Friday, but, having played for Queensland in State of Origin, the former Ulster coach knows only too well the subtleties of the two codes.
“It is a challenge,” he said. “It takes a while to understand the nature of the advantage line. Every contact in this game is a chance to get the ball back.
“But he has pace and is good in the air and he has things you just can’t coach. I know if we are not good enough in the middle and we open up space for him he can be dangerous. You have Dyer on the wing and he is getting better and better.”
Like Kiss, Wales defence coach Mike Forshaw is another with a background in league. The former Wigan and Bradford second-row has spent over a decade coaching in union and is aware of the challenges that Grace will face, even if that ‘X-factor’ terms ended up rearing its head again.
“He is a lot younger than me,” said Forshaw. “I have seen highlights of him and he was a bit of a superstar at St Helen’s.
“He’s a great lad, a good athlete. He’s been very unfortunate with a couple of injuries but I think he is somebody who can really come through for Wales.
“We are going to monitor him. It has been an ideal opportunity to have a look at him. There are not many players who have that X-factor and we are down a lot of players at the moment.
“The biggest challenge for a wing coming from rugby league is probably a little bit around the back field and the breakdown. That area is always a challenge, I have worked with a couple of lads who have come from rugby league and they find it different.
“In rugby league when the tackle is made the game stops, in rugby union when a tackle is made the game starts. That is quite a big transition for wingers.”
On the pitch, you’ll find descriptions of Grace all tend to sound alike. With King and Forshaw both reaching for the ‘X-factor’ tag, Taine Plumtree noted how “good a finisher” he is, while his room-mate and club team-mate Griffin dubbed him “rapid” and “unbelievable” on the ball.
“His pace, stepping ability is so good,” added the prop.
“I think if he gets space, he’s good in space,” said Coote.” If his inside men create that space for him, he’s always dangerous.
“Anytime I made a break, he was always there to support. He’s got a great support ability in his game, which is always handy if you’ve got speed.”
Off the pitch, he’s making an equally good impression. Griffin knows what he’s like from Bath, calling him a “good lad”, while he’s already found his committee role in the squad.
“I know first hand what it feels like to join a team where you don’t know too many of the boys,” said Plumtree, who linked up with Wales last summer before he’d even met his Scarlets team-mates. “I have seen him get on with the boys well and that’s what the environment is like here with the coaches and the players.
“It’s an easy environment to come in and get to know the boys. The boys have got around him, he is part of the music committee and they boys have been enjoying the music he has been playing. I am on the music committee with him.
“I had a bit of a hard time with the boys at the start of the tour because they weren’t enjoying my music too much. So I gave it to Regan for about a week and now I am slowly getting back into playing music.”
Coote would attest that the wing knows how to win over the crowd when it comes to his musical choices.
“In the gym, he’d always be playing his tunes,” said Coote. “I did rate some of his tunes. It wasn’t just around dance music, he had a mix of everything which I appreciated. He catered for all personalities.
“He’s a pretty reserved sort of fella. Not the rowdiest bloke around. But we’d always have good chats. He’s a bit of a character; one of those that probably fly under the radar in terms of cheekiness.”
Wales’ squad members will have seen that first-hand, just as they’ve seen the numerous traits on the field in training. On Friday, Welsh fans will see that too, as Gatland gives him an opportunity.
“We thought why not take a risk and a punt on him? Bring him into the environment and see how he goes,” said the Wales coach about his call-up.
“He’s fitted in extremely well. He’s pretty quiet and pretty humble about his achievements, the success he’s had in rugby league. Hopefully he can transfer that into the union game.”
Article courtesy of
Source link
