Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

League convert Regan Grace to make debut for Wales against Reds

By PA
Regan Grace of St Helens celebrates their side's victory after the Betfred Super League Play-Off Semi Final match between St Helens and Leeds Rhinos at Totally Wicked Stadium on October 01, 2021 in St Helens, England. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Rugby league convert Regan Grace has been named to make his union debut for Wales against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Friday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Despite playing only two senior games of rugby union for his club Bath, the 27-year-old will feature on the wing for Warren Gatland’s side in the outing against the Australian Super Rugby club.

Grace, who scored 89 tries for St Helens during a league career that saw him feature in three Grand Final-winning teams, is under contract with Bath until the end of next season.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

He switched codes in 2022 but ruptured his Achilles tendon ahead of joining French Top 14 club Racing 92 and he did not play for them at all after suffering an injury relapse six months later.

Related

Grace then linked up with Bath to continue his rehabilitation and he played in friendlies earlier this year against Leinster and Gloucester as he returned to full fitness.

Grace was called into Wales’ training squad less than a week before his departure to Sydney.

Loose-head prop Kemsley Mathias, hooker Evan Lloyd, No 8 Mackenzie Martin and centre Eddie James will also make their debut for the national side.

Wales squad:

15. Cameron Winnett

14. Rio Dyer

13. Nick Tompkins

12. Eddie James

11. Regan Grace

10. Sam Costelow

ADVERTISEMENT

9. Gareth Davies

1. Kemsley Mathias

2. Evan Lloyd

3. Archie Griffin

4. Matthew Screech

5. Cory Hill

6. Christ Tshiunza

7. Taine Plumtree

8. Mackenzie Martin

Replacements:

16. Efan Daniel

17. Corey Domachowski

18. Harri O’Connor

19. Dafydd Jenkins

20. Tommy Reffell

21. Kieran Hardy

22. Ben Thomas

23. Mason Grady

ADVERTISEMENT

Classic Wallabies vs British & Irish Legends | First Match | Full Match Replay

Did the Lions loosies get away with murder? And revisiting the Springboks lift | Whistle Watch

The First Test, Visiting The Great Barrier Reef & Poetry with Pierre | Ep 6: The Ultimate Test

KOKO Show | July 22nd | Full Throttle with Brisbane Test Review and Melbourne Preview

New Zealand v South Africa | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

USA vs England | Men's International | Full Match Replay

France v Argentina | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

Lions Share | Episode 4

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
Soliloquin 49 minutes ago
Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

I don’t know the financial story behind the changes that were implemented, but I guess clubs started to lose money, Mourad Boudjellal won it all with Toulon, got tired and wanted to invest in football , the French national team was at its lowest with the QF humiliation in 2015 and the FFR needed to transform the model where no French talent could thrive. Interestingly enough, the JIFF rule came in during the 2009/2010 season, so before the Toulon dynasty, but it was only 40% of the players that to be from trained in French academies. But the crops came a few years later, when they passed it at the current level of 70%.

Again, I’m not a huge fan of under 18 players being scouted and signed. I’d rather have French clubs create sub-academies in French territories like Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and other places that are culturally closer to RU and geographically closer to rugby lands. Mauvaka, Moefana, Taofifenua bros, Tolofua bros, Falatea - they all came to mainland after starting their rugby adventure back home.

They’re French, they come from economically struggling areas, and rugby can help locally, instead of lumping foreign talents.

And even though many national teams benefit from their players training and playing in France, there are cases where they could avoid trying to get them in the French national team (Tatafu).

In other cases, I feel less shame when the country doesn’t believe in the player like in Meafou’s case.

And there are players that never consider switching to the French national team like Niniashvili, Merckler or even Capuozzo, who is French and doesn’t really speak Italian.

We’ll see with Jacques Willis 🥲


But hey, it’s nothing new to Australia and NZ with PI!

109 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us