The hard road back for the rugby legend, who might still transform Gatland’s new Wales
Regan Grace recalls a childhood encounter with Shane Williams, a rugby player he admired.
“I met him while I was still at school. He was doing something with housing and was in Port Talbot town centre, so my friend and I went up to him and took a picture,” Grace explains.
“He was great about it and an amazing player as well, the type of player I loved watching, who could beat an opponent with his feet and do special things.”
Children have since approached Grace to ask for pictures using their camera phones;
Autographs are also requested. Nothing is refused because the Port Talbot boy is grounded and has not forgotten where he came from. He never will. The gritty old industrial town that no one can ignore instills ideals that stick with people who grow up there.
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When he departed to try his luck at rugby league with St Helens as a 17-year-old, he phoned his mother to inform her he was coming home because the training was so harsh it was like being in the army. He later stated that after the first gym session, he couldn’t move his arms for days. His mother advised him to persevere, and he did just that, rising to the level of superstardom, scoring 89 tries in 143 games and competing in three Super League grand finals, all of which he won. He also helped Saints win their first Challenge Cup in 13 years.
You’re reminded of Sid Waddell’s famous darts phrase from the day. “At the age of 33, Alexander of Macedonia sobbed salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer… [Eric] Bristow is only 27.”
Except, Grace still had worlds to conquer. In Rugby Union.
Could he succeed in 15-a-side? Could he light up the union code with the same sensational tries that propelled him to league prominence?
Could he prove good enough to play Test rugby for Wales and line up at the Principality Stadium with the hairs on the back of his neck rising up as Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau reverberates throughout the pitch, an experience unlike any other?
Grace took the decision to return to the sport he grew up playing, signing with Racing 92 in Paris.
Sadly, fate has not been kind to the Welsh star, who suffered a devastating achilles injury while playing for St Helens versus Salford on July 31. It was quite cruel.
“It broke my heart,” Grace admits. “I’d signed my contract with Racing and knew I just had one or two more duties to accomplish for Saints: get us to the grand final and win it before I departed.
“Then the injury occurred in the 79th minute. I guess there were only 10 seconds left in the game. I came back for a carry, got the ball, and my achilles simply went bang.”
An operation was followed by a lot of hard effort. Grace expects to return in the spring, but won’t rush things. The goal is for him to return fit and firing so that he can do himself justice and make an impression, possibly with the same slicing breaks and impossibly beautiful tries that he did in the league. Do that, and the French will adore him, as Thierry Henry once described him as having va va voom.
“I’m where I should be with the injury,” he said. “We said that March would be a good period to shoot for. I believe we are on the right route, and the physiotherapists agree.
“That said, we don’t want to rush things.
“I want to return when I’m fit and feeling good, and when the medical professionals say I’m ready.
“How long it takes varies depending on several factors, including your weight, the position you play, and the expectations. It would take longer if I had to scrounge around.
“I hope to be like I was.
“Some people report that when they return, they feel like they have more spring.
“It felt really tight after I removed the surgical boot. But there’ll be a lot of work to restore it back to near-normal.”
Wayne Pivac participated in negotiations about Grace, hoping to offer himself as many selection alternatives as possible for the World Cup. “He’s obviously a bit of a star in rugby league,” Pivac said of the 26-year-old winger’s decision to return to union, referring to him as a ‘player of interest’.
Six months later, the New Zealander stepped down as Wales’ head coach, and Warren Gatland took his position.
Gatland’s thoughts on Grace are unknown, but tries and blistering performances can be convincing, and it’s difficult to envisage the new Wales squad manager turning a blind eye if reports from France are positive.
Did Grace speak with Pivac before returning to union? “I didn’t have direct contact with Wayne,” Grace explains.
“Some WRU personnel did visit to Saints to observe training.
“Because we had won the Super League three times in a row, teams would normally come in and ask what we did, how we practiced, and what our schedule was like – just to learn a few things.
“The WRU showed up.
“I basically spoke with the personnel in general.
“I knew several of the individuals there, including Dan Clements, the performance coach who was engaged in my rugby league career. I caught up with him.
