Prydie given trial to cover for Watson
Bath Rugby have added former Wales international Tom Prydie on a trial deal as intended injury cover for Anthony Watson.
The Blue, Black and Whites are likely without the services of Watson until the end of the season after the British and Irish Lions and England star injured his ACL on club duty against Saracens in the autumn.
Bath head coach Neal Hatley confirmed Wales’ youngest ever international, Prydie, now 29, is training with the club at Farleigh House having left United Rugby Championship side the Scarlets at the start of November after four seasons and 40 games.
Prydie has experience of playing in English rugby having featured briefly for Wasps in 2012 but most of his career has been spent across the bridge with spells at the Ospreys and the Dragons as well as the Scarlets.
Hatley said: “Tom has come in, obviously with Ant [Watson] down and Tian Schoeman still coming back from his ACL injury he got at Newcastle [back in March].
“Tom was obviously Wales’ youngest capped player, he has played a lot of good rugby in a very good Scarlets side, he has played for the Dragons and he adds a bit of experience.
“He has come down for a few weeks, he has started off really well in training and he is helping back up Tom de Glanville [at full back] and as we move forward put his hand up to get picked in the side.
“He was leaving the Scarlets and it was a good opportunity for us to get help in an area we have been caught short in with Ant getting injured.”
Prydie was hailed as Welsh rugby’s boy wonder when he made it into the history books by becoming the youngest player to play Test rugby for Wales, winning his debut cap against Italy in the Six Nations in 2010 at the age of just 18 years and 25 days.
However, despite the early promise Prydie has only gone on to earn seven caps for Wales, the most recent of which came in 2018.
This season he ended his association with the Scarlets finding playing time hard to come by with the likes of Welsh internationals Liam Williams., Leigh Halfpenny, Johnny Mcnicholl and Steff Evans keeping him out of the side.
Hatley said: “He has had a few injury niggles and sometimes guys in environments don’t get opportunities and where he is in his career he wants to play - which is great. He has come to us wanting to play and challenge for a place in the side.
Explaining why Bath were keen to bring in the versatile back, Hatley said: ‘When you look at our back three, barring Roko, it is pretty young. Tom de Glanville, one of our own boys, has been brilliant and is just getting better and better every week, but he is 20. Max Ojomoh is 21, Orlando Bailey is 20, Ollie Fox is young as well. These are young players.
“If we can add guys into the group who are senior players, Tom is an international player who has played a lot of good rugby and is 29-years-old, so he has come in and helped some of these young guys out. That is one of the reasons Danny Cipriani has been had useful as he has been, bringing on the likes of Orlando and these other guys. To bring in someone like that has been a benefit because of the experience he has got.”