Wales face battle if they want star Regan

REGAN Grace, the Welsh flier whose amazing hat-trick for St Helens has been acclaimed as the greatest in Super League, is eligible to play for England.

The revelation, confirmed by the man himself in an interview with The

Rugby Paper, will intensify interest across the rugby divide in the future of the uncapped 23-year-old wing from Port Talbot.

Grace’s contract at St Helens runs out in November

next year, leaving the Welsh Rugby Union ample time to prepare a deal aimed at bringing him home for the 2023 World Cup. England will see him as offering the potential to be a latter-day Jason Robinson at the same tournament.

Asked about his dual eligibility, Grace said: “My dad (Leroy) is from Birmingham. I am aware that would make me eligible for England but it’s something I haven’t thought about.

“I’m happy where I am, playing for a great club. Until Saints came along, I thought I’d missed the chance of playing professional rugby. As a kid, Jonah Lomu was my big hero, then Shane Williams and Jason Robinson.’’

At 5ft 10in and under 13 stone, Grace is more like the British greats than the colossal All Black.

“Most people reckoned I wasn’t big enough but there is no substitute for speed,’’ he said. “That’s something you can’t teach. I owe my mother (Debbie) a lot. She would go out and get me boots or shoulder pads. She always made sure I was on the right track and did the right things.

“It was tough at the start,

being away from home and my friends. I’d go back to Port Talbot most weekends in the early days but then I realised that the environment at Saints was perfect for me. It allowed me to concentrate on making myself good enough without any distractions.’’

The video of Grace’s hattrick against Leeds – the first from 90m, the second an acrobatic one-handed finish, the third from his own in-goal area – has gone viral. “My first thought with the last one was not to get caught behind my own line,’’ he said. “I was just trying to get out and find some space.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction, lots of messages and phone calls. A lot came from people who said they hadn’t watched Rugby League before but they would be following it now. Bringing in new fans is very important. I’ll just carry on trying to do my best.’’

Chris O’Callaghan, the former Aberavon player and coach, put Grace on the road to St Helens as a 17year-old from the famous junior club Aberavon Quins. “Regan was on the Ospreys radar,’’ he said. “He was in their under-age set up but he dropped off their radar.

“Regan had a glittering career in Welsh youth rugby although he didn’t get capped. The Ospreys seemed to lose interest.

“I knew St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus and the head of their academy, Mike Rush. I told them: ‘Look, this boy is too good to turn down. If you don’t do something fairly quickly, you’re going to lose him.’

“Everyone thought Regan was too small but he’s defused that perception quite brilliantly.

“In League they tried to bombard him with high balls. He’s worked hard to eradicate that perceived weakness to the point where opposing teams will think twice about giving him the chance to run from deep.

“He is now officially the fastest man in Super League and anyone who’s seen his hat-trick against Leeds won’t be surprised. He won’t be fazed by that because he’s never been fazed by anything.

“Regan’s got the one quality you can’t coach – blistering pace. He’s a proven finisher on a worldwide scale. He’s the same now as he’s always been – a very laid-back, very levelheaded, very nice guy. He always comes back to his old club, Aberavon Harlequins, ever willing to donate something to help.’’