THE RISE AND FALL AND RISE OF RHYS
FOR television viewers of a certain era, the name Reginald Perrin is likely ingrained with the phrase ‘fall and rise’ – with the two combining for the title of Leonard Rossiter’s 1970s sitcom.
However, for Welsh rugby fans, the phrase could be just as easily be applied to Rhys Priestland – a fly-half who has certainly had his fair share of falls in the glare of the Welsh rugby spotlight.
The lowest point saw him booed by his own fans when coming on as a replacement in 2014.
Rossiter’s Perrin instigated his rise by faking his own death in the television series, living his new, happier life with a new identity – outside the restraints and expectations of society and everyday life.
Priestland, in rugby terms, did something similar when he swapped the criticism of Wales for the tranquillity of Bath in 2015.
And his rise will be capped if he makes his Wales return against Georgia this weekend.
This is the rise, fall and rise again of Rhys Priestland... EARLY DAYS Priestland joined the Scarlets as an 18-year-old back in 2005 via their academy, but his debut for the region would not come until two years later.
The young Carmarthen product went on to prove his worth as he battled for the No.10 jersey at the Scarlets with Wales veteran Stephen Jones –becoming a key part of the team soon after
And it would not be long until he was fighting his club teammate for the Wales starting spot. He received his first call-up ahead of the 2011 Six Nations, winning his first cap as a full-back replacement against Scotland at Murrayfield.
But it was in the summer when his career unexpectedly took off. THE UNLIKELY HERO Having been named to play at full-back against England in a World Cup warm-up, Priestland went into the match knowing that a good performance would give him a half-decent chance of making the plane to New Zealand.
He finished the match with his tickets effectively booked – and the keys to the No.10 jersey pretty much his – after Stephen Jones dropped out injured in the warm-up, leaving Priestland free to lay down a claim at fly-half.
And he did so, inspiring a width to Warren Gatland’s side despite losing at Twickenham that day.
Not just width, he was able to get the best out of Jamie Roberts in the narrow channels, as well as bring the back-three into play with his range of passing.
His astronomic rise saw him start Wales’ World Cup campaign at fly-half.
In fact, the quarter-final win over Ireland, seen by many as one of the finest Welsh performances in the modern era, came as the result of a masterclass from Priestland in only his sixth Test start.
That he was missing for Wales’ defeats to France in the semi-final and Australia afterwards is no coincidence, as Wales reverted to the narrow channels, unable to break down a brave, if limited, France
side in what remains their best opportunity to reach a World Cup final yet. FIRST SIGNS OF TROUBLE Having established himself as first-choice fly-half at the World Cup, Priestland headed into 2012 with his stock higher than ever before.
The Six Nations saw the Scarlets pivot continue that rise, as Gatland’s men built on that promise to take home the Grand Slam.
However, there were signs of the drops in confidence that came to epitomise Priestland’s time in a Wales jersey.
Their first match against Ireland saw the fly-half struggle with his goal-kicking, with Leigh Halfpenny taking over, while a yellow card against England at HQ, in a all-round poor performance, did little for his self-assurance.
The summer tour of Australia saw Priestland’s confidence drop yet again, with the fly-half blamed for costing Wales victory with a loose kick in the second Test.
But the autumn was where things really went wrong as Priestland took the flak for a poor autumn when the Grand Slam winners lost all four Tests.
The fly-half bore the brunt for Wales lacking creativity and he readily admitted that he had been seeing a sports psychologist to deal with the criticism.
He also revealed he was reluctant to take to the field during the autumn, saying at the time: “I wasn’t really enjoying rugby, especially at the start of the autumn internationals. I didn’t really want to be on the field.”
LOWEST EBB Despite having doubts about even playing, that decision was taken from him at the end of 2012 after he ruptured his Achilles in action for the Scarlets.
Ruled out of the 2013 Six Nations, Dan Biggar stepped into his boots and led Wales to the Six Nations crown – culminating with the resounding 30-3 thrashing of England.
After returning from his injury, Priestland was not the same player who had lit up the World Cup just two years previously. He struggled to nail down his place in Gatland’s team and continued to be a target for the boo boys in the stands.
It reached its nadir during the 2014 autumn internationals when Priestland was booed simply for coming on as a replacement against Australia.
It sparked a spiky response from Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards, who hit out at the vocal minority, saying: “If you boo Rhys Priestland, you boo myself, you boo Warren Gatland, you boo Leigh Halfpenny, you boo the Welsh jersey.
“You boo one of us, you boo all of us.” BACK AGAIN Priestland left the goldfish bowl of Welsh rugby for Bath in 2015, seemingly bringing an end to an eventful international career.
Despite the move, he carried on winning caps off the bench until the 2016 autumn internationals – when he was axed from Wales’ squad by caretaker coach Rob Howley.
Typically, Priestland was candid about his snub.
“It’s no real surprise,” he admitted. “It hasn’t helped that I haven’t played, so If I was picking the squad I wouldn’t have picked me – I would have picked the other three as well.”
But, at the age of 30, he has earned a recall to Gatland’s squad after establishing himself as first-choice at the Rec.
SO WHAT HAS CHANGED? The fly-half has had to change his game since his injury, becoming more of a tactician at fly-half, just as capable of edging his team through nail biters as he is spearheading a scintillating attack.
But more importantly, his attitude to the abuse he received has changed.
He has found a balance. Playing for Wales still matters, but he does not take it for granted anymore.
Speaking about the abuse, he said recently: “I don’t pay so much attention now.
“With what I’ve learned up here over the past two seasons I don’t think there’s anywhere near as many inconsistencies in my game now.
“I will have a game where I feel I haven’t played as well, but it’s never one extreme to the other.”
If, as expected, Priestland is included in Wales’ side against Georgia named today – and his form certainly warrants it – it will cap a remarkable upturn in fortunes for a man whose subsequent rise can only be made more commendable by his previous fall.