I learned how to deal with pressure, reveals Priestland
RHYS Priestland says his previously lax attitude to mental health is one of the biggest regrets of his career.
The outside-half is set to move back to Wales after six seasons and link up with Cardiff Blues, a move that will also put him back into the international window under Wayne Pivac.
The 34-year-old is also an ambassador for RPA’s Restart mental health charity.
He says it’s a subject very close to his heart after admitting to RugbyPass that, if he had his time again, he would have had a different approach to dealing with the pressures of his professional career.
“It’s something I have had to work hard on,” he said. “I was guilty a bit at the start.
“If someone asked me ‘how are you?’ after not even a poor performance, if things outside rugby were getting me down, you’d just brush it off and say ‘I’m fine’.
“It seemed like the macho thing to do but I now realise you don’t have to do it on your own, there are people out there who can help you.
“It is something I have worked hard on and it has made me a better person.
“I’m nowhere near as miserable to be around if some things don’t go well on a rugby field anymore.
“I definitely wasn’t (the most confident player I could have been). If I had my time again that is one thing I would have focused more of my time and energy into that.
“At the time I couldn’t see the wood from the trees. I didn’t realise how important it was. It’s one of my major regrets from my career.”