Nobody deserved to be hailed as a hero more than Priestland

NOBODY could have blamed Rhys Priestland for retreating into the shadows.

He was once the mercurial playmaker who came from nowhere to orchestrate Wales’s remarkable run at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. And not forgetting the Grand Slam that followed months later.

But when he joined Bath in 2015, he was doing so in an attempt to get out of the spotlight.

Injuries and a loss of form saw him attract unacceptable abuse on social media virtually every time he pulled on a rugby jersey.

It reached an ugly crescendo when he came on as a substitute for Dan Biggar in a game against Australia in 2014. He was booed by his own fans before he’d even touched a ball.

It wasn’t the whole stadium that jeered, but it was enough to make the discontent audible. No player deserves that.

Two months later, his move from the Scarlets to Bath was confirmed. It was a huge loss to Welsh rugby.

After the 2015 World Cup, it was announced that Priestland was taking an 18-month break from Test rugby. The decision was reversed but it offered an insight as to where his head was at.

During his six-year stint at Bath, he made nine appearances for Wales, eight of them from the bench.

In 2019, he became ineligible to play for his country as he’d signed a new deal with his club after the introduction of the 60-cap rule. It felt like his Test career was over.

The trouble for Welsh rugby was that he was playing well and would have been a useful asset to any region and certainly the Test side.

Pivac wanted to pick him earlier this year but was blocked from doing so, despite his impending move to Cardiff Rugby.

But when he eventually arrived in Cardiff, he was eligible again and was selected at the first opportunity this autumn.

A mild-mannered, modest operator, Priestland has never voiced his opinions on the way things went ahead of his Welsh rugby departure.

But after impressing for Cardiff in pre-season, he was asked if he felt he could still play at the very top level.

“I genuinely have no idea. It’s been such a long time since I played there,” he said quietly.

His performances made a mockery of his words. Based on what he put on display, he absolutely could still do it.

And so to the autumn. A decent cameo against the All Blacks and a place on the bench against Australia, the same team he faced on that day when he was booed onto the field.

Wales found themselves two points behind with two minutes to go against opposition who had spent most of the game down at least one man. The situation was desperate.

Then a shrill blast of referee Mike Adamson’s whistle put Priestland back in the spotlight.

The penalty kick he faced was not the most challenging under normal circumstances but these were no normal circumstances. The game was on the line, 70,000 fans expected.

But the ball sailed between the uprights. Wales won. It was a cathartic moment.

All Priestland mustered was an understated fist pump. He almost looked embarrassed as he was mobbed by his team-mates.

This is not a story of redemption or rebirth, but once again Priestland was Wales’s hero. He can smile again.

Few deserved to taste that moment more than he.