Priestland could be in line for a shock call from Pivac
RHYS Priestland could be in contention for a Wales call for the Six Nations ahead of his projected return home with Cardiff Blues.
Sources in England say a twoyear deal has been agreed to bring the fly-half back to regional rugby for next season.
There are also suggestions the 50-cap player might be poised for a dramatic return to the Test set-up, despite continuing to play for Bath until the summer.
A precedent was set for such an arrangement last year when Rhys Webb was granted a six-month dispensation by the Welsh Rugby Union after signing terms with the Ospreys from Toulon.
It meant the scrum-half was eligible to play for Wales again after previously seeing his Test career halted under the 60-cap rule affecting exiled players.
A concern in the case of Priestland could be that he suffered his second head knock of the season when Bath faced Wasps last Friday evening.
He played impressively before he left the field on 57 minutes, contributing 26 points which included a try, but in the current climate it will be a worry to see him sustain such an injury again.
His form has been excellent this term, though, with the seasoned campaigner playing as well as pretty much any fly-half in England with his clever tactical control, accurate passing and dead-eyed goal-kicking.
He won the golden boot award in the Gallagher Premiership in October after contributing 200 points for Bath during the regular league season.
Wales have Dan Biggar and Callum Sheedy, but Rhys Patchell hasn’t been playing for the Scarlets because of injury.
Jarrod Evans, who starred for Cardiff Blues against the Scarlets at the weekend, is an option for the third fly-half spot, but so will Priestland be if there are no last-minute hitches with his deal.
Carmarthen product Priestland established himself as Wales’s firstchoice fly-half when starring at the World Cup in 2011, then played a key role in his country’s Grand Slam success the following year.
He hasn’t played regional rugby since leaving the Scarlets at the end of the 2014-15 season.