Patchell keen to kick on under Peel’s watchful eye
RHYS Patchell is confident working under Dwayne Peel at Scarlets can help him get back to his best after a year of injury hell.
The 28-year-old missed 12 months of rugby due to a combination of head, hamstring, and calf injuries, but is now back to full fitness.
Having been heavily linked with a move to Premiership strugglers Bath, the 21-cap Wales outsidehalf opted to sign a new contract with the Scarlets.
Patchell admits he considered a move away from Llanelli but is adamant his decision to remain in west Wales is the right one. And the talented playmaker is confident the Scarlets can go places under the watch of former Wales and Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel.
“I think at any point in any career you’ve got to look at all the options, and you’ve got to know exactly what every option looks like,” said Patchell.
“You’d be foolish to not have a good look at whatever is there, and whoever is there to make the best decision for what fits you right now. To stay at the Scarlets for me is the right decision. I think ‘Peely’ is a very good coach.”
It has been a tough baptism for Peel in his first job as head coach. Scarlets had to fly back early from South Africa and isolate in Belfast for ten days, and then had to forfeit European games as a result while other games have been called off due to Covid which has halted the team’s progress.
“It’s difficult because this is Peely’s first job as a head coach, and he’s been given some dud hands,”
said Patchell. “But I very much enjoy the way he runs his meetings, and his outlook on the game – he sees it in a very particular way and you don’t get to coach at this level unless you have a good feel of what will work on the field.
“I think it probably puts a bit more pressure on in knowing that these are the standards he expects, especially given the standard he played at.”
Patchell’s spell on the side-lines gave the Scarlets the opportunity to blood former Wales U20s No.10 Sam Costelow who they signed from Leicester in 2020. Costelow, 21, remains a work in progress, but Patchell is confident he can hit the heights in the long run.
“Sam is a good kid and he’s got a lot going for him,” he said. “We’ve got to be aware that we love a young 10 in Wales. Whenever there’s a new one it’s like here we go again. We’ve got to be mindful of how we help ‘Costy’, and to not expect too much of him too soon because you don’t know until you learn it in the middle of the field.
“Training is great, but he’s only going to learn as a young 10 out in the middle of the field on match day. He’s got a brilliant work ethic, and if he carries on working as hard as he is then there’s every possibility that he’ll go very far in the game.”