Regan Grace's long road back to rugby: two codes, four clubs and 979 days

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The Welsh winger injured his achilles in 2022 while playing league for St Helens. He's back – playing union for Cardiff

By No Helmets Required

Regan Grace's career – and life, in many ways – changed on the last day of July 2022 in the final minute of a Super League game between St Helens and Salford. Returning the ball inside his own half in the dying seconds of a shock defeat for the league leaders, Grace collapsed on to his chest, untouched by another player. His left achilles had ruptured. His St Helens career was over, having scored 300 points from 75 tries in 128 Super League games.

Three years later, he's been at four clubs in three countries and two rugby codes. No wonder he's not the player he was. Yet. But last Saturday night in the Italian city of Treviso, he completed a competitive rugby match for the first time in 979 days. The last time Grace had completed a game, in July 2022, his try helped St Helens come from behind to beat Wakefield by a single point. This time, Cardiff let a lead slip and lost by a point in Treviso. But there was more at stake for Grace than the result.