Wales international could quit rugby union as he opens up on 'interest' elsewhere

Wales international Regan Grace has opened up about the possibility of a return to rugby league being "an option" for him this summer, following an injury-plagued start in union. Despite this, he maintains that his goal is to succeed in the 15-a-side game.

The 28-year-old winger made the switch to Cardiff at the beginning of the year, arriving as injury cover on a short-term contract from Bath, where his appearances were limited to just four games after transferring from Racing 92. The former St Helens player had initially made the leap from league to union in the summer of 2022 when he joined the French Top 14 club, but a devastating Achilles rupture before the move meant he was relegated to recovery during his stint in France.

Grace's impressive outings in friendly matches for Bath led to his selection for the Wales squad for their tour of Australia last summer. However, he didn't feature in the Tests against the Wallabies and instead earned his first cap in the non-international match against Queensland Reds.

A hamstring injury in that encounter necessitated surgery, sidelining him for the season's commencement until his January transfer to Arms Park.

Since joining up with Matt Sherratt's squad, Grace has played four times, with last weekend's tight 20-19 loss to Benetton marking his first complete competitive match in almost three years and his inaugural full game since his code switch.

"The one positive I can take personally is that's my first 80 minutes for a long time," he said to following the defeat in Treviso. "My last was for Saints, so that's something I've got in the bag. The first 10 minutes was a bit of a blowout as I've not played a lot of rugby in recent times but, once that was out the way, I was OK.

"You can push yourself as hard as you like in training but it's not the same as a game, when the ball is constantly moving and there's a lot going on. Now I know I can do a full 80 minutes and am getting back to nearly normal. I just need that ball in my hand."

As he aims to secure more consistent playing time, the Port Talbot-born speedster is eager to demonstrate to Cardiff and Wales his capabilities between now and the end of the season, although he is still acclimatising to the subtleties of the sport.

"Cardiff needed a winger and it was a chance to play on home soil as I'd never played in Wales really," he said of his transfer. "I was excited. I always thought: if I ever go back to Welsh union, I'd want to go to Cardiff.

"The plan now is to play as much as I can until the end of the season. People ask me which I prefer, league or union. I say I've not done enough union to make a decision. I need the full range of different types of games, positions, involvements."

But with his short-term contract with Cardiff up in the summer, Grace's short-term future is uncertain. He says a return to league is a possibilty with 'interest' there, but feels like he has to prove his worth in union after a series of false starts.

"My agent is working behind the scenes, but I just want to show that I'm fit and firing," he said. "There's always interest from league and it's an option but at the moment I still feel like I haven't cracked union and I want to do that. I wish it was still like when you could swap codes at the end of each season - I'd rather play all year than have an off season."

This article originally appeared on .