Former St Helens flyer Regan Grace makes rugby league return admission

Former St Helens winger Regan Grace has said he’s exploring his options, including a return back to rugby league.

The 28-year-old left St Helens at the end of the 2022 season for rugby union but his season was cut short in July when he ruptured his left Achilles.

In his Saints days, he scored 75 tries in 128 Super League games and was set to become the next Super League superstar before returning to his roots in the 15-man code.

However, with his contract at Cardiff running out in June, Grace is weighing up whether to stay in rugby union or make a return to league.

In an interview for The Guardian, he said: “My agent is working behind the scenes, but I just want to show that I’m fit and firing.

“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.”

Before leaving St Helens, he’d initially signed a pre-contract with Racing 92 and spent six months rehabbing his Achilles injury in Paris.

Within six months, the injury had ruptured again so he spent the majority of 2023 recuperating.

After Racing released him from his contract, he joined Bath to continue his rehab and was awarded a contract in February 2024.

After playing only two games, Grace moved to Cardiff in January until the end of the season and is much closer to his hometown of Port Talbot.

Upon signing with Cardiff, he added: “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.”

On Saturday, he completed his first competitive rugby match for 979 days when Cardiff faced Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.

However, the former St Helens winger will be hoping to make more of an impact between now and June before he makes a decision on his future.

Whilst he’s had a tough start to his rugby union career, it would be great to see him make a return to rugby league in the not-too-distant future.