- Wales are set to take on Queensland Reds in their final match of Australia tour
- Grade will start uncapped game in Brisbane after missing previous series defeat
- Cory Hill, meanwhile, has been named as Wales captain for the game on Friday
Regan Grace will play for Wales before featuring in a competitive club game of rugby union after he was named in Warren Gatland’s side for Friday’s game with Queensland Reds.
Wing Grace, 27, is a former rugby league star with St Helens. After switching codes to union, he has played only two friendly matches for Bath due to back-to-back achilles injuries.
But that didn’t stop him from being named in Wales’ party for their tour of Australia after he was called up as an injury replacement for Keelan Giles prior to departure for the southern hemisphere. Grace didn’t feature in Wales’ 2-0 Test series defeat by Joe Schmidt‘s Wallabies, but starts the uncapped game with the Reds in Brisbane which will bring Wales’ tour to a close.
Gatland’s side have lost their last nine Tests. While the Reds match is not a capped international, Wales will be desperate to end their losing run at Suncorp Stadium.
Wales are captained by Cory Hill, who has spoken out on and apologised for an incident in 2021 which saw him named as one of a number of men who damaged a woman’s house.
Regan Grace is set to make his Wales debut without having featured in a competitive club game of rugby union
He has been named in Warren Gatland’s side to face Queensland Reds on Friday in Australia
Wales will take on the side down under in their final match of their summer tour of Australia
‘He’s been recovering from a pretty horrendous achilles injury that he had and then redid again,’ Gatland told reporters in Brisbane of Grace’s ascent.
‘He’s taken time in terms of his rehab and making sure he’s done everything right. We’ve been looking after him as well. He’s sharp, he’s explosive, and we’ve got to try make sure we get the ball in his hands as much as we can but not have too many high expectations.
‘He’s not played a lot of rugby since coming back from league. There’ll be no pressure on him from my part – just get his hands on the ball, enjoy it, and see what he can do.’
Wales haven’t won a competitive international this season and finished bottom of the Six Nations after five straight losses.
Their only win in 2023/24 was over the Barbarians in a game which was also uncapped.
The presence of the experienced Nick Tompkins, Gareth Davies and Hill for the Reds game – alongside a number of rookie players – suggests Gatland is keen to come out on top.
Hill’s presence as skipper is seen as controversial in some quarters.
The second row led Wales in 2018, but has been playing his club rugby in Japan since 2021. The current Wales tour is his first international involvement with his country since then.
Wing Grace, 27, is a former rugby league star with St Helens and has now switched to union
Cory Hill, meanwhile, has been named captain, which has been seen as a controversial move in some quarters
‘That incident happened three years ago,’ said Hill. ‘Do I regret it? Yes, of course I do. I made a mistake and I am sorry. But speaking about the game on Friday, I’m chuffed to be captain.
‘I’ve done it before. Obviously I thank Warren for having the trust in me. It’s about me coming back into the camp and proving my worth within the group.’
