St Helens’ Regan Grace hopes to continue Welsh winning ways in Super League
Winger admits he has been reminding his English team-mates of his home nation's union glory - which includes an old pal
REGAN Grace has been feeling just grand this week – now he hopes to join old pal Owen Watkin in the winners’ circle.
But the thought of making the reborn Great Britain squad to face Tonga, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea or Wales’ party for the inaugural World Cup Nines tournament in Australia is not even entering his head.
The St Helens winger has made damn sure that everyone at the club knows he is Welsh after his mate from their days as youngsters at Ospreys helped the union side to the Six Nations Grand Slam.
However, he is not getting ahead of himself thinking about glory and international recognition – conquering Castleford’s antiquated home comes first.
“I’ve been buzzing,” Grace told SunSport. “And Owen and I played for Ospreys together at Under-16 level, so it adds a personal link.
“He was always a hard worker but I did mention Wales’ progress, especially when we beat England!
“I walked into the club with a big smile on my face, especially when I was around the English lads here.
“But while I’ve been happy at Wales’ feat, I haven’t really thought about Great Britain or the Nines, they’re a long way away.”
Grace has already achieved a grand slam after Justin Holbrook’s side won its opening six matches of the season – but the hard work is not even close to being over.
Third placed Castleford are hellbent on ending the 100 per cent record but the 22-year-old insists they are ready for whatever is thrown at them – even the shoebox-like away dressing room.
He added: “We cannot let them get a roll on. We’ve got to stop that happening.
“Cas have a great style of play and like to throw the ball around. This game should be a good watch.
“The pitch is smaller than normal and everything is very enclosed with the fans really close to the pitch – the away dressing room is tiny but we just have to get on with it.
“We treat it as a challenge we have to overcome and we look forward to it. If anything, I personally look forward to it because it’s a tough place to go.”
