Rhys Priestland facts for kids
Priestland at the Wales Grand Slam Celebration, 19 March 2012
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| Birth name | Rhys Priestland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 January 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Llangathen, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb; 209 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Swansea University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rhys Priestland (born 9 January 1987) is a Welsh rugby union player. He is known for playing as a fly-half, which is like the quarterback in American football, guiding the team's attacks. He can also play as a full-back. Rhys has played for the Cardiff Rugby team and the Wales national team.
Rhys was born in Llangathen, Carmarthenshire, Wales. He started his rugby journey with Llanelli RFC before moving to the bigger regional team, the Scarlets. After playing for the Scarlets for eight years, he moved to England to play for Bath in the top English league. He spent six seasons there before coming back to Wales to play for Cardiff Rugby. Rhys first played for Wales in 2011 and earned 52 "caps" (which means he played 52 times for his country). He was even part of the Welsh squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Rhys Priestland grew up playing rugby in the Scarlets academy. He started his senior career with a team called Carmarthen Quins in the 2005–06 season. In 2006, he signed a professional contract with the Scarlets.
Time with the Scarlets
Rhys played a lot of games for the Scarlets, 150 in total! He scored over 1,000 points for them, which is a huge achievement for a rugby player. One memorable moment was in the 2010–11 season when he scored a try against USA Perpignan, helping his team win.
Moving to Bath and Cardiff
In 2015, Rhys announced he would join the English club Bath. He played for Bath for six seasons, showing his skills in the English Premiership.
After his time in England, Rhys returned to Wales in 2021 to play for the Cardiff Rugby team. He made his debut for Cardiff in September 2021. In one early game, he scored 14 of Cardiff's 19 points against the Bulls. The next week, he scored 13 points in a win against the Sharks.
Playing for Wales
Rhys Priestland was part of the Wales under-19 squad that won a "Grand Slam" in the 2006 Six Nations tournament. A Grand Slam means winning every game in the championship.
First Steps in International Rugby
He got his first call-up to the senior Wales team in January 2011 for the 2011 Six Nations Championship. He made his international debut on 12 February 2011, playing a short time at full-back in a win against Scotland.
Rhys's good performance for the Scarlets helped him get back into the Wales team for a match in June 2011. He was then included in the training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In his first start for Wales, he played fly-half and helped his team, even though they lost.
Rugby World Cups
Rhys was one of the main fly-halves chosen for the 2011 World Cup. He started Wales' first game against the champions, South Africa. He also started against Samoa, helping Wales win. He continued to play a key role in the tournament, helping Wales reach the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, he got a shoulder injury in the quarter-final win against Ireland, which meant he missed the semi-final. Wales finished fourth in the tournament.
He was also selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He started the opening match against Uruguay, scoring many conversions (extra points after a try) and helping Wales win 54–9. He came off the bench in other games during the tournament.
Six Nations Success and Challenges
Rhys played a big part in Wales' success in the 2012 Six Nations Championship. He started all five matches, even though he had some knee injuries. Wales won all five games, achieving their third Grand Slam title in eight seasons!
After this success, Rhys faced some tough times with injuries and a dip in confidence. He tore his Achilles tendon in late 2012, which kept him out of the 2013 Six Nations. He worked hard to recover and returned to international rugby in November 2013.
Returning to the Wales Team
After moving back to Wales with Cardiff Rugby, Rhys became eligible to play for Wales again. He was called up for the 2021 Autumn internationals. In a game against Australia, he kicked a penalty late in the match to help Wales win 29–28. He was also part of the squad for the 2022 Six Nations Championship and the 2022 Autumn internationals, starting some important games.
International Tries
Rhys Priestland has scored tries for Wales in international matches. Here is one of them:
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia |
Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2011 Autumn International | 3 December 2011 | Loss |
Career Highlights
Rhys Priestland has had a long and successful career in rugby. He played 150 games for the Scarlets, scoring 1,064 points. For Bath, he played 120 games and scored 893 points. Overall, he has played over 270 professional games and scored nearly 2,000 points, showing his skill as a fly-half. He has also earned 52 caps for Wales, scoring 111 points for his country.
See also
In Spanish: Rhys Priestland para niños
