REGAN Grace is used to leaving opponents in his wake – after leaving a St Helens team-mate trailing in lockdown speed sessions that may have made him faster!
But when it comes to diving finishes, he can go wrong – as the crash landings when he MISSES the cushioned mat in training prove.
The Welsh wonder stole the show last week with arguably the finest hat-trick you would ever see.
A 90-metre dash that resembled something out of the NFL was followed by a sensational one-handed finish in the corner.
Grace saved his best for last against Leeds, though, as he took the ball behind his own line, jinked past one tackler and streaked the length of the field.
It must have been impressive – mum Deborah sent him the clips.
And what is the secret behind Amazing Grace? Doing sessions with team-mate Morgan Knowles on a park near where they both live after seeing an ex-NFL player do drills on YouTube.
He feels it has sharpened him up, even though he reached speeds that would complete the 100 metres in 9.98 seconds last season.
“Mum only sends me things I do well,” the 23-year-old said. “She doesn’t point out things I could do better as she’s not really that knowledgeable about rugby really. She doesn’t understand it that much.
“I’ve done a lot of speed work during lockdown. Morgan and I would see videos on YouTube and Instagram featuring an ex-NFL player. I can’t remember his name.
“We’d just go to a local field and after finding a couple of drills that we liked, we’d go there and do them ourselves.
“We did a lot of ladder work, shot sprints, changing direction, reactions, things like that and I feel lockdown freshened me up.
“Having not so much contact and just running might have helped. I don’t really know though.”
Grace’s pace is undeniable – seeing his diving finish meant the Wales international can also do another winger’s trick.
However, he revealed while practice may have made perfect seven days ago, practice is not always perfect before he faces Castleford after their match with Wakefield was switched after Hull FC’s positive Covid-19 tests.
He told SunSport: “It’s something we always try and there are some great finishers in our game, like Tom Johnstone and Tommy Makinson.
“It’s about adding weapons to our arsenal and diving finishes are things wingers have to practice.
“They’re part of where the game has got to. Sometimes it looks impossible but wingers are always looking to get tries.
“But we just practice them by diving on to old gym mats, which are probably from the school that lies around our training ground.
“And I must admit, I have missed them a few times. I just look like an idiot!”
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