Rhys Patchell (born 17 May 1993) is a Wales international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. A

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16� ...

, he currently plays for the Highlanders in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

, having previously played for the

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby c ...

and

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...

. Patchell represented

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

on 22 occasions between 2013 and 2023.

Early life

Educated at Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd and at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf. Patchell speaks Welsh, and is an ambassador for Tafwyl festival.

Club career

Patchell graduated from the Blues Academy into the full regional side at an early age in 2012 and went on to score more than 600 points in a five-year stint at the Arms Park that saw him make 83 appearances. He scored 174 points in the 2015/16 season to top the Guinness Pro12 charts. Patchell joined

in 2016 and it proved to be a shrewd move as he ended his first season as the leading points scorer in the Guinness Pro12 once again with 145. Patchell picked up a winners' medal, helping the west Walians beat Munster in the

2017 Pro12 Grand Final The 2017 Pro12 Grand Final was the final match of the 2016–17 Pro12 season. The 2016–17 season was the third with Guinness as the title sponsor and the eighth ever League Grand Final. The final was played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The ...

at the Aviva Stadium. Patchell suffered a series of injuries between 2019 and 2021, limiting his involvement with both the Scarlets and Wales. He returned to full fitness in early 2022, featuring frequently for the Scarlets during the latter half of their season, and continuing his involvement into the

2022–23 United Rugby Championship The 2022–23 United Rugby Championship was the 22nd season of the professional rugby union competition United Rugby Championship. It began on 16 September 2022 and ended on 27 May 2023. For sponsorship reasons it was known in South Africa as Vod ...

. On 21 April 2023, it was announced that Patchell would depart the Scarlets at the end of the season. Patchell signed for

club the Highlanders on 12 July 2023.

International career

In January 2013 Patchell was selected in the Wales U20 squad for the 2013 U20

Six Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament conte ...

. In May 2013 he was selected for the

Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team () represents the Welsh Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international agai ...

for the summer 2013 tour to Japan. He made his international debut against Japan on 8 June 2013, and played again in the reverse fixture the following week. Patchell had to wait three years before he won his next cap, and made his first start, after being called out to New Zealand as a replacement for the 2016 summer tour. He came on as a replacement in the midweek game against the Chiefs and started at full-back in the last two Tests with the All Blacks. Patchell moved into his favoured No 10 shirt for the first two games of the 2018 Six Nations campaign, a home win over Scotland on his tournament debut and an away defeat to England, before dropping to the bench for the win over Italy. He was back at No 10 for the two wins over Argentina on the 2018 summer tour, scoring 30 points in the two games, and then notched his first international try in the home win over Tonga in November, 2018. Patchell was selected in the Welsh squad for the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup () was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening matc ...

. He replaced

Dan Biggar Daniel Biggar (born 16 October 1989) is a Welsh professional rugby union player currently playing for French Top 14 side Toulon as a fly-half. A Wales international, Biggar has also twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions. ...

early in the pool stage match against Australia, kicking a conversion, three penalties, and a drop goal as Wales won 29–25. Patchell played in the rearranged Six Nations fixture against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in October 2020.

International tries

References

External links

*
Cardiff Blues profile

Scarlets profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patchell, Rhys 1993 births Living people Cardiff Rugby players Rugby union players from Penarth Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Welsh-language broadcasters Scarlets players 21st-century Welsh sportsmen Rugby union fly-halves 2019 Rugby World Cup players Highlanders (rugby union) players Green Rockets Tokatsu players