A RUPTURED Achilles has ended Racing 92-bound Regan Grace's Saints career...for now.

But coach Kristian Woolf is hopeful that the door back to the flyer's adopted St Helens would remain open.

Grace, who has been a first team regular since breaking in on Good Friday 2017, departs at the end of the year for Top 14 French club Racing 92.

But Woolf expressed a hope that the popular wing would return to league and Saints in the future.

Woolf said: "He will get surgery in the next few days and that is something the club will try and do as soon as possible for him.

"One thing the club does really well is support the players in that way but also off the field.

"And will make sure that when he leaves at the end of the year to go to his next club that we put him in the best position we can because we want him to be successful there as well.

"He is our responsibility and he is a very valued person within the group.

"We understand that he has other opportunities next year but he’s certainly a bloke that in time that we’d love to see back at the club.

"He has been a big part of the club – and the club has been a big part of him so it would be hopeful that at some stage there might be that opportunity as well."

Grace follows Lewis Dodd in having a season-ending ruptured Achilles - and it has been a year plagued by injury.

The frustrating bit was that Grace's injury came from an innocuous last play of a game that was already long-gone.

Woolf was philosophical: "Unfortunately bad days can have a habit of finishing worse and that is certainly what happened the other day.

"Injuries are part and parcel of our game and something players and teams have to deal with.

"As a team, while we miss Regan and would love him to be out there with us because we know he helps us win games – we are just going to have to crack on.

"What I know with this group is that someone else will step in there and bring their own attributes and do themselves and the team really proud.

"We are not going to get caught up in who is not there but fight for everything we earn."