‘I have no regrets’ – Louis Rees-Zammit ahead of D-Day in fledgling NFL career
Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit during a training session at the Stade Mayol in Toulon, France.
Ahead of Wales’ highly anticipated Six Nations clash against Italy in Cardiff, the home side’s former flyer Louis Rees-Zammit is preparing himself for a big day since swapping rugby union for a career in the National Football League (NFL).
The 23-year-old announced in January that he is heading to the United States to join the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP), which gives elite athletes from around the world the chance to earn a spot on an NFL roster and increase the number of international players in the league.
The news came as a shock to rugby union fans as it was on the eve of this year’s Six Nations and Rees-Zammit was viewed as one of the superstars in a relatively young Wales squad.
Training hard ahead of decisive day
Since then, he has been training hard in Florida as part of an extensive 10-week preparation camp ahead of a decisive day on Wednesday, March 20 when he and other contenders work out in front of NFL scouts with the hope of clinching a place on a practice squad.
While Rees-Zammit admits that he could always make a return to the 15-a-side code, he is confident of reaching his dream as a professional player in the NFL.
“It could be quite soon (that he ends up going back to rugby) but I fully believe I can make this work,” he told Sky Sports. “If I had any doubt in my head that I couldn’t do this then I wouldn’t be here, simple as that.
“I believe in my ability, I believe in myself and I’m fully focused and raring to show people what I can do.”
Rees-Zammit was one of Wales’ best players during last year’s Rugby World Cup in France and quit rugby after being capped 31 times by his country and having scored 14 tries at Test level.
He also shone for his Premiership club Gloucester where crossed the whitewash 38 times in 69 appearances.
Coincidentally, his place in Gloucester’s squad has been taken by former England wing Christian Wade, who had a three-year stint on the Buffalo Bills practice squad, after also coming through the IPP, before returning to rugby in 2022.
“I definitely didn’t fall out of love with rugby,” said Rees-Zammit. “It was just a decision of when is the perfect time to do it, and me being 23 now I think it’s the perfect time to be able to learn a new sport and there are a lot of transferable skills I can take into this sport.
“I think now was just the perfect opportunity to do it.”
Rees-Zammit told Wales head coach Warren Gatland of his decision to make the move to the NFL mere minutes before he was due to announce Wales’ Six Nations squad, but the player says he has received great support from both his coach and team-mates.
“I couldn’t thank them enough,” he continued. “At Gloucester and Wales they all messaged me straight away with good luck messages.
“The time from making a decision to coming out here was two days, so I didn’t have time to think about anything. I arrived on the Friday and was training by the Monday.
“Gats was so great with me, he only found out five minutes before the announcement so it was tough for him and me because it was definitely the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.
“I gave him a ring and he was like ‘go out there and smash it’, and then asked what happened if it didn’t happen, and for sure if it doesn’t I’d be going back to rugby.”
Wales struggling since his departure
Since his departure an inexperienced Wales side have lost all four their matches and could finish bottom of the Six Nations table for the first time since 2003 if they lose to Italy on Saturday.
There is no doubt that a player of Rees-Zammit’s calibre is greatly missed by his countrymen but for Rees-Zammit the chance to play in the NFL was something he could not refuse.
“I have no regrets, the only regret I’d have is if I didn’t do this,” he said. “I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t give this a go, I fully believe I can make this happen.
“I still support the boys at both Wales and Gloucester and no doubt I’ll be going to watch them.
“No regret or guilt, I’m loving being here and the opportunity I’m getting.”
