Louis Rees-Zammit punished for his role in ‘horrible’ fight on try-scoring return to Gloucester

Liam Heagney
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New Bristol signing Louis Rees-Zammit made his return to ex-club Gloucester after quitting NFL's Jaguars

Louis Rees-Zammit experienced an eventful return to Gloucester on Friday, scoring a try for Bristol in his first rugby start in 20 months but also getting yellow-carded for fighting.

It was January 2024 when the Wales winger embarked on his NFL odyssey. He scored a try for Gloucester in their 21-20 Challenge Cup win at Edinburgh, a victory that was followed by the shock that Rees-Zammit was quitting the sport ahead of that year’s Six Nations to give American football a try.

The 24-year-old was snapped up by the Kansas City Chiefs after his 10-week International Player Program apprenticeship, but he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2024/25 NFL season started.

Rees-Zammit didn’t get to play in the league for the Jaguars by the time he decided in August 2025 to quit America for a return to rugby where his services were quickly snapped by Pat Lam’s Bristol Bears.

Lively

Rees-Zammit made his comeback last weekend when playing the last 30 minutes as a replacement in Bristol’s 14-25 Prem Cup loss to Sale.

As luck would have it, though, his first rugby match back as a starter on Friday night happened to be at Kingsholm, the stadium he used to call home as a Gloucester player.

It was a lively return, to say the least, with Rees-Zammit scoring a 20th-minute try, butchering another opportunity and then getting sin-binned just before the interval for fighting.

Rees-Zammit initially demonstrated he has lost none of his speed, grabbing an offload just inside the Gloucester half and racing through the defence to score. However, that good was followed by bad – the winger failing to collect a bouncing ball near the try line and knocking on.

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A consequence of that fumble was that Rees-Zammit had his hair ruffled from behind by Gloucester back-rower Caio James while sitting on the ground, and the pair were then seen scrapping some minutes later inside the Bristol half, much to the annoyance of referee Adam Leal.

“As you two started it and it was a seriously horrible picture, you are both going to the bin for 10 minutes,” said the referee before brandishing the yellow card.

The exit of both players towards the sideline resulted in them butting into each other and exchanging words while the Kingsholm crowd booed and heckled their former winger.

Rees-Zammit returned from the bin to continue playing before getting called ashore with 25 minutes remaining in Bristol’s 40-24 away win.

Next on the list for the Bears and their new signing is the September 28 start to the 2025/26 Premiership, an Ashton Gate tie against Leicester’s last season’s beaten finalists.

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Bristol Louis Rees-Zammit