Wales boss backs ‘threatening’ Louis Rees-Zammit to succeed in new position as move creates ‘added competition’
Louis Rees-Zammit (right) will feature at full-back this weekend, despite spending the bulk of his Test career on the wing.
Wales head coach Steve Tandy is hopeful Louis Rees-Zammit can recapture his PREM form at Test level, following his switch to full-back this weekend.
The 25-year-old flier, who will make his first Six Nations appearance following his return to rugby union from the NFL, has spent the bulk of his Test career on the wing, but will wear 15 for their trip to the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday.
This will be nothing new for the Cardiff-native, however, after a string of impressive performances at full-back for Bristol Bears in recent weeks.
‘You know something could happen’
Rees-Zammit is without a doubt one of Wales’ most dangerous threats in attack, reflected in his tally of two tries in three appearances back in November, and Tandy believes he could make a real difference in his new position too.
England latest: Steve Borthwick forced into late change as star winger ruled out
“I think Zammo coming back in (at full-back), I know he’s always wanted (to play there), well he’s played there before, so it’s not something fundamentally new,” he said. “He’s played there for Bristol, and he’s getting fit, which is great to see.
“He’s threatening (there). If there’s a kick too long you know something could happen; you’ve seen him doing that for Bristol. His aerial work as well, and as much as he’s quick, he’s a big, big man, so we’re really excited to see him there.”
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
His selection at 15 has also seen a reshuffle in Wales’ back-three, with Blair Murray dropping out of the 23 entirely despite becoming a prominent feature in the side over the past few years, but Tandy insists that will only be a positive thing for the future.
“It’s added competition as well,” he said.
“Blair (Murray) played all the games there in the autumn, but to get better and become the team we want to be, we need competition. Leaving the likes of Blair out of the 23, and the way he’s responded around how he trains, I believe, is only good moving forward.”
