Watch: Louis Rees-Zammit ‘burns’ former England winger in ‘poetic’ return to the Prem
Watch: Louis Rees-Zammit 'burns' former England winger in 'poetic' return to the Prem
Louis Rees-Zammit is back in the Prem, and back with a bang.
Helping his new side, Bristol Bears, to defeat Leicester Tigers 42-24 at Ashton Gate on Saturday, the 24-year-old showed the home crowd exactly why his return to rugby has been so highly anticipated.
Receiving the ball from a ruck after a defensive turnover, the Welsh flyer had 65 metres of open space ahead of him.
Despite being chased on the angle by Tigers winger Ollie Hassell-Collins, the English speedster was no match for him as Rees-Zammit stretched his legs and glided over the line to score his first Prem try in Bristol colours.
The commentary team were ecstatic with his return score.
Alastair Eykyn: “Call off the dogs, Hassell-Collins is in hot pursuit. Rees-Zammit has his number, and Bristol have their victory.
Austin Healey: “Wheels, that is wheels, Ali. Hassell-Collins is 20 meters ahead of him on the angle and he burns him. That is proper gas.”
Sam Warburton: “Some people’s concern might have been, ‘How does Zammit fare beyond 60 minutes’, because he hasn’t played the game which needs repeated efforts. But to do that in the 80th minute, anyone who doubted his condition from an endurance perspective, he has answered all those critics. To run that fast that late in the game, that is special.
Healey: “If you like running, that is balance, that’s poetry when you see him moving like that.”
Watch the try here:
REES LIGHTNING RETURNS!⚡️
Louis Rees-Zammit shows electric pace from his own half to seal the victory for Bristol Bears!#BRIvLEI | #PREMRugby pic.twitter.com/40wuZ089Cy
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) September 28, 2025
Injury crisis
Despite the victory, Bears head coach Pat Lam expressed concern surrounding the injuries sustained during the match, telling BBC Radio Bristol: “The injuries are a big downer, they are big players, but that is why we try and build our squad with quality and the next guy just steps up and we adapt.
“If you look at AJ (MacGinty) it’s a typical achilles with the way he reacted, so that could be long term, and Harry Randall looked in pain with a hamstring, and the same with (Gabriel) Ibitoye.
“Fair play to Leicester, they came out and scored some good tries off the back of us not executing some of the things that we do.
“For the first game, some of the things out there were really positive and there are still things to work on for next week.”
Across the board
Elsewhere in the Prem, Sale opened their account with a win over Rees-Zammit’s former side Gloucester, while last year’s champions Bath beat Harlequins in a 78-point thriller at the Stoop.
The newly named Newcastle Red Bulls gave a good account of themselves at home but Saracens proved simply too powerful in a 17-39 win, while Exeter Chiefs stunningly pulled back against Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens to nick a 33-all draw.
