Louis Rees-Zammit has stunned the rugby world by announcing an immediate career switch to American football, just days before the Six Nations begins. The 22-year-old Wales winger will head to Florida to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway, seeking a spot on an NFL roster.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland learned of the decision only an hour before a scheduled press conference. He spoke with Rees-Zammit, who said he had been approached on Sunday and felt he had to seize the opportunity. Gatland said: 'He’s always dreamed of potentially playing in the NFL and feels that if he doesn’t take this opportunity now it might not happen again.'
Rees-Zammit explained his move on Gloucester’s website: 'It is nothing about rugby, it is about my ambition to make my dream come true and play in the National Football League. As a little boy my dad always brought me up to be a big NFL fan.' Gloucester’s chief executive Alex Brown said the club understood the opportunity but were naturally sad to see him leave.
The timing is striking, with Wales due to open their Six Nations campaign against Scotland on 3 February. Rees-Zammit will spend ten weeks in Miami, starting this month. If selected for an NFL practice squad by April, he would join them in August.
Several rugby players have tried American football before, most recently Christian Wade, who made the Buffalo Bills’ pre-season roster in 2019 but never played a regular-season game and has since returned to rugby with Racing 92.
Rees-Zammit’s departure overshadowed Gatland’s selection of 21-year-old Dafydd Jenkins as captain, the second youngest in Welsh history. The squad also includes a recall for James Botham and five uncapped players, while Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake are injured.
