Wales and Gloucester winger Louis Rees-Zammit will leave rugby union to join the National American Football League in the United States, his club announced on Tuesday. “Gloucester Rugby have agreed to release winger Louis Rees-Zammit with immediate effect to allow the player to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.”
At 22, Rees-Zammit has 32 caps for the Leek XV (14 tries scored), of which he was one of the greatest hopes and a major asset in view of the 2027 World Cup in Australia. A hard and unexpected blow for Wales coach Warren Gatland, two and a half weeks before the start of the Six Nations Tournament. The latter had also selected him in 2021 for the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa.
The young player, who will join the “International Player Pathway” (IPP) program which facilitates the transition for athletes wishing to move to the NFL, spoke about his choice. “I had the incredible honor of playing rugby for my country, which, as a proud Welshman, I never took for granted. However, I believe it is the right time for me to achieve another professional goal by playing American football in the United States. These opportunities don’t come around very often.”
