Wales and rugby will wait: Louis Rees-Zammit intends to live the American dream in the NFL.
Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit will try his luck in the NFL. The Gloucester club in England with which he was under contract formalized the decision this Tuesday, January 16 with immediate effect.
A great hope for Welsh rugby, the 22-year-old international winger immediately leaves England to join Florida and the International Player Pathway program (IPP). This is the NFL program dedicated to international athletes wanting to try their luck in the league. And testing begins this week.
“I had the immense honor of being able to play rugby for my country, which, as a proud Welshman, I never took for granted,” Louis Rees-Zammit said in the press release. . “However, I believe the time has come for me to realize another dream, that of playing American football in the United States. This kind of opportunity doesn't come around often. »
A big void and a lot of uncertainties
Louis Rees-Zammit was invited by the IPP to test his abilities in the NFL. Difficult to guess what position he could play in the NFL, his size may make him think of a receiver. But technique and reflexes are difficult to acquire. Especially coming from a sport as different as rugby.
Examples of former rugby players trying their luck in the NFL exist. Notably the case of Christian Wade who signed a contract with the Bills before returning to play in the Top 14 in France. Other examples have had more or less success like Alex Gray in 2017. Or rugby league players like Jaryd Hayne or Jordan Malaita. The latter is also the only player still active in the NFL with the Eagles.
For Wales, it is a real loss, a few weeks before the VI Nations tournament in which the Leek XV has been struggling recently. Louis Rees-Zammit was a great hope around which to rebuild. For now, it's a failure.
