London (AFP) – Bristol have signed Louis Rees-Zammit following his return to rugby union after the Wales wing gave up on his 18-month long bid to break into the NFL. English Premiership side Bristol said Thursday that Rees-Zammit was joining with “immediate effect” ahead of the new league season. No further details about his contract were disclosed.
The 24-year-old dramatically left rugby union in January 2024 to pursue a career in American football and was on the training squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not play in a regular-season game. Earlier this month, Rees-Zammit, who made his name in rugby union with Gloucester, a fierce local rival of Bristol, said he was returning to the 15-a-side code. He spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, having been cut by the Chiefs the previous campaign, but failed to make an NFL appearance for either franchise as a wide receiver after originally switching sports by joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program in 2024.
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By then, he had already scored 14 tries in 32 Tests for Wales and been selected for the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. Bristol, who reached the Premiership semi-finals last season before losing to eventual champions Bath, are one of the most attacking teams in English rugby’s top flight. Their 95 tries were the joint-highest in the division during the 2024/25 campaign, and Rees-Zammit said their approach made them an “obvious choice.”
“The style of rugby the team play — all about entertaining the fans and growing the game — perfectly aligns to how I want to play and how I express myself on and off the field,” Rees-Zammit said in a Bristol statement. “I want to get fans out of their seats, create exciting moments, and help people fall in love with the game. I’m excited to return to rugby at a club that demands those values.”
Bristol’s opening match of the new Premiership season is against Leicester on September 28. Rees-Zammit made his Gloucester debut soon after turning 18 and went on to score 42 tries in 77 matches for the Cherry and Whites during a six-year stint at Kingsholm. His first Wales cap came in 2020 at the age of 19, with his speed and finishing ability making him a rising star of the sport.
Bears boss Pat Lam has no doubt Rees-Zammit, who will join the squad on Saturday, is an ideal fit, saying: “He has the drive and ambition to be one of the best back-three players in the world, and his goals align perfectly with our ambitions as a club. At just 24 years old, we know the athlete and competitor he is. The way we play and the way he wants to play fit seamlessly together, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Wales’ new coach, Steve Tandy, has already said Rees-Zammit could be in contention for a Test recall as soon as the November internationals.
© 2024 AFP
