Bradenton (United States) (AFP) – Wales and British Lions rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit says it was “horrible” to leave rugby behind but is in confident mood ahead of the first hurdle in his attempt to find an NFL team — a trial in front of team scouts on March 20.
Rees-Zammit stunned the rugby world when he announced in January that he was quitting the game to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program. Now along with ten other international members of the program, who have been living and training at the IMG Academy near Tampa, Rees-Zammit will have to show how much he has learnt when he takes part in a ‘Pro Day’ at the nearby University of South Florida.
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He admits he will have some nerves as the trial gets nearer but says he has belief in his chances of impressing scouts and coaches from NFL clubs. “You have to have confidence to be in this league, if you have any doubt in your mind you are going to get shot,” he told AFP in an interview on Sunday.
“We’re all excited for Pro Day, I think we are all going to test really well. I think the scouts are going to be really surprised at what we can do and ultimately that is the goal, making sure that scouts are watching us and really having their eyes on us,” he said. “I’ll definitely be nervous for that day, but we’ve done eight weeks, we believe in each other and believe in ourselves,” he added.
The 23-year-old winger isn’t the first rugby player to try his hand at American football but he is the biggest name to attempt the switch having recently performed for his country in the World Cup.
– ‘Perfect time’ for move –
He said the decision to leave his home and the sport he has played since school was a tough one. “It was horrible, it was one of the hardest decisions of my life by far and I had to sit down with my family and say, is this the right time? Ultimately it was, I mean I’m 23, if I go any later, I’m just going to be playing catch-up with everyone, it’s tough to learn a whole new sport when you are getting older, so I think this was the perfect time,” he said.
“I feel like I have participated in everything I’ve wanted to do in rugby. Maybe I haven’t won everything but I’ve been to a World Cup, I’ve been on the Lions, I played for my country, I played for Gloucester, my only club. I’ve done everything I wanted to do and now was the perfect time to give this a go,” he said.
At the time he announced his plans, Rees-Zammit said he did not rule out returning to rugby at some stage but he said he has no such thoughts of a comeback in his mind. “I’m fully focused on this. It’s not even in my head to go back to rugby. I fully believe I can make this work and do this. It is my dream to be in the NFL so I’m just excited for the next few weeks and to see what happens,” he said.
Rees-Zammit’s father Joseph played American football in Britain for Cardiff Tigers and Oxford Saints and that sparked an early interest in the NFL. “I’ve been watching NFL since I was a kid, I’d be staying up late every Sunday night. I looked at what players are doing well, how they do it and I’ve always thought I could do that and that’s why I am here,” he said.
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