Louis Rees-Zammit Explained

Louis Rees-Zammit
Birth Date:2 February 2001
Birth Place:Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Module:
Embed:yes
Currentteam:Kansas City Chiefs
Number:9
Position:Running back
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:209
High School:The Cathedral School, Llandaff
Hartpury College
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Module2:
Embed:yes
Ru Position:Wing, Full-back
Youthclubs1:Cardiff Blues
Youthclubs2:Hartpury College
Years1:2018–2024
Apps1:77
Points1:210
Ru Clubupdate:16 January 2024
Repyears1:2019
Repcaps1:5
Reppoints1:20
Repyears2:2020–2023
Repteam2:Wales
Repcaps2:32
Reppoints2:70
Repyears3:2021
Repteam3:British & Irish Lions
Repcaps3:4
Reppoints3:15
Ru Ntupdate:16 January 2024

Louis Rees-Zammit (; born 2 February 2001) is a Welsh professional American football running back and kickoff specialist for the Kansas City Chiefs, and a former rugby union player. He played as a winger for Gloucester in the English Premiership. He played for Wales at an international level, scoring 14 tries in 32 caps. Rees-Zammit won the 2021 Six Nations Championship with Wales and he was subsequently named in the squad for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.

In January 2024, Rees-Zammit began training for the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. In March 2024, he signed with the Chiefs.

Early life

Rees-Zammit was born in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.[1] He attended The Cathedral School, Llandaff, and played rugby for the school.[2] He played youth rugby at the Cardiff Blues academy and was named in the Cardiff Schools Team of the Decade in 2020.[3] At 16 years old, he moved to Hartpury College and from there to the academy of Gloucester Rugby.[4]

Club career

Rees-Zammit broke into the Gloucester senior team in the 2019–20 season, becoming the club's youngest ever Premiership player at 18 years and 70 days.[5] Rees-Zammit would also become Gloucester's youngest European player and youngest European try scorer in 2019. He scored two tries against Worcester during a 36–3 win in December 2019,[6] and later the same month became the first 18-year-old to score a hat-trick of tries[7] during a 33–26 loss to Northampton.[8] He received the Premiership Player of the Month Award in December 2019.[9]

On 13 January 2020, Rees-Zammit signed his first professional contract with Gloucester, securing him to the club on a long-term deal.[10] Rees-Zammit ended his season with 12 tries in 15 appearances for the 2019–20 Premiership side.[11]

He made his first appearance of the 2021–22 Premiership scoring two tries in the Round 4 victory over Sale.[12] By the time he decided to leave the club in January 2024, he had made 77 club appearances scoring 210 points.[13]

International career

Wales

Rees-Zammit initially represented Wales under-18s.[4] He received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad, under coach Wayne Pivac, on 15 January 2020 for the 2020 Six Nations Championship.[14] He made his debut for Wales, from the bench, in a test match against France held at Stade de France in Paris, France, in October 2020.[15] [16] Rees-Zammit scored his maiden test try against Georgia on 21 November 2020.[17]

He scored his first 2021 Six Nations Championship try, on his Six Nations debut, in the Round 1 match against Ireland on 7 February 2021.[18] On 13 February 2021, in the Six Nations match against Scotland, he scored two tries, including the winning try, and was named as man of the match.[19] Wales went on to win the 2021 championship the next weekend giving Rees-Zammit his first Six Nations Championship. He also won the try of the Championship award.[20]

Rees-Zammit scored 14 tries at international level for Wales, including five at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[21]

British & Irish Lions

On 6 May 2021, Rees-Zammit was named in the squad for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.[22] Rees-Zammit's inclusion made him the youngest Lion selected since the 1959 Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand at the age of 20 years and 93 days.[23] Rees-Zammit made his first Lions appearance in the tours opening provincial game against the Lions, scoring the opening try after 3 minutes.[24] Rees-Zammit was then selected to play against the Sharks in the following game, again getting in the scoresheet as the Lions ran out 54–7 winners.[25] Rees-Zammit scored as a replacement in the final provincial game of the tour on 17 July 2021 against the Stormers, taking his tour tally to three tries in four appearances.[26] [27]

International tries

TryOpponentLocationVenueCompetitionDateResult
1 Llanelli, Wales Win
2 Cardiff, Wales Win
3 Edinburgh, Scotland Win
4
5 Rome, Italy Win
6 Cardiff, Wales Win
7 Pretoria, South Africa Loss
8
9 Cardiff, Wales Loss
10 Bordeaux, France Win
11 Nice, France Win
12 Nantes, France Win
13
14

American football career

On 16 January 2024, Rees-Zammit announced that he would retire from rugby union to train in American football through the National Football League's International Player Pathway Program.[28]

On 29 March 2024, Rees-Zammit signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs to play running back.[29]

Rees-Zammit made his NFL debut on 11 August 2024 for the Chiefs in a 26–13 preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. [30]

Personal life

Rees-Zammit is the nephew of Paul Rees, a former rugby union player who played as a full-back for Cardiff, Pontypool and Wales B.[31] His paternal grandfather emigrated from Malta.[32]

He has dated social media influencer and YouTuber Saffron Barker.[33] In March 2024, Barker announced that the relationship had ended.[34]

Rees-Zammit appeared in season 1 of the Netflix documentary .[35]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Louis Rees-Zammit interview: I definitely want a Wales debut this autumn. Andy. Howell. 16 August 2020. WalesOnline. 13 February 2021.
  2. News: Thomas . Simon . The story of the little boy who grew up to be Welsh rugby's next big thing and the brother who has his back . . 16 January 2020.
  3. Web site: Thomas . Alan . 14 January 2020 . Another Day, Another Honour For Louis Rees-Zammit . 22 May 2024 . Dai Sport . en-GB.
  4. Web site: Who is Louis Rees_Zammit. 2 April 2019 . 21 December 2019.
  5. Web site: June 21, 2023 . Louis Rees-Zammit becomes Gloucester Rugby's youngest Premiership player . 2024-05-27 . Gloucester Rugby . en.
  6. Web site: Baldock . Andrew . 21 December 2019 . Gloucester's teenage sensation Louis Rees-Zammit continues remarkable rise by inspiring win over Worcester . 22 December 2019 . The Independent.
  7. Web site: Iles . Robert . 2019-12-28 . Rees-Zammit set a new Premiership record in Gloucester loss . 2024-05-27 . Gloucestershire Live . en.
  8. Web site: Abbandonato . Paul . 2019-12-28 . Welsh teen ace grabs hat-trick of tries to give Pivac a nudge . 2024-05-27 . Wales Online . en.
  9. Web site: Woolford . Anthony . 2020-01-08 . Welsh teen's charity gesture after being named English rugby's player of month . 2024-05-27 . Wales Online . en.
  10. News: LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT EXTENDS HIS CONTRACT AT GLOUCESTER RUGBY. Gloucester Rugby. 13 January 2020. 27 August 2020. 16 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200116135528/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/2020/01/13/louis-rees-zammit-extends-his-contract-at-gloucester-rugby/. dead.
  11. Web site: Halliwell . Mark . 2020-07-27 . Gloucester star was 'devastated' not to get a Wales cap in the 2020 Six Nations . 2024-05-27 . Gloucestershire Live . en.
  12. News: Josef . Rindl . Premiership: Gloucester 33-32 Sale - Cherry and Whites edge thriller over Sharks . BBC Sport . 9 October 2021 . 28 March 2024 .
  13. Web site: Louis Rees-Zammit - Player statistics - It's rugby . www.itsrugby.co.uk . 1 April 2024.
  14. News: Six Nations: Wales call up teenager Rees-Zammit and Saracens' Tompkins . BBC Sport. 15 January 2020 . 15 January 2020.
  15. Web site: Thomas . Simon . France v Wales team news in full for autumn opener . Wales Online . 2020-10-22 . 2024-07-15.
  16. Web site: Griffiths . Gareth . France 38-21 Wales: Antoine Dupont inspires home side in Paris . BBC Sport . 2020-10-24 . 2024-07-15.
  17. Web site: 21 November 2020 . Louis Rees-Zammit gets his first Test try . 2024-07-15 . Rugby World.
  18. Web site: 2021-02-07 . Rees-Zammit scores try on Six Nations debut as Wales hold off 14-man Ireland . 2024-07-15 . talkSPORT . en-gb.
  19. Web site: English . Tom . Scotland 24-25 Wales: Visitors roar to narrow victory at Murrayfield . BBC Sport . 2021-02-13 . 2024-07-15.
  20. Web site: Newbury . Jacob . Rees-Zammit wins Guinness Six Nations Try of the . Guinness Men's Six Nations . 2021-04-05 . 2024-07-15.
  21. Web site: Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales) . Rugby World Cup 2023 . 2020-12-10 . 2024-07-15.
  22. Web site: British and Irish Lions 2021: Sam Simmonds in 37-man squad but Billy Vunipola misses out. 6 May 2021. BBC Sport. 6 May 2021.
  23. News: Rugby-Rees-Zammit becomes youngest Lion in more than 60 years . Reuters . 6 May 2021 .
  24. Web site: Louis Rees-Zammit scores four minutes into Lions debut . rugbyworld.com. 3 July 2021 .
  25. News: Duhan van der Merwe and Josh Adams score hat-tricks as Covid-hit Lions put opponents to the sword . The Telegraph . 7 July 2021 . Mairs . Gavin . Goodwill . Jake .
  26. Web site: Louis Rees-Zammit (B&I Lions). lionsrugby.com. British and Irish Lions. British and Irish Lions. 2021.
  27. Web site: Grey . Becky . 17 July 2021 . Stormers 3-49 British and Irish Lions: Tourists complete Test preparations with comfortable win . 31 March 2024 . BBC.com.
  28. News: Hurcom . Sophie . Pilnick . Brent . 16 January 2024 . Louis Rees-Zammit: Wales and Gloucester winger to quit rugby to play American football . 16 January 2024 . BBC Sport.
  29. Web site: Lenthang . Marlene . Smith . Alexander . 29 March 2024 . Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit turns to NFL and signs with Kansas City Chiefs . 29 March 2024 . NBC News.
  30. Web site: WATCH: Former Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit makes his NFL debut. 12 August 2024. rugbydump.com.
  31. Web site: Another Day, Another Honour For Louis Rees-Zammit . Dai Sport . 29 March 2024 . 14 January 2020.
  32. Web site: Azzopardi . Jean Paul . 23 February 2020 . Rees-Lightning! Wales' Rising Rugby Star Is A 19-Year-Old Kid With Maltese Blood . 13 February 2021 . Lovin Malta.
  33. Web site: Louis Rees-Zammit dating social media influencer and Strictly contestant. 11 November 2023. Wales Online.
  34. Web site: Jones . John . 2024-03-21 . Louis Rees-Zammit officially splits with Saffron Barker as statement issued . 2024-05-27 . Wales Online . en.
  35. Web site: Wellens . Megan . 29 January 2024 . Full Contact: Six storylines to follow from the Netflix series at the 2024 Six Nations . 2024-05-27 . Sky Sports . en.

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