Louis Rees-Zammit has signed for NFL Tremendous Bowl winners, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. We take a look at the stats from his skilled rugby profession to see why the 23-year-old expertise caught their eye.
Having solely turned 23 final month, Rees-Zammit departed rugby with an amazing repute and strike fee, scoring 38 tries in 69 appearances for Gloucester, and 14 tries in 31 Check caps for Wales, touring with the British and Irish Lions in 2021.
The Welshman’s transfer to the Chiefs will see him hyperlink up with the NFL’s premier quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has been the Tremendous Bowl MVP for the final two seasons.
Rees-Zammit impressed ultimately week’s mix for the worldwide gamers on his programme, working a 40-yard sprint in a time of 4.43 seconds in entrance of watching scouts. Such a time would have put him fifth amongst working again prospects at this 12 months’s NFL Mix, and tied-Tenth amongst large receiver prospects.
Put merely, he is very fast. And we have seen it…
Exploding onto rugby’s skilled scene as an 18-year-old
When the 2019/20 Premiership season started, Rees-Zammit was simply 18 years outdated and had simply six minutes {of professional} rugby expertise.
By the tip of that marketing campaign, Rees-Zammit was the speak of the league, taking the Premiership by storm in a approach extremely uncommon for a participant so younger. Rugby gamers ordinarily develop and break by way of far later than Premier League footballers, owing to the bodily calls for of the game.
Rees-Zammit’s superpower from out large on the wing was his tempo and talent to complete scores. He made 22 clear linebreaks within the Premiership, putting within the high eight of all gamers within the league in his debut marketing campaign.
He scored 10 tries within the division, putting him second, whereas he scored 15 tries in 17 begins in all competitions – a outstanding strike fee.
Worldwide rugby had taken discover, and the vastly gifted and potent Rees-Zammit’s trajectory was solely heading a method…
The important thing determine behind Wales’ 2021 Six Nations title win at 20
Having made his Check debut for Wales in October 2020 at 19 years of age, occurring to attain his first attempt in opposition to Georgia in November, Rees-Zammit’s repute in rugby reached worldwide prominence throughout the 2021 Six Nations.
The wing was nearly unstoppable for defenders throughout the championship, making a tournament-high 9 clear linebreaks, carrying for some 354 metres, gaining 267 metres and scoring 4 tries in 5 Six Nations video games en path to an unlikely Wales title success.
Certainly, Wales will surely not have lifted silverware with out him, as he scored essential profitable tries at house to Eire and away to Scotland in Assessments they have been outplayed in, enjoying the total 80 minutes throughout all 5 fixtures.
His kind was so good, he toured with the British and Irish Lions to South Africa that July – an accomplishment thought-about by most rugby gamers to be the final word achievement. And Rees-Zammit did in order a 20-year-old.
Accidents take maintain, however Rees-Zammit’s talent and qualities stay on present
After a outstanding first two years {of professional} rugby, 2022 and 2023 proved extra injury-prone for the lightning-fast wing.
Previous to Wales’ 2022 Six Nations opener away to Eire, Rees-Zammit went down with a proper ankle criticism within the warm-up. He was strapped up and performed, however was barely within the sport as Eire romped to victory.
He began the next week in opposition to Scotland in one other defeat, however then fell out of the aspect and missed two fixtures, earlier than returning for the ultimate sport in opposition to Italy.
Regardless of lacking two video games, Rees-Zammit nonetheless made three clear linebreaks within the championship, and carried for 222 metres, persevering with to show his menace with ball in hand.
He additionally additional enhanced the view of him worldwide when he scored twice for Wales on their 2022 summer season tour to world champions South Africa.
In 2023, Rees-Zammit was sidelined forward of the Six Nations with a much more severe ankle damage – his left this time – having suffered a hip damage simply prior.
He missed Wales’ opening two matches, earlier than making a try-scoring return in opposition to England in Spherical 3. He then started on the bench in opposition to Italy, and completed the championship beginning away in France.
Regardless of solely two begins within the 2023 event, his stats nonetheless stood out: carrying for 274 metres, gaining 229 metres and making three clear linebreaks.
Rugby World Cup try-flood, after which a shock departure
Rees-Zammit was nonetheless simply 22 when he travelled with Wales to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Damage-free, the wing raced to 5 tries in 5 appearances earlier than Wales have been knocked out by Argentina within the quarters.
He returned to his membership Gloucester, enjoying by way of November, December and a fixture in January, earlier than stunning the world of rugby along with his abrupt retirement from the game to organize for and journey to the NFL’s worldwide participant pathway programme.
Rees-Zammit’s announcement got here on the identical day Wales introduced their 2024 Six Nations squad, with head coach Warren Gatland revealing he solely came upon an hour earlier than.
“I discovered of it an hour in the past,” stated Gatland. “Spoke to Louis a couple of half hour in the past. It is a bit of little bit of a shock. Issues have occurred rapidly. Louis had an method on Sunday to go and do a coaching camp with the NFL.
“He slept on it on Monday and went to Gloucester, did not actually assume an excessive amount of of it when it comes to whether or not it will go forward. He was advised by his attorneys to not inform anybody.
“The paperwork has been agreed and signed and Gloucester have agreed to launch him within the final couple of hours. He rang me to let me know and provides me that info, and to say thanks very a lot for his time on the World Cup and the way he loved it.
“He stated he is all the time dreamed of doubtless enjoying within the NFL and he feels if he does not take this chance that it won’t occur sooner or later.”
Rees-Zammit ‘undoubtedly’ has an opportunity of creating it in NFL
Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde has backed Rees-Zammit to interrupt by way of within the NFL.
“I undoubtedly assume he is received an opportunity,” stated Durde, the primary British coordinator in NFL historical past, on Sky Sports activities Information.
“It is the method of going by way of that is the toughest but it surely’s one of the best factor.
“Whenever you undergo this, it is the way you develop, it is the way you begin studying the sport, the way you perceive the totally different phases of the sport.
“It is a difficult sport, however as soon as he simplifies it, that is when his athletic abilities will take over and you may see the participant he can probably change into.”
By way of what’s subsequent, the NFL low season exercises start in April, with rookie coaching camps beginning the next month. Full coaching camp begins in July earlier than groups normally affirm their closing 53-player rosters by the tip of August, with the brand new season starting on September 5.
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