Louis Rees-Zammit to return to rugby after chasing NFL dream: ‘It's time to come home'
The 24-year-old made a stunning decision on the eve of the 2024 Six Nations to leave his boyhood sport behind and move to America via the NFL's International Player Pathway.
Rees-Zammit subsequently spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars but did not appear in a regular season game for either side, and a month before the new campaign begins, he has left the Jaguars.
A return to rugby now beckons for a player who had established himself as one of the brightest Welsh prospects before leaving the sport.
'I've got an exciting announcement to make,' Rees-Zammit said on social media. 'I've decided to leave the NFL and return to rugby.
'It's been a great experience but it's time to come home. I've decided that this is the best time to make this decision to give myself time to get everything in place for next season.
There's only one thing that's on my mind, that's coming back to rugby and doing what I do best. I can't explain how excited I am. There'll be more news to come soon but for now, see you soon rugby fans.'
Rees-Zammit made a rapid impression after becoming Gloucester's youngest ever Premiership player as an 18-year-old in 2018, and a Wales debut soon followed in 2020.
A standout Six Nations in 2021 earned the youngster a trip with the British and Irish Lions to South Africa later that year, though he did not feature on the wing in the Tests against the Springboks.
His international career was put on pause after the 2023 Rugby World Cup with a tally of 14 tries in 32 Tests, but Rees-Zammit could now be back to bolster the Welsh squad for the November internationals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Anfield evacuated less than an hour before Liverpool's double-header friendly with Athletic Bilbao
ANFIELD has been evacuated just minutes before Liverpool's pre-season friendly with Athletic Bilbao. The Reds were set to take on the Spanish big boys at their famous home at 5pm. 3 3 3 But stadium staff were forced to perform an emergency evacuation just minutes before kick-off. Fans were asked to leave the ground after the alarm began sounding throughout the stadium. The cause of the alarm is currently unclear. Several supporters had already taken to their seats when the alarm and then stadium staff ordered them to leave the ground. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
F1 legend tells Lewis Hamilton to QUIT the sport before 'anything bad' happens to him
Bernie Ecclestone today urged Lewis Hamilton to quit Formula One immediately, and to get his Ferrari contract paid out in full before 'anything bad' happens to him. The advice came as Hamilton's future is in the balance following a calamitous Hungarian Grand Prix at the weekend. After qualifying only 12th while his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc took pole, the seven-time world champion called himself 'absolutely useless' and suggested Ferrari should replace him. Hamilton stood by those sentiments after finishing 12th on Sunday. Nonetheless, he indicated he would probably return after Formula One's brief summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31. But Ecclestone, the sport's godfather, is opposed to Hamilton persevering a race longer. 'Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is,' the 94-year-old told Mail Sport from Portugal. 'But like a lot of leading sports personalities when they reach the top, there is only one way to go, and it's not a good direction. It's only down. 'They get tired. Lewis is tired. He's been doing what he is doing forever. He needs a rest from it for good, a total reset to do something completely different. 'He may not think it but he will soon get used to doing other stuff away from motor racing in retirement. I think he should have done it a while ago. 'The guy is not a cheat. But he would be cheating himself if he goes on. He should stop now. 'If I were looking after him I would negotiate with Ferrari immediately and say, 'If you have someone to replace Lewis, he'll step aside.'' Hamilton is in the first year of a three-year deal with Ferrari worth £60million per annum, since his move from Mercedes in a transfer that electrified Formula One. But aged 40, he has struggled to recreate the excellence of his younger days. Without a podium appearances in 14 attempts, he has been out-qualified by Leclerc 10 times and only twice beaten his colleague in grands prix, though he won the sprint race in China with aplomb. Ecclestone, who masterminded Formula One for 40 years before Liberty Media bought the business in 2017, spent the weekend at the Budapest race he established behind the Iron Curtain in 1986 and observed Hamilton at close quarters. He said: 'If I were Lewis, I would say to Ferrari that I wanted to be paid all my contract, in full. They signed him because they thought he could do a job. 'It isn't working so I can I can make way if you want me to, but that's the arrangement. 'It could work for both parties.' Ecclestone managed two drivers who died racing, Stuart Lewis-Evans, in 1958, and Jochen Rindt, the only posthumous world champion, in 1970. Both tragedies hit him hard. Aware of the dangers involved in Formula One, Ecclestone said: 'I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to Lewis. He's not fighting for a world championship and is at a stage of his life when it wouldn't be worth him spending two years laid up in bed with a broken back or anything else nasty. 'He doesn't need to take the risk any longer. He's won seven world titles and that is quite enough.' As for a replacement, Ecclestone has two suggestions for the hierarchy at Maranello. 'If I could steal him, I'd take Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls,' he said. 'He has done super well in his first year and is a great guy. 'I also rate our friend from Brazil (Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto). He is talented. Both of them are sensible, too.' However, Hamilton's old Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes his former star driver should continue next season, when new a new generation of cars is introduced. The Austrian said: 'Lewis has unfinished business in Formula One. 'In the same way Mercedes underperformed in the latest set of regulations since 2022, it hit him. Maybe it is linked to driving style. 'So he shouldn't go anywhere next year. It's brand new cars, which will be completely different to drive, and new power units, so it is absolutely on for Lewis in 2026, and hopefully for many more years. 'If he has confidence in the car, there is no reason he cannot win an eighth world title.'
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
🎧 'More pressure on Pompey this August'
"I think there's a bit more pressure on Pompey in August this time around."West Brom away looks tricky but the other three look winnable - but it's preferable not to have the brutal start Portsmouth had last season."BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise chats to Pompey commentator Andrew Moon before the big kick-off at Oxford United on Saturday (15:00 BST).Listen to the full episode of Who Needs Mourinho? and more on BBC Radio Solent are also holding a Portsmouth fans' forum tonight (4 August) and you can listen here.
