Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit

Date of birth 2 February 2001 Born Cardiff Position Wing Club Gloucester Country Wales

When did you first play?

Aged seven. I started with Llandaff and was there until I was 12, then I joined Rhymney until I was 16. I played for Cathedral School too.

What positions have you played?

When I was younger, scrum-half, then I moved along the back-line – ten, outside-centre and wing when I went to Hartpury. That was probably down to my speed. They put me there and I haven’t looked back.

Have you always been fast?

I’m getting faster with coaching at Gloucester. I’ve run 10.2m per second this season.

What are your strengths?

Probably making decisions on offloading ball or trying to run around opponents.

Who was your childhood rugby hero?

Shane Williams. I went to so many Wales games when I was younger and he was the standout player. I felt like I wanted to play like him, even though I’m a completely different build to him!

When did you join Gloucester?

When I was 16. I moved from Cardiff Blues to Hartpury College and got picked up by Gloucester within a few weeks. I haven’t thought about anything else ever since.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My family. They took me everywhere and watched me; they’re very supportive.

Any representative honours?

I’ve played for Wales U18 twice. Going to South Africa at 17 was a very good experience.

Have you already exceeded your goals for this season?

I wanted to play one or two Premiership games – I hadn’t even thought about playing in the Champions Cup – but that’s come and hopefully I’ve taken the opportunity. I’m taking it game by game, training session by training session.

The best advice you’ve received?

It’s not advice but I took it as a way of going forward. When I was 12 or 13, I was basically told that I wasn’t good enough and since then I’ve wanted to prove people wrong. It’s motivated me.

RW VERDICT: One of the stars of the season, with 12 tries in 14 Gloucester games, he won the Premiership Player of the Month in December and was then named in Wales’ Six Nations squad. A first cap surely beckons this year.

This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Rugby World magazine.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.