Louis Rees-Zammit burst onto the international rugby stage when he came off the bench for his debut aged just 19 against France.

In only his second game for Wales he scored his first international try against Georgia and went on to score 14 tries in 32 games. 

Related: Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit joins NFL pathway in bombshell move

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With a strike rate of almost a try every two games, why is the talented Rees-Zammit not playing rugby anymore?

In January 2024, Rees-Zammit sensationally announced that he would be quitting rugby in favour of a career in American football. 

The decision came after he was offered a place on the NFL’s international player pathway and was announced by the winger on social media the day Wales named their squad for the 2024 Six Nations. 

It was not a case of seeing out his contract or the season, instead he was released by Gloucester and launched straight into training. 

Why is Louis Rees-Zammit not playing for Wales in the Six Nations?

As a result, Rees-Zammit did not play in the 2024 Six Nations and is not playing in the 2025 Six Nations, a competition he won in 2021 when Wayne Pivac was in charge.

His NFL career began with a short stint at the Kansas City Chiefs before spending the majority of last season on the Jacksonsville Jaguars’ reserve squad. On 17 February 2025, it was announced that Rees-Zammit – who had been released at the end of the season – had signed to the Jaguars’ active squad as a wide receiver, bringing his NFL dream one step closer to reality.

The former Gloucester man is not the first rugby player to attempt a switch to the NFL, with Christian Wade the most similar example. 

If past switches are anything to go by, it can be an incredibly risky move, as Wade, Alex Gray and Christian Scotland-Williamson all tried it only to return to rugby. 

However, Rees-Zammit is clearly confident in his abilities and set his sights on winning the Super Bowl within five years. 

Even though Rees-Zammit is not playing for Wales this year and may well be a success in the NFL, should he want to return to rugby he will likely be welcomed with open arms as Warren Gatland made clear before he left his role as head coach.

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