Who is Louis Rees-Zammit: Ten things you should know about the Welsh NFL hopeful

Sarah Rendell

Find out more about the young speedster who switched to the NFL in 2024

Louis Rees-Zammit was one of the most exciting figures to emerge in international rugby in years.

Breaking into the Wales team while still a teenager, his rapid rise led to Warren Gatland selecting the winger in his squad for the British & Irish Lions 2021 tour. He was the youngest member of the squad travelling to South Africa.

He played domestically for Gloucester as one of a talented crop of wingers. However, in 2024 he decided to step away from rugby to pursue a career in the NFL. Rees-Zammit was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2024. He made his debut for the team in August in a pre-season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the EverBank Stadium.

The Chiefs lost the game against the Jaguars 26-13. Rees-Zammit was used in multiple positions in the game as he competed as a running back, kicker and kick-returner. He was also involved as part of the punt coverage team. Overall he had four yards on three touches and made one solo special teams tackle.

Rees-Zammit was expected to miss out on the next pre-season game because of a back injury. However, he pushed through and made his home debut at the Arrowhead Stadium against the Detroit Lions. Once again Rees-Zammit was used in many different roles and added to the ones he competed in against the Jaguars. He took a kick-off and aided the punt return team. The Chiefs lost the game 24-23.

Read more: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Maro Itoje

The star will be hoping what he is demonstrating on the field will translate to a spot in the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. After pre-season is over, on 23 August, the team will cut their players down from 90 to 53 and those will be the stars who compete for the team in the 2024 season. Of those 53, 48 will be named each game day.

It has been reported Rees-Zammit has put on a stone to bulk up in a bid to make the team. In addition, it’s understood he is actively learning the Chiefs playbook. Rees-Zammit himself has said he has worked on the playbook for two hours after training has ended.

“I’m feeling very comfortable with the playbook,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of revision and I’ve learnt a lot and I’m pretty comfortable with that. I just need to get as many reps as I can and show people what I can do. With one more pre-season game, hopefully I can do that.”

The Chiefs’ NFL season starts on 6 September against the Baltimore Ravens. Here are ten more facts about the talented Welshman.

Ten things you should know about Louis Rees-Zammit

1. Louis Rees-Zammit was born on 2 February 2001 in Penarth, in the Vale of Glamorgan. He now stands 6ft 2in (1.88m) tall and weighs just 14st 9lbs (95kg). His surname comes from Maltese ancestry.

2. Roald Dahl is another famous alumni of the Cathedral School, Llandaff, which Rees-Zammit attended.

3. He didn’t settle on the wing position in rugby until he reached Hartpury College, playing half-back and centre throughout his schoolboy days.

Louis Rees-Zammit

Louis Rees-Zammit after playing against Worcester in the 2019-20 season (Getty Images)

4. At 18 years and 70 days, Rees-Zammit is the youngest Gloucester player to ever appear in a Gallagher Premiership match, coming off the bench with four minutes left of a 27-23 win over West Country rivals Bath.

5. On 28 December 2019 he scored three tries for Gloucester against Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens – becoming the youngest-ever scorer of a Premiership hat-trick.

6. International honours came in the autumn of 2020. He came off the bench to make his Wales debut in a 38-21 loss to France and scored his first Test try against Georgia a month later.

7. He chose to sing Robbie Williams’s Angels in front of the team as his first-cap initiation.

8. Rees-Zammit represented Wales at the 2023 Rugby World Cup where the team bowed out in the quarter-final stage.

9. Those sprinting genes come from his father, Joseph, who was an American Football player in his youth.

10. Outside of sport, he is interested in mental health provision, working as an ambassador for the Sporting Minds charity.

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