‘I’m ready to show everyone what I can do’: Rugby star turned NFL hopeful Louis Rees-Zammit on swapping tries for touchdowns

Why Louis Rees-Zammit, who made his name in rugby union, is attempting to become a NFL player

Welsh rugby union star Louis Rees-Zammit turned heads earlier this year when he announced that he would be leaving behind the sport he made his name in to try his luck at making it into the National Football League. After all, the 23-year-old was one of rugby’s most promising names and had already made 32 international appearances for Wales, scoring 14 tries. In 2021, aged 20 years and 93 days old, he became the youngest player since 1959 to be selected in the British and Irish Lions squad. He starred at club level for English side Gloucester and was one of Welsh rugby’s poster boys. A future at the top of the sport seemed all but guaranteed, but Rees-Zammit chose to leave the security of rugby for the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP), a decision that comes with no guarantees of making it to the league. “I fancy a new challenge and what a better challenge than to be in the NFL,” Rees-Zammit told CNN’s Coy Wire. “I’ve been training really hard for seven or eight weeks now and I think I’m in a good position. I feel smooth, I feel comfortable and I’m ready to show everyone what I can do.” Rees-Zammit has been training and living at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida alongside the 2024 cohort of IPP athletes, getting to grips with a new sport as he prepares for his Pro Day on March 20, where he will perform drills and athletic tests for NFL evaluators. Despite never playing football at a professional or organized level, Rees-Zammit is familiar with the game having watched the sport from a young age.