'A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity': Welsh rugby star quits career to focus on American football

Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP 17:25 p.m., January 16, 2024

It's a small earthquake that has just shaken Welsh rugby. Louis Rees-Zammit, 22 years old, star winger of the national team, will no longer wear the jersey of the Leek XV. He has just announced that he is ending his rugby career to try his luck in the United States with an NFL franchise, the local American football league.

A decision taken with immediate effect that the player with 32 caps for Wales has made official on his X account. "I am happy to be able to confirm that I will be joining the NFL International Player Development Program, in order to secure a spot on an NFL team for 2024," he wrote.

pic.twitter.com/gO1jPLXDPA

— Louis Rees-Zammit ⚡️ (@LouisReesZammit) January 16, 2024 

"It doesn't necessarily mean I'm retiring from rugby"

Leaving the world of oval, just a few weeks before the Six Nations Championship that he was due to play with his national team, was a "difficult decision to make", he admits. But Rees-Zammit insists it's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." However, the young Welsh winger does not seem willing to put the rugby world away for good. "While this decision may come as a surprise, I want to reiterate that it does not necessarily mean that I am retiring from rugby. But at my age, and at this stage of my life, I'm excited to explore a unique challenge that can diversify my skills," he says.

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The player also slipped in a few words for his club Gloucester, speaking of his "immense gratitude" to "a club that is close to my heart". He also thanked George Skivington, the team's coach, as well as the British team's boss, Alex Brown, "for allowing me to take a new direction". Gloucester have agreed to release their player and their chairman was keen to pay tribute to "the world-class player he has become". "We understand the magnitude of the opportunity for Zam and his lifelong ambition to play in the NFL. We wish him all the best in the United States. He will always be welcome at Kingsholm (Gloucester's stadium)," added Alex Brown.

Louis Rees-Zammit to join NFL International Player Pathway.

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— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) January 16, 2024

The example of Christian Wade

Louis Rees-Zammit took part in the last Rugby World Cup held in France, scoring five tries, including a hat-trick against Georgia. The Leek XV was eliminated in the quarter-finals, beaten by Argentina (17-29).

It is an event to see a player move from rugby union to American football, especially when it comes to a player of the calibre of the Welsh winger, but it is not unheard of. Christian Wade, a former England international, also tried his luck on the other side of the Atlantic between 2018 and 2022, before returning to the world of oval. He now plays in the Top 14, at Racing 92.