Bristol’s Game-Changer: Why Wales Star Rees-Zammit’s Return Could Rewrite Rugby History
Rees-Zammit has scored 14 tries for Wales, was part of their Six Nations title-winning side in 2021 and featured for them at the 2023 World Cup, while he also toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2021.
Rees-Zammit will join up with the Bristol squad on Saturday, with their Prem season starting on 28 September against Leicester.”I want to get fans out of their seats, create exciting moments and help people fall in the love with the game. I’m excited to return to rugby at a club that demands those values.”After briefly leaving the Jaguars at the end of 2024, he re-signed for them in 2025, before ending his NFL adventure and heading back to rugby union.Rees-Zammit, capped 32 times by Wales, spent six years at Bristol’s local rivals Gloucester before being released from his contract to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway.Their 95 tries, averaging 5.3 per game, was the joint-highest in the division. They topped the stats for the campaign with most metres made at 10,458m, which was 1,500m more than the next best side, and also for the most defenders beaten (567).”Bristol Bears was the obvious choice for me. The style of rugby the team play – all about entertaining the fans and growing the game – perfectly aligns to how I want to play and how I express myself on and off the field,” he said.
The 24-year-old left rugby union in January 2024 to pursue a career in American football and was on the training squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not play in a regular-season game.Bristol have three other wingers in their squad in Gabriel Ibitoye, Jack Bates and Kalaveti Ravouvou, although the latter played the majority of last season at centre.”He has the drive and ambition to be one of the best back-three players in the world, and his goals align perfectly with our ambitions as a club,” he said,During 2024-25 the Bears scored 635 points, second only to champions Bath, but 60 points more than any other team.He was in the Cardiff Rugby academy and then moved to Hartpury College, making his Gloucester debut a couple of months after his 18th birthday.Director of rugby Pat Lam described Rees-Zammit as a “world-class player”.
In signing for Bristol next season he joins one of the renamed Gallagher Prem’s most dynamic attacking squads.He initially signed for the four-time Superbowl champions the Chiefs, but was cut in 2024 and joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of their practice squad.New Wales head coach Steve Tandy has already said Rees-Zammit could be in contention for a return to the national side as soon as this autumn’s internationals.He made his international debut in 2020 aged 19, with his pace and try-scoring ability quickly garnering headlines.For the Cherry and Whites he scored 42 tries in 77 matches.Louis Rees-Zammit, the electrifying Welsh winger known for his blistering pace and try-scoring prowess, is making a surprising yet thrilling return to rugby union. After an 18-month detour into the world of American football—where he honed his skills with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars practice squads—Rees-Zammit is set to join the Bristol Bears for the 2025-26 Premiership Rugby season. His journey, marked by bold choices and relentless ambition, reflects not just a personal pivot but a strategic move to re-engage with the sport he passionately embodies. At just 24, his blend of youthful vigor and world-class talent aligns perfectly with Bristol’s dynamic, fan-first ethos, promising electrifying moments for supporters and a potent boost for the Bears’ attacking lineup. As the new chapter unfolds, all eyes will be on how this seasoned yet hungry athlete reshapes his legacy on the rugby pitch once more. LEARN MORE“At just 24 years old, we know the athlete and competitor he is. The way we play and the way he wants to play fit seamlessly together, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
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