Rugby

Why Louis Rees-Zammit is playing with a ‘smile on my face’ for Wales


mens

nations-championship

Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit makes a break during the Rugby Nations Championship match between Wales and Japan at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Louis Rees-Zammit says he is playing with a “smile on his face” after returning to his preferred position on the wing with Wales.

Rees-Zammit inspired Wales to the first victory of the autumn series Japan on Saturday, he made five line breaks and gained 121 meters in his 16th international try.

The Bristol Flier returned to the Test scene 12 months ago after spending two years trying to break into the NFL, but admitted this summer he had not returned to rugby as quickly as he would have liked.

Rees-Zammit was used at full-back by Wales last season but again enjoyed the wide spaces of the Principality Stadium as Steve Tandy’s side beat Japan 28-21.

“I’m really used to just playing on the wing,” Rees-Zammit said of his switch to fullback.

“I wouldn’t say it was an experiment, because as a back-three player he is very replaceable.

“So if they ask me to play there, I will play there, but my favorite position is playing on the wing.

“I thought I had good performances last year, but now I feel really confident in my game.

“I play with a smile on my face, I play with confidence and I always feel that I can beat defenders.”

Wales won two out of four Nations Championship match, after they won Fiji in the summer before the defeat of Argentina and South Africa.

But they remain fifth in the Northern Hemisphere division, and the fixture list gets significantly tougher with New Zealand and Australia in Cardiff in the next two weeks.

New Zealand – who are on a 34-match winning streak against Wales – are up next and Rees-Zammit was among the scorers when All black people won 52-26 in Cardiff 12 months ago.

He said: “We were in that game for about 60 minutes. It’s about hard work, putting your body on the line against those guys.”

“When you get the ball, when you have chances, you have to be brave and fearless, because we have a very strong back line.

“We have players who can play with the ball and we have a back three who can also finish chances.

“Obviously they’re a great team, but as soon as you shy away from that, chances are you miss and they take advantage of that.

“It’s always special to play against the All Blacks, but no matter who the opponent is, we want to win.”





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

MLB

Top Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula spoke ahead of his highly anticipated Major League debut after receiving a surprise call-up directly from Double-A. “You’re...

MLB

Julian McWilliams joins CBS Sports HQ to recap the biggest storylines after the first week of the 2026 MLB Season. [00:00:00] ABS Challenge Systen...

MLB

Josue De Paula celebrated his first National League West championship just days after making his major league debut with the Dodgers. De Paula described...

MLB

Former MLB General Manager Jim Bowden joins CBS Sports HQ to discuss the latest news around the MLB before the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline....

Copyright © 2026 LewLewSports - All rights reserved.

Exit mobile version