Louis Rees-Zammit

Louis Rees-Zammit (UK: /ˈluːɪs/; born 2 February 2001) is a Welsh rugby union wing who currently plays for Gloucester in the English Premiership Rugby[3][2][4] and for Wales at the national level.

Louis Rees-Zammit
Date of birth (2001-02-02) 2 February 2001[1]
Place of birthPenarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight13 st 10 lb (87 kg)[1]
Rugby union career
Youth career
  Cardiff Blues[2]
2017 Hartpury College[2]
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2018– Gloucester 32 (100)
Correct as of 9 May 2021
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019 Wales U18 5 (20)
2020– Wales 11 (30)
2021 British & Irish Lions 0 (0)
Correct as of 6 May 2021

Early life

Rees-Zammit was born in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan in Wales.[5] Aged seven he started playing rugby with Llandaff and was there until he was 12, when he then joined Rumney until he was 16. He attended The Cathedral School, Llandaff and played rugby for the school.[6]

Club career

Having started his youth career with the Cardiff Blues, he moved to Hartpury College and from there to the academy of Gloucester Rugby.[2] He broke into the Gloucester senior team in the 2019–20 season, becoming the club's youngest ever Premiership player.[7] He scored two tries against Worcester during a 36–3 win in December 2019,[8] and later the same month became the first 18-year-old to score a hat-trick of tries[9] during a 33–26 loss to Northampton.[10]

He received the Premiership Player of the Month Award in December 2019.[11]

On 13 January 2020, Rees-Zammit signed his first professional contract with Gloucester, thus promoted to the senior squad from the 2020-21 season.[12]

Rees-Zammit ended the 2020-2021 season with a record of 6 tries in 11 games and was named Gloucester's Young Player of the Year. [13]

International career

Rees-Zammit represented Wales at under-18 level.[2]

He received his first call up to the senior Wales squad, from coach Wayne Pivac, on 15 January 2020 for the 2020 Six Nations Championship.[14] He made his debut for Wales, from the bench, in a test match against France held at Stade de France in Paris, France, in October 2020.[15][16] Rees-Zammit scored his maiden test try against Georgia on 21 November 2020.[17]

He scored his first 2021 Six Nations Championship try, on his Six Nations debut, in the Round 1 match against Ireland on 7 February 2021.[18] On 13 February 2021, in the Six Nations match against Scotland, he scored two tries, including the winning try, and was named as man of the match.[19][20] On 21 March, in the Round 5 Grand Slam decider, against France, Rees-Zammit had a try disallowed, following analysis by the TMO Wayne Barnes, when the ball was judged to have been grounded on the base of the corner flag.[21][22]

On 6 May 2021, Rees-Zammit was named in the squad for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.[23]

International tries
TryOpponentLocationVenueCompetitionDateResult
1 GeorgiaLlanelli, WalesParc y ScarletsAutumn Nations Cup21 November 2020Win
2 IrelandCardiff, WalesMillennium Stadium2021 Six Nations7 February 2021Win
3  Scotland Edinburgh, Scotland Murrayfield 2021 Six Nations 13 February 2021 Win
4
5 ItalyRome, ItalyStadio Olimpico2021 Six Nations13 March 2021Win
6 FijiCardiff, WalesMillennium Stadium2021 Autumn Internationals14 November 2021Win

Personal life

Rees-Zammit's paternal grandfather emigrated to London from Malta.[24][25][26]

References
  1. "Louis Rees-Zammit". wru.wales. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. "Who is Louis Rees_Zammit". Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. "The night Louis Rees-Zammit's career exploded and his perfect response when asked if he could play for England". Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  4. "Louis Rees-Zammit Profile". Itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. Howell, Andy (August 16, 2020). "The Louis Rees-Zammit interview: I definitely want a Wales debut this autumn". WalesOnline. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  6. Thomas, Simon (16 January 2020). "The story of the little boy who grew up to be Welsh rugby's next big thing and the brother who has his back". Wales Online.
  7. "LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT BECOMES GLOUCESTER RUGBY'S YOUNGEST PREMIERSHIP PLAYER". Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  8. "Gloucester's teenage sensation Louis Rees-Zammit continues remarkable rise by inspiring win over Worcester". The Independent. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  9. "Louis Rees-Zammit set a new Premiership record in Gloucester Rugby loss at Northampton Saints". Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  10. "Welsh teen sensation Louis Rees-Zammit set to force his way into Six Nations squad after stunning hat-trick of tries". Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  11. "Louis Rees-Zammit named English rugby's player of the month and immediately donates prize to Welsh cancer centre". Wales online. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  12. "LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT EXTENDS HIS CONTRACT AT GLOUCESTER RUGBY". Gloucester Rugby. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  13. "Louis Rees-Zammit named 2020-21 Young Player of the Year". Gloucester Rugby. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  14. {news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51117440 |publisher=BBC Sport|title=Six Nations: Wales call up teenager Rees-Zammit and Saracens' Tompkins |date=15 January 2020 |access-date=15 January 2020}}
  15. "France vs Wales: Alun Wyn Jones to equal Test record, Louis Rees-Zammit set for debut". Sky Sports. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  16. "France 38-21 Wales: Antoine Dupont inspires home side in Paris". BBC Sport. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  17. World, Rugby (November 21, 2020). "Louis Rees-Zammit gets his first Test try". Rugby World.
  18. "Rees-Zammit scores try on Six Nations debut as Wales hold off 14-man Ireland". February 7, 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  19. "Preview: Scotland v Wales". Six Nations Rugby.
  20. Bath, Richard; Cosgrove, David (February 13, 2021). "Louis Rees-Zammit's stunning solo try sees Wales win thriller against 14-man Scotland". Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  21. Calvert, Lee (20 March 2021). "France 32-30 Wales: late try breaks Welsh hearts – as it happened" – via www.theguardian.com. Louis Rees-Zammit of Wales dives over the line only to have his try disallowed by referee Luke Pearce.
  22. Smith, Paul. "Ref Watch: The Grand Slam decider and the one call they got wrong". www.rugbypass.com. Playing with advantage Wales moved the ball wide where Louis Rees-Zammit attempted a spectacular mid-air grounding just inside the corner flag. Ridley’s decision to stay seven metres from the flag behind play left him with an obscured view and therefore unable to make a concrete decision. Pearce initially advised Barnes he saw it as a try and then – showing superb knowledge of the detail of law – told Ollivon: "If it is grounded against the base of the corner flag it is not a try, that is why we have Wayne in the van."
  23. "British and Irish Lions 2021: Sam Simmonds in 37-man squad but Billy Vunipola misses out". BBC Sport. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  24. "Rees-Lightning! Wales' Rising Rugby Star Is A 19-Year-Old Kid With Maltese Blood". Lovin Malta. February 23, 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  25. Thomas, Simon (January 16, 2020). "The family story of the boy who grew up to be Welsh rugby's next big thing". WalesOnline. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  26. "Teenage star Rees-Zammit named in Wales' Six Nations squad". Times of Malta. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
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