Louis Rees-Zammit has been discussing his new life in America on Jim Hamilton’s hit show, Walk the Talk on Rugbypass TV.
The Welshman’s move from rugby union to American Football is not unprecedented, many others have tried to make the transition before, without too much success
Rees-Zammit had the rugby world at his feet when he decided at the start of the year to pack in rugby and try his luck in the States.
The poster boy of Welsh rugby was a month away from turning 23 at the time and had a full test career ahead of him.
Having run in 14 tries in 32 Tests for Wales, Rees-Zammit would have been a shoo-in for next summer’s tour to Australia. But, instead, he is trying to make a big splash on the other side of the pond.
Kansas City Chiefs signed him, and released him, to highlight how brutally tough it is for anyone who hasn’t played the sport before to make it in the NFL.
However, Jacksonville Jaguars have given him a lifeline, and a change of position, and Rees-Zammit is loving the challenge.
“I am loving it, 100%,” he told Walk the Talk presenter, Jim Hamilton.
“Since the start in January when I joined the International Player Pathway programme (IPP), it was my dream to make this happen.
“So being able to join the Chiefs, have a good training camp with them, play my first three NFL games, that was a dream come true.
“And then unfortunately I got released by them and joined Jacksonville.
“I’m also playing a different position, which I am absolutely loving. I was playing running back at the Chiefs and now I am playing wide receiver at the Jags.
“Going from running back to wide receiver, it is a lot different, not just the playbook but also running routes, being able to stop-start, being able to accelerate-decelerate – like that (clicks fingers) … it is tough. I think it is definitely the best position for me, wide receiver.”
Touching on the decision to leave his club side Gloucester and Wales to pursue his dream, Rees-Zammit added: “It was all about timing. I was coming to the end of my contract at Gloucester this year and I thought if I leave it any longer I’d probably be a bit old to pick it up for the first time.
“I am 23 now, and it was a now-or-never kind of thing. In January I spoke to Gloucester, and the International Player Pathway starts in January and obviously the season ends in June for rugby, so I had to kind of talk to Gloucester and tell them that this is my dream and ask them if I can get out of my contract early. Credit to them, they allowed me to do that.
“Never did I think I would ever be able to get into the NFL never mind have offers from multiple teams.”
Given the stop-start nature of American Football, it maybe comes as a surprise that the biggest shock Rees-Zammit had when he made his debut, against the Jaguars, in a 26-13 pre-season loss for the Chiefs on August 11th, was the speed of the game. Rees-Zammit ran with the ball six times, gained 22 yards, and caught one pass for three yards.
“I think the biggest shock for me was when I actually played a game and how fast it was,” he revealed.
“Those players come at you quick, especially when you are playing running back and you are in that pocket trying to find a gap with eight, ten people in front of you. It’s very tough.
“And they are massive, and they’re quick, they’re agile, they’re strong. I didn’t realise to train and to play in a game are two different things.
“That first game, my first-ever game of American Football, I didn’t have a very good game,” he freely conceded.
“But you have to pick the game up quick. It’s just chaos, the speed, the timing. When you see a hole you have to hit it now, you can’t wait. If you wait a split second that hole will disappear. That was probably the biggest thing I had to adapt to when I was in-game.”
Whilst the highest-profile crossover player before him, former England wing Christian Wade is back in rugby at Rees-Zammit’s former club Gloucester having failed to make the breakthrough, the Welshman is very much at ease with his decision and is hellbent on making a name for himself.
“When I say it was like going into a different world over there, it genuinely was. Until I show it on the field, I am a nobody at the end of the day compared to these Americans. This is my dream and I’m chasing it, I’ll do what it takes.”
You can watch Louis Rees-Zammit’s interview with Jim Hamilton in the next episode of Walk the Talk, on RugbyPass TV.
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