Rees-Zammit off the mark and backed to star by Williams

Wales legend Shane Williams has backed “Superstar” Louis Rees-Zammit, who lost to the Bristol Bears and was subsequently backed to quickly restore him to his best.

The 24-year-old wing started against his former club Gloucester on Friday night, adding yet another step in his rugby career.

Rees-Zammit scored his first try in 20 minutes at the end of the first period at Edinburgh in January 2024, beating the last man by a long shot.

After a first-half derby dust-up, he would later have a break in the sin bin, but thanks to Bristol’s 40-24 Prem Cup victory, he was happy to return to his former stamping grounds.

Rees-Zammit improved with 14 on his back and played until the 56th minute after starting on his debut against Sale.

In America, the wing weighed in at 15st 7lbs while Bristol weighed in at 15st 7lbs.

Rees-Zammit claimed that despite having more muscle in his arsenal to advance to the Kansas City Chiefs and then the Jacksonville Jaguars, he still top speed at 23mph.

He set a 40-yard dash time of 4.43, which disappointed him given his training efforts: “I was getting low 4.3s, high 4.2s.”

Rees-Zammit’s quickness on the rugby field earned him a spot in the United States, and there are already indications that he’s still very quick.

Bristol will start their autumn internationals with five league games in hand, so it will shock Bristol if the speedster, who won the last 32 of his 32 caps against Argentina at the 2023 World Cup, is not selected.

Steve Tandy, the manager of New Wales, has the option to call on Rees-Zammit for the Test matches against Argentina, Japan, and New Zealand, but not South Africa, which is outside World Rugby’s window.

Wales’ record try scorer, Shane Williams, who made 58 of his 87 starts, is excited about the return of a wing, who has crossed 14 times in international rugby.

He is a significant asset to Wales. The 2008 world player of the year described him as a superstar player, “just look at the tries he scored and what he did for Wales in that short period of time.”

Because it has changed in the last 12 months, let alone 24 months, he will probably need a little time to get back into the swing of things with rugby union.

There are many things to learn, but he chose a team that was best for him and who enjoys playing open rugby; they are an offloading team that will try to get the ball out to him whenever they can.

He appeared a little rusty, but he is a talented player who is young enough to return to his best form in six months.

In Japan, Wales used a back three made up of Tom Rogers, Josh Adams, and Blair Murray, with Keelan Giles making his Test debut off the bench.

Liam Williams, who is currently a Test centurion, hasn’t given up on his dream, while Rio Dyer, Ellis Mee, and Josh Hathaway are just a few of the other contenders.

Murray’s rapid rise last season was a result of Rees-Zammit’s American adventure, with Shane Williams looking forward to their potential partnership.

Blair is the equivalent of Cheslin Kolbe and Darcy Graham in Wales, which is what I love to watch. They are gutsy, brave, work hard, touchline-to-touchline, and never give up, Williams, a Premier Sports pundit, said ahead of the United Rugby Championship.

Rees-Zammit is a player that Blair and Wales are likely to connect with because of how well they have adapted to playing wing.