Louis Rees-Zammit (; born 2 February 2001) is a
Welsh rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
who currently plays for
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
in the English
Premiership and for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
at national level. In 2021, Rees-Zammit was selected to tour with the
British and Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
.
Early life
Rees-Zammit was born in
Penarth,
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...
in Wales. He attended
The Cathedral School, Llandaff
The Cathedral School, Llandaff (Welsh: ''Ysgol y Gadeirlan, Llandaf'') is a coeducational independent day school located in Llandaff, a district north of the Welsh capital Cardiff. Originally established as a choral foundation to train choir boys ...
and played rugby for the school.
Club career
Rees-Zammit started his youth career at
Cardiff Blues, before moving to
Hartpury College
Hartpury University and Hartpury College, formerly Hartpury College, is a provider of further and higher education which describes itself as specialising in the "agriculture, animal, equine, sport and veterinary nursing" sectors. The university a ...
and from there to the academy of
Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The club was formed in ...
.
He broke into the Gloucester senior team in the 2019–20 season, becoming the club's youngest ever
Premiership player at 18 years and 70 days.
Rees-Zammit would also become Gloucester's youngest European player and youngest European try scorer in 2019. He scored two tries against
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
during a 36–3 win in December 2019,
and later the same month became the first 18-year-old to score a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
of tries
during a 33–26 loss to
Northampton.
He received the Premiership Player of the Month Award in December 2019.
Rees-Zammit ended his season with 15 tries in 21 appearances, including 10 tries in 10
Premiership starts.
On 13 January 2020, Rees-Zammit signed his first professional contract with Gloucester, securing him to the club on a long term deal.
Rees-Zammit ended the 2020-2021 season with a record of 11 tries in 20 games and was named Gloucester's Young Player of the Year.
Rees-Zammit made his first appearance of the
2021–22 Premiership scoring two tries in the Round 4 victory over
Sale.
International career
Wales
Rees-Zammit represented
Wales at under-18 level.
He received his first call up to the senior
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
squad, from coach
Wayne Pivac
Wayne Pivac (born 1962) is a New Zealand rugby union coach. In November 2019 he replaced Warren Gatland as the Wales national team coach. A former sworn officer in the New Zealand Police, he was a constable at the Takapuna police station on A ...
, on 15 January 2020 for the
2020 Six Nations Championship
The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...
. He made his debut for Wales, from the bench, in a test match against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
held at
Stade de France in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, France, in October 2020. Rees-Zammit scored his maiden test try against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
on 21 November 2020.
He scored his first
2021 Six Nations Championship
The 2021 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...
try, on his Six Nations debut, in the Round 1 match against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
on 7 February 2021. On 13 February 2021, in the Six Nations match against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, he scored two tries, including the winning try, and was named as
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
. On 21 March, in the Round 5
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
decider, against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, Rees-Zammit had a try disallowed, following analysis by the
TMO Wayne Barnes
Wayne Barnes (born 20 April 1979) is an English international rugby union referee and barrister. He is a regular referee in the English Premiership, and has refereed games in the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup. At international lev ...
, when the ball was judged to have been grounded on the base of the corner flag.
British & Irish Lions
On 6 May 2021, Rees-Zammit was named in the squad for the
2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour that took place in South Africa in July and August 2021. The British & Irish Lions, a team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scot ...
. Rees-Zammit's inclusion made him the youngest Lion selected since the
1959 Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand at the age of 20 years and 93 days. Rees-Zammit made his first Lions appearance in the tours opening provincial game against the
Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
, scoring the opening try after 3 minutes. Rees-Zammit was then selected to play against the
Sharks
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...
in the following game, again getting in the scoresheet as the Lions ran out 54–7 winners. Rees-Zammit would score as a replacement in the final provincial game of the tour on 17 July 2021 against the
Stormers, taking his tour tally to 3 tries in 4 appearances.
International tries
Personal life
Rees-Zammit's paternal grandfather emigrated to London from
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
References
External links
*
* from GloucesterRugbyTV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees-Zammit, Louis
2001 births
Living people
British people of Maltese descent
Gloucester Rugby players
People educated at The Cathedral School, Llandaff
Rugby union players from Penarth
Rugby union wings
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh rugby union players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales