Opinion: How Louis Rees-Zammit’s NFL switch reflects on the state of rugby

Warren Gatland’s Wales squad announcement for the Six Nations was overshadowed on Tuesday by star winger Louis Rees-Zammit’s career switch.

The rapid 22-year-old announced that he has put his rugby career on hold to chase his dream of playing in the NFL, a move which has polarised the rugby public.

Regardless of whether you think that he is making the correct career move or not, one thing this writer is certainly of is that his decision is not a bad reflection on the state of rugby in the slightest.

Chasing the dream

A pure rugby fanatic may well believe that every player grows up wishing to represent their country, and in the case of the Home Nations, the British and Irish Lions, and while that is true for many, it is not always the case.

In fact, even arguably the greatest Lions’ skipper, Sam Warburton, had dreams of playing football for Wales before rugby stole his heart, and he is not the only one.

This is not to say that Rees-Zammit did not dream of representing Wales and the Lions; he dedicated himself to achieving both and did so in his trademark fashion: rapidly.

He debuted at 17 for Gloucester, earned a call-up for Wales at 18, and became a British and Irish Lion with his first opportunity at 20. He was a regular starter in his first Rugby World Cup, again cracking the squad on his first attempt.

Few have accomplished what Rees-Zammit has over a 10-year-long career, never mind doing so before his 23rd birthday.

Having reached the pinnacle of international rugby for a Northern Hemisphere player, the speedster is now switching his focus to chase another dream of playing in the NFL.

It’s not just the lure of the flashing lights, big US cities, huge salary, celebrity status and the chance of meeting Taylor Swift that has lured the Welshman to American football, as he revealed in an interview with the Rugby Journal.

“[My] Dad played American football in the UK; he never played rugby,” he said, “he’s like 6ft tall, but he’s not big.

“He was rapid, though; when I was sixteen, he would beat me in races.”

Reflection on rugby

However, despite Rees-Zammit clearly emphasising his desire to chase his NFL dream and that he hasn’t retired from rugby, some believe this still reflects poorly on the state of rugby.

“Blimey. Have to wonder if this is a reflection on rugby. If the sport can’t keep a talent like LRZ then it’s got a big problem,” BBC broadcaster Sonja McLaughlan wrote on X in reaction to his announcement.

Ex-England and Lions number eight Lawrence Dallaglio added his two cents, stating: “Some may see this as a strange choice, but it says a lot about the pathways in rugby that players are looking elsewhere. At 22, good luck to him. Take a sabbatical and if it doesn’t work out come back. If I was playing now I would consider 12 months in Japan post RWC to freshen up.”

But in this writer’s opinion, the pair couldn’t be more wrong. People can be fans of more than one sport, and in Rees-Zammit’s, that is entirely true, with his well-documented love for Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo also plainly obvious – just look at his try celebration against Portugal at the World Cup.

He was also presented with the life-changing, career-defining decision on the Sunday before the Six Nations squad announcement, which he had to make at the drop of a hat, and fair play to him – he is tackling the more daunting task.

Professional athletes are renowned for searching for opportunities to push their bodies to the limit and test their skills and abilities, and taking on the NFL is just that for Rees-Zammit.

In the statement announcing his decision, he described the offer as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’, and that is certainly accurate in his case, but for many British kids, the chance to even try to play in the NFL will never come.

In fact, the NFL’s website notes that the chances of an NCAA player making the NFL is 1.6 per cent, with over 1 million high school players a year vying for just 300 spots in the draft.

This really is the chance of a lifetime for an NFL fan, even one that is a pretty damn good international rugby player and athlete.

He is pushed to the front of the line and gets a near-free hit at becoming a professional in another sport through the International Player Pathway Program that the NFL runs. He gets unprecedented access to top-level football training and facilities, not to mention a keen eye from the top NFL scouts and coaches. Plus, he still gets paid for doing so.

It’s the kind of opportunity he would be stupid not to take.

It’s impact on rugby

While Gloucester released him from the remainder of his contract, it was only for the last six months or so, as he was bound to depart the Cherry and Whites at the end of the season.

He reportedly had an offer on the table from Top 14 entertainers Bordeaux and attracted interest from other clubs in France and Japan.

It was certainly not the structures in rugby that led Rees-Zammit to try his arm in the NFL but rather a chance of a lifetime.

His departure is a blow to Wales and rugby in general, but it has again shone the spotlight on rugby in the US market.

After the announcement that he would join the IP, Ian Rapoport – a National Insider for NFL Network – who has over 4 million followers on X, posted about the Welshman, with the comments quickly filling up with Rees-Zammit’s rugby highlights.

Joe Pompliano, who has over 500,000 followers, also posted a clip of the winger, and there is no doubt that he will be the subject of several debates on NFL shows and podcasts in the coming weeks, much like the case when Christian Wade made the move.

Rugby fans and pundits are quick to pile onto the game and quickly jump on what is wrong with the sport, but in this case, it should be a positive that one of the richest sports in the world is looking at our sport to add to their talent pool. It’s not the first time the NFL has come scouting in rugby and it won’t be the last, and that’s not entirely a bad thing.

READ MORE: Louis-Rees Zammit slams backlash after confirming ‘dream’ NFL move