Louis Rees-Zammit admitted he felt he was wasting his talent sitting on the sidelines in the NFL as he spoke for the first time as a Bristol player.
The Wales wing, 24, has returned to rugby after 18 months in the USA, signing a one-year deal with the Bears.
Rees-Zammit was contracted to both Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars while in America but never played a senior match.
Now, he is back in the sport where he first made his name.
‘I just felt I was wasting my talent out there to be honest with you,’ Rees-Zammit said, when asked why it was the right time to return home.
‘It’s very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven’t come through the college system. You just don’t get the same opportunities as those boys. I was fed up when I was practicing there. I just wanted to come back and really express my game and play something I was used to.
Louis Rees-Zammit admitted he felt he was wasting his talent sitting on the sidelines in the NFL
The Wales wing, 24, was contracted to both Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars while in America but never played a senior match.
Rees__Zamit has returned to rugby after 18 months in the USA, signing a one-year deal with the Bears
‘I think Bristol suits my game to a tee. It’s pretty much the perfect club for me with how Pat Lam wants us to play. There are no regrets.’
Rees-Zammit had several offers both in Britain and abroad with which to resume his rugby career. He revealed he would be open to staying longer with Bristol but is expected to join rugby’s proposed rebel league R360, as Daily Mail Sport revealed, for its slated start date in September 2026.
‘We want rugby to be as big as possible. If we can play it on a global stage, then ultimately that is going to be huge,’ Rees-Zammit said, when asked about potentially joining R360.
‘I don’t know too much about it to be honest because I’ve been away and I wasn’t fully wanting to come back to rugby at the time. ‘But over the past few months, I’ve heard more. Obviously, the media is all over it. My first rugby game back is going to be in six weeks so my full focus is on playing for Bristol and hopefully making the Welsh team in the autumn.’
