Guess who's back on the bench? Louis Rees-Zammit, that's who. After a bizarre American football detour where he saw more bench than ball with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 24-year-old Welsh wing is set to grace the rugby field again this Sunday against Argentina in Cardiff. It's been a hot minute since we last saw Rees-Zammit in a Wales jersey, dating back to a heartbreaker of a loss to Argentina in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final.
Rees-Zammit's return to rugby commenced with his signing with Bristol in the English Premiership this past August, although his comeback trail hit a snag last month with a pesky toe injury. Now, fully healed and raring to go, he's found a spot on Wales' bench, eyeing a chance to jump back into the fray in the Autumn Nations Series opener.
"It’s a real privilege to announce my first match day 23 for Wales,"
gushed new coach Steve Tandy, clearly pumped about his lineup.
"I just want to see that 23 really go out there and express themselves on Sunday and enjoy every moment of representing the country in such a unique and special jersey."
While Rees-Zammit plans his reentry, Coach Tandy is playing it safe with the starting lineup, keeping the back three intact from their last outing—a 31-22 victory over Japan in Kobe that snapped a gnarly 18-game losing streak. The trio of Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, and Josh Adams will be looking to turn that win into a streak of a more positive nature.
As for the rest of the team gearing up this Sunday, it reads like a who’s who of Welsh rugby: Blair Murray at 15, Tom Rogers at 14, Max Llewellyn at 13, Ben Thomas at 12, Josh Adams at 11, Dan Edwards at 10, Tomos Williams at 9, with the forwards packing down as Aaron Wainwright at 8, Jac Morgan captaining at 7, Alex Mann at 6, Adam Beard at 5, Dafydd Jenkins at 4, Keiron Assiratti at 3, Dewi Lake at 2, and Rhys Carre anchoring the scrum at 1. The bench looks ready to burst with Liam Belcher, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Freddie Thomas, Olly Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, and of course, the man of the hour, Louis Rees-Zammit, wearing the number 23 jersey.
So, will Rees-Zammit make a triumphant return or will he be left chewing his nails on the sidelines? Only Sunday will tell, but either way, the stage is set for a thrilling chapter in Welsh rugby.
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Guess who's back on the bench? Louis Rees-Zammit, that's who. After a bizarre American football detour where he saw more bench than ball with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 24-year-old Welsh wing is set to grace the rugby field again this Sunday against Argentina in Cardiff. It's been a hot minute since we last saw Rees-Zammit in a Wales jersey, dating back to a heartbreaker of a loss to Argentina in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final.
Rees-Zammit's return to rugby commenced with his signing with Bristol in the English Premiership this past August, although his comeback trail hit a snag last month with a pesky toe injury. Now, fully healed and raring to go, he's found a spot on Wales' bench, eyeing a chance to jump back into the fray in the Autumn Nations Series opener.
"It’s a real privilege to announce my first match day 23 for Wales,"
gushed new coach Steve Tandy, clearly pumped about his lineup."I just want to see that 23 really go out there and express themselves on Sunday and enjoy every moment of representing the country in such a unique and special jersey."
While Rees-Zammit plans his reentry, Coach Tandy is playing it safe with the starting lineup, keeping the back three intact from their last outing—a 31-22 victory over Japan in Kobe that snapped a gnarly 18-game losing streak. The trio of Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, and Josh Adams will be looking to turn that win into a streak of a more positive nature.
As for the rest of the team gearing up this Sunday, it reads like a who’s who of Welsh rugby: Blair Murray at 15, Tom Rogers at 14, Max Llewellyn at 13, Ben Thomas at 12, Josh Adams at 11, Dan Edwards at 10, Tomos Williams at 9, with the forwards packing down as Aaron Wainwright at 8, Jac Morgan captaining at 7, Alex Mann at 6, Adam Beard at 5, Dafydd Jenkins at 4, Keiron Assiratti at 3, Dewi Lake at 2, and Rhys Carre anchoring the scrum at 1. The bench looks ready to burst with Liam Belcher, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Freddie Thomas, Olly Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, and of course, the man of the hour, Louis Rees-Zammit, wearing the number 23 jersey.
So, will Rees-Zammit make a triumphant return or will he be left chewing his nails on the sidelines? Only Sunday will tell, but either way, the stage is set for a thrilling chapter in Welsh rugby.