Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit has confidently backed his pace against some of rugby’s quickest names, though he admits there’s one man he wouldn’t beat in a straight sprint.
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In a clip shared by TNT Sports, the Bristol Bears flyer was asked to compare his speed with a range of rapid players from across the game. Unsurprisingly, Rees-Zammit tipped himself to come out on top in most matchups.
He claimed he would outpace the likes of Jonny May, Jonah Lomu, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Shane Williams, Christian Wade, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Will Jordan, Henry Arundell and Cheslin Kolbe.
The 25-year-old also gave credit to Adam Radwan, acknowledging the England winger’s speed, but still felt he would have the edge over a full-distance race.
However, when the final comparison came up, Rees-Zammit changed his tune. Asked who would win between himself and Carlin Isles, he admitted: “Carlin Isles! He’s basically an American sprinter, so he’d beat me.”
That’s hardly a knock on Rees-Zammit. Isles is widely considered the fastest player rugby has ever seen, having built his reputation in athletics before switching to rugby.
Prior to taking up the sport in 2012, Isles was ranked the 36th fastest sprinter in the United States, with a legal 100m personal best of 10.15 seconds.
Rees-Zammit himself is no slouch, though. His top recorded speed of 24.2mph, set during Wales’ autumn Test against Fiji in 2021, puts him firmly among the fastest players in either code of rugby.
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