Gloucester Rugby head coach George Skivington has given his verdict, regarding the shocking news of Louis-Rees Zammit’s dream to play American Football in the NFL. It was announced on Tuesday, that Rees-Zammit had left the Cherry and Whites with immediate effect, for a spot on the NFL’s International Player Pathway Programme.
Rees-Zammit has essentially played his last game of rugby, after 32 test match caps for Wales and becoming a British & Irish Lion on the 2021 tour to South Africa. For Gloucester, the former wing scored a staggering 42 tries in 77 appearances, after his 2018 debut against Wasps in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
A graduate of Hartpury College, Rees-Zammit shot up the ranks in Gloucester’s feeder system, to become the club’s youngest ever player to appear in the Premiership. The Welshman made his league debut on the 13th of April 2019, in Gloucester’s West Country derby win over Bath, aged just 18 years and 70 days old. However now, after six years at Kingsholm, Rees-Zammit departs the club in persuit of his ‘American dream’.
Gloucester head coach George Skivington gave his mid-week media conference yesterday, and spoke about his reaction to Rees-Zammit’s departure. According to Skivington, the 22-year-old had previously expressed an interest in playing in the NFL this past Summer, yet Skivington had not thought that such ambitions would come into play so early in Rees-Zammit’s career.
“I’ve known ‘Zam’s’ wanted to go to the NFL, like I say, well, within the (last) summer was when we sat down and we’re talking about contracts around rugby. He was very honest about it. Did I think it was a realistic prospect? No, I just thought we were having a conversation of a young man with an aspiration of a completely different sport.
“But ultimately, if an opportunity like that comes along, he’s not gone to another rugby club, he’s gone to a completely different sport. So, you could try and block it, but we wouldn’t do that. Rugby is all about relationships, ultimately, you want to get your team functioning. But it’s a pretty intense environment, day to day, week to week, you win you lose, emotions are ridiculously high, ridiculously low.
“You build up proper relationships, and therefore, you know, there’s not much of a decision to be made, especially with his ambition to do it. So, it’s got to be legally right, but we’ve always looked after players here, and there’s not really a massive decision to be made.”
Despite Skivington’s previous awareness of Rees-Zammit’s intentions to play American Football, the wing’s Gloucester Rugby teammates were less in the loop. The head coach explained how Rees-Zammit had told him first, yet admitted that he faced a shocked reception by his on-field brothers.
Skivington discussed how Rees-Zammit broke the news to his teammates, who couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing. It was certainly an unexpected day at Kingsholm, as the Cherry and Whites said farewell to one of their most dependable talents.
“I think they were shocked. Because, like we all were, I think, no one had any idea that was coming. He hadn’t told anybody, obviously, there wasn’t much of a timeline to tell anybody. But to be fair to him, he made sure that I knew first and had the conversation, then he had the opportunity to tell the boys.
“He was very emotional in the meeting, the boys were stunned. But, you know, like anything, sport moves fast, by the end of the day, everybody’s (wishing him) ‘look, best of luck’. We all hope he makes it because it’d be a great story if he does.
“But yeah, I think (they were) all shocked. But equally again, the NFL rumours probably from the summer, you know, I think in the summer, lots of people thought he was already going to NFL. So maybe a few boys weren’t as shocked that he was actually (going to) the NFL, but when he came in, it was definitely an emotional team meeting.”
It was certainly a whirlwind day across the West Country, with the breaking news storm of Rees-Zammit’s departure blowing a gale over the Severn Bridge and into Cardiff. Word travelled fast to the Welshman’s hometown, with Wales head coach Warren Gatland reportedly finding out about the news an hour before he was set to name his squad for the 2024 Six Nations. Gatland’s press conference was understandably delayed due to the sudden turn of events, which Skivington believed summarised the nature of the day.
“It’s pretty much a 24 hour, chaotic… I don’t know, I’m still digesting it really. Zam has always had this aspiration to go to NFL, you know, even though it was rumoured in the summer, which I did talk to him about, and he said, ‘If I ever get the opportunity, I’d like to go.’ But that’s as far as (it went). There’s lots of people who would like the opportunity to go to the NFL, I’m sure. So that is as far as it went.
“Then on Monday, he came in saying he’s got an opportunity. To be honest, once I’ve had my discussions, it then goes above my head and into contracts and releases and all that sort of stuff. So you know, I pretty much got on with my coaching day yesterday, and the day before until I got told ‘yeah, he’s going to go’ and at which point I rang Warren (Gatland).”
“I’ve known Warren a long time, but I gave him a call because it happened so quick, and it was happening thick and fast. I was coaching the boys, and we were in team meetings. Then when I got told, ‘this is actually happening now’, I got straight on the phone to Warren.
“But he was pretty close to getting his team out and I was conscious of that. So I just said, ‘listen, you need to know, I’ve just been told this is actually happening, and from your point of view, I appreciate it’s going to change your squad dynamic a little bit.’ So obviously, they delayed their things and Warren was as shocked as the rest of us, but again, you just got to make your adjustments and make a plan.”
Club rugby in England and Wales has been under a scrutinising microscope throughout the past couple of seasons. The financial collapses of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish have asked questions around the financial stability of the club game in England, whilst the WRU contract saga in Wales and threatened players strike in the 2023 Six Nations, highlighted off-field problems across their nation.
Couple this with top English talents who have departed for France, and the young Welsh prospects who are ditching their international goals for stable club careers in the Premiership, and there are plenty of ‘red flags’ being raised across England and Wales. However, George Skivington does not think that Rees-Zammit’s move has anything to do with the financial issues in the modern rugby landscape. Skivington sees a young athlete who is chasing a goal, and does not believe that it is reflecting badly on rugby union.
“I don’t think there’s many people who have actually left the sport really. This happens very, very rarely, ‘Wadey’ (Chrsitian Wade) would be the last time someone tried to move in this direction. So I don’t think it’s anything to do with rugby, his decision. It’s just something he’s always wanted to do.
“However, the opportunity’s come along, it’s come along. So, I don’t think it’s a reflection on rugby at all. I think it’s just one person’s dream, and the opportunity is there. So I don’t foresee many rugby players going in that direction as a result of it, I think it’s very unique. And you know, if it doesn’t work out, he’ll be back in the game, but I don’t think it’s any reflection on rugby itself.”
Skivington then discussed how Rees-Zammit’s mid-set is as totally committed to the NFL.
“He desperately wants to go and do it. We’re not going to stand in the way of stopping someone with an opportunity, and it’s a pretty unique opportunity. He’s changing sport, he’s effectively leaving rugby. In his mind, he’s leaving rugby for good.
“Obviously, he’s aware, if it doesn’t work out he might come back to rugby, but his mindset is, ‘I’m leaving rugby for good’. You know, there’s not a huge decision to be made on our behalf, really, because you can either hold someone in the building who doesn’t want to be in rugby, never-mind, anything else, or you negotiate, like I say, and those things go on.
“That’s the way it goes. So not really a decision for me. I didn’t wake up Monday morning thinking we are going to let Zam go or anything like that. I just was part of the initial conversation.”
“But as I say, his mindset was very much ‘I am going for the NFL and won’t be coming back’. So, again, I think he has to have that mindset to go and do what he’s going to try and do. If it all changes, then we’ll see where we’re at. But, you know, we’ll make our plans without Zam going forward. And he’ll make his plans for the NFL and who knows what happens if it doesn’t work out.”
As Skivington alluded to, the door remains ajar for Rees-Zammit should his American dream not come to fruition and he ops for a return to rugby. Despite excelling as one of the Premiership’s top wingers, former Wasp Christian Wade was unable to surpass the training squad of the Buffalo Bills, and returned to rugby in 2022, to join up with Racing. Even the most talented rugby players can struggle to adapt on the other side of the pond, yet this in no ways puts any doubt on Rees-Zammit’s mission to achieve his goals.
“Of course, we’d always welcome Zam back. I think, like I say, his mindset leaving now, is that he’s played his last game of rugby, and that he’s off to the NFL. I think he probably needs that mindset to be honest, because it’s going to be a real challenge and he knows that.
“He’s definitely not taking it lightly. He’s got a 10 week program, whatever that looks like, and then, hopefully he gets selected and then he gets his foot in the door. But he knows, one day if he comes back to rugby, of course, there’ll be conversations and whatnot. But you know, his mindset as of Monday was very much, I’m moving on from rugby, and I’m going to rip into American football.”
Having weathered the storm of Rees-Zammit’s departure, Skivington has to turn his attention to tomorrow evening’s Challenge Cup fixture against Castres. Thankfully, the Cherry and Whites have sufficient squad depth across the outside backs, with Skivington searching for who will step up and claim Rees-Zammit’s vacancy out on the wing. Gloucester are top of their Challenge Cup Pool with three wins from three, and are eager to maintain this form, despite losing the winger known as ‘Rees-Lightning’.
“From my point of view, we are strong in the back three, we have got quality in the back three. We’ve used Zam off the bench, a couple of times this year, because we’ve got such a good back-three. We’ve got a couple of really talented young back-three players coming through as well.
“It was important this season that I bleed them into the process of being proper Premiership players. So you know, obviously you lose someone of Zam’s quality, any squad is going to look different for that. But I think we are blessed in the back three with the talent we’ve got.”