An interview with Welsh rugby star, Louis Rees-Zammit
As featured in our latest issue of Cwtch magazine.
As the Wales Six Nations squad prepared for 2023’s instalment of the competition, we caught up winger, Louis Rees-‘Lightning’-Zammit as he prepared for his on-pitch comeback following injury.
22 years of age with 22 caps. That’s got to feel pretty good. What went through your mind when Warren Gatland announced that you’d be part of this year’s Six Nations Squad?
It’s always a great feeling [to be selected] and I’m extremely proud to represent my country. It was nice to be picked even whilst injured and it’s given me extra confidence in my ability. I just can’t wait to contribute…and I’m hoping that will be soon.
Injuries must be incredibly frustrating. How are you coping with yours and are you still hoping for a mid-tournament return to the pitch?
As a professional [sports person], you’re working hard on the training field and in the gym in anticipation of matches, so when those are taken away it’s frustrating. I’ve got a good group around me in both teammates and physios, so I’m hoping to play for Gloucester in the next couple of weeks, with the potential of being up for selection for the England [v. Wales] game.
You were still a teenager when Warren Gatland selected you for your first British & Irish Lions Tour in 2021. Does it feel any different going into the Welsh games now that you’re more widely known?
You definitely gain more confidence the more you play. It’s about training hard and trying to execute game plans both in training and in games. I’ve never taken anything for granted and I’m just really excited to be able to help the team [once I’m back fit]. Ever since I first went into camp, they [the more experienced players] were so much help, whether that’s with expectations in big games or position changes and so on. It’s something that really helps give you an extra boost of confidence.
It’s been said that your raw speed as a winger poses a huge threat on the field. We love your ‘Rees- Lightning’ nickname and assume you do too as we’ve spotted the little lightning emojis adorning your Instagram. Were you always so fast on the pitch?
Yeah, I’ve always been pretty fast… I always found sports day pretty straightforward as it came naturally to me. Dad will say he’s to thank as he also used to win the fathers’ 100m sprint. Both my parents were and still are athletic. [Nowadays] I’ve got a good [fitness] programme with Gloucester.
It may surprise our readers to learn that you didn’t start out as a winger, and that you’ve played centre, scrum-half, and fly-half. Do you think this broader experience has helped your understanding of the game?
I think it helps playing across the backline in terms of developing your skillset but also understanding each position and how you need to think. It wasn’t until I went to Hartbury [College at the age of sixteen] that I started to become established as a winger.
You were born in Penarth and lived in Llandaff as a child. Do you still enjoy living in Cardiff despite the commute to your Gloucester grounds?
[Gloucester] are such a great club and I feel just as much at home when I’m playing up there as I do when I’m home. I’m very family orientated and spend a lot of time relaxing at my parents’ house in Cardiff.
Playing on the Llandaff pitches in your school days, did you ever envisage being someone that young players now aspire to be?
I always had a lot of confidence in my abilities and my family have been so supportive. [There] was almost an expectation that I would make a career out if it – maybe not a British Lion by the age of 21 but even when I made it onto the first team at Gloucester and Wales, it felt surreal. It’s great that young players aspire to be like me and hopefully with some hard work some can be.
You have over 200k Instagram followers and I believe a staggering 70k of those followed you immediately after your ‘chip-and-chase’ try against Scotland in the 2021 Six Nations! Do you enjoy having that direct communication with fans?
I really enjoy it! It comes with its challenges, as with any social media platform people will have their negative opinions along with the positive ones. That’s something you get used to…the majority are positive, and I think that comes with [having] two great fan bases in Gloucester and Wales.
Part of the joy of social media as a fan is getting a glimpse into the day-to- day life of people on-screen. Have you changed much about the way you live to meet the physical and mental demands of training?
On a normal day I travel to and from Gloucester for training. I make sure I get quite a lot of sleep in as the days are strenuous. I also make sure I allow time to socialise with friends and family, whether that is going out for dinner or an activity like an escape room! Call of Duty is another one of those activities which is fun and enables me to socialise with friends. I eat healthily which includes a combination of Chef [cooked meals] in Gloucester, home meal prepping and Mum’s home cooking.
You’re still so young and with a bright future ahead of you. What are your own aspirations?
[I’m] training hard and putting 100% into my all-round game, looking to see what the results are. [With Gloucester I aspire to be] winning titles – that’s the Premiership and Europe, and with Wales, the World Cup and Six Nations titles.
And, finally, if you weren’t a rugby player, what do you think you’d be doing?
I was quite a handy footballer and was playing for Cardiff’s academy before I made the decision to commit to rugby, so who knows? [laughs] I might have made a career out of that.
Thank you to Louis for taking the time to sit down with us for an interview! Click here for more from Cwtch, the Cardiff living magazine from CPS Homes.
The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.
