Louis Rees-Zammit was Wales’ full-back during the Six Nations
Louis Rees-Zammit has made clear his desire to ditch the full-back experiment which could hand Wales head coach Steve Tandy a significant selection headache ahead of this summer’s internationals.
The Wales star has revealed he wants to move back to the wing permanently at Bristol Bears after previously insisting full-back was his preferred position.
It comes just three months after Rees-Zammit stated he “enjoyed playing 15 the most” and believed the role suited his game perfectly during Wales’ Six Nations campaign.
But Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam has now confirmed the 25-year-old approached him and asked to switch back to the wing, admitting he sees himself once again as a “world-class winger”.
Rees-Zammit returned to the wing for Bristol’s recent defeat to Northampton Saints and scored a try in the process, having spent much of the second half of the season playing at full-back for club and country. Win free tickets to watch Fiji v Wales in Cardiff this summer.
“Zam was really keen to play full-back, but the biggest thing is he loves to score tries and is a world-class try scorer,” Lam told RugbyPass.
“What he quickly realised, he was a British Lion as a wing. He wants to be, again. He’s a world-class winger.
“We had a discussion, and he said that he’d like to go back on the wing.
“Every time he’s played on the wing for us, he’s scored tries because our game creates space for the wingers.
“I love the fact that he was honest enough to come and say, ‘Look, Pat, I really want to try playing at full-back’.
“So basically, he wants to be a world-class winger who can cover full-back.”
The development leaves Tandy with a potentially awkward issue heading into Wales’ summer fixtures against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa.
During the Six Nations, Rees-Zammit had been viewed as Wales’ long-term answer at full-back, with Tandy backing him in the No.15 jersey throughout the championship.
Speaking in February, the former Gloucester flyer explained why he believed the role brought the best out of him.
“I enjoy playing 15 the most, purely because you’ve got so much freedom,” Rees-Zammit told The Rugby Pod.
“When we are attacking, I’m never thinking that I have to go out on the wing, I can just roam wherever the 10 goes.
“Being able to create something out of nothing is what I’ve always tried to do.”
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However, Wales have not selected another specialist full-back – so to speak – in their squad for this summer’s matches, meaning Tandy may now have to reshuffle his back three if Rees-Zammit wants to remain on the wing internationally as well as domestically.
That could force one of Blair Murray, Tom Rogers or Josh Adams to shift positions in the coming weeks.
Rees-Zammit’s positional switch is particularly significant given Wales’ struggle to find a nailed-on successor to Leigh Halfpenny, with the national side having regularly rotated players in the role.
Lam, however, insists reverting back to the wing will ultimately make him more dangerous.
“He wants to be a world-class winger who can cover full-back,” added the Bristol boss.
“And for us, with the way we play, that’s where he’s at his best.”