In terms of Louis Rees-Zammit announcements that alter a Wales coach’s plans, this week’s was relatively small fry.
Once you’ve decided to leave rugby union for the NFL on the day of a Wales squad announcement, there’s little else you can really do to throw off whoever is in charge. That said, Pat Lam’s assertion that the 25-year-old will play wing, rather than full-back, for Bristol moving forward does provide Steve Tandy with a bit of a dilemma.
“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,” said the Bristol director of rugby this week. “And 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. You know, obviously, he’s had some injuries and sickness, and I said, ‘Mate, it’s great’.
“One of the things I want to be really clear about is that I always ask them, ‘Which jersey do you want?’ And when they tell me they want to play this one, okay. ‘All right, let’s see how you go’.
“Every time he’s played on the wing for us, he’s scored tries because our game creates space for the wingers. He’s not necessarily wasted. I think it depends on your game plan. And so you can be wasted on the wing if your game plan doesn’t create space for the wingers.
JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more
“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.”
That’s all well and good. A Rees-Zammit that is scoring tries for fun on the wing can only be a positive for Wales and Tandy.
However, it does create a bit of a problem in terms of the full-back position.
Having returned to Test rugby last year as a wing, Rees-Zammit was shifted to full-back during the Six Nations.
It wasn’t an easy transition by any means, with the lack of try-scoring opportunities in the 15 jersey proving frustrating for Rees-Zammit.
During the tournament, he spoke about how he was getting to grips with the nuances of the position and re-learning things that were instinctive on the wing.
Odds are, even if Rees-Zammit’s club future appears on the wing, Wales will persevere with him at full-back – having ploughed all that time into him during the Six Nations – this summer.
However, with Tandy having already named his extended squad, there’s the risk that, when it comes to full-back, this could end up being something of a wasted summer.
Long-term, it might prove difficult for Rees-Zammit to ascend to the level of Test full-back if his working week is spent as a wing.
So, even if he spends this summer occupying the 15 jersey, chances are that Tandy might need to find a more natural full-back moving forward.
The obvious candidate, having worn the jersey for most of 2025, is Blair Murray.
The Scarlets man can beat a defender without breaking a sweat. He skipped past three times as many tacklers as any other Welsh player last season.
However, his involvement in the Six Nations was limited after losing the full-back role to Rees-Zammit.
His height is perhaps a concern given the change to the aerial game, but there’s a place somewhere for Murray going forward.
Another option in this summer’s squad, should Tandy decide to change things sooner rather than later, is Tom Rogers.
The soon-to-be Osprey has long wanted to play full-back. Ironically, it was after he decided to focus on just enjoying his game that a handful of caps on the wing came his way.
However, as he prepares to leave the Scarlets, there’s a sense that Rogers again is targeting a move to full-back.
Outside of the squad, there’s a number of players who will be sitting up and taking notice.
Cameron Winnett was a Wales regular in 2024, but has fallen down the pecking order.
Having not featured in an international for 18 months, he’s spent the last season fighting for fitness and form.
However, it’s hard to believe his Test race is run.
His Cardiff team-mate Jacob Beetham is another option, too.
Much of his rugby has been coming on the wing recently for the Blue and Blacks, with Corniel van Zyl seemingly getting more out of Beetham out wide in terms of his kick-chase and running angles.
But those same traits do mark him out as a contender for full-back moving forward.
Elsewhere, it did feel like Angus O’Brien’s chance of a Wales call-up was riding on this summer.
Having not been included, that could well be it for the 31-year-old. However, Rees-Zammit’s admission could see Tandy reconsider – with the Dragons man offering a tactical nous that few full-backs in Wales possess.
At the Ospreys, Iestyn Hopkins tends to split his time between full-back and wing – although he has impressed in the former when called upon this year.
Looking further down the line, Jack Woods, Rhys Cummings and Lewis Edwards all shared the jersey for Wales U20s earlier this year.
Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.