Louis Rees-Zammit is desperate to force his way back into the Wales setup after returning to rugby union, having realised he was "wasting his talent" in the NFL.

Rees-Zammit stepped away from rugby shortly before the 2024 edition of the Six Nations to attempt to forge a career in American Football.

He signed contracts with both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2024 season but never appeared in a competitive game for either team.

The 24-year-old wing has now penned a season-long contract with Premiership side Bristol Bears and will be in contention for Steve Tandy's first Wales squad when they face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in four November internationals.

Rees-Zammit told reporters: "I just felt like I was wasting my talent out there, to be honest with you.

"I gave it my best shot, but it's very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven't gone through the college system. You just don't get the same opportunities as those boys.

"It makes sense from a coach's point of view, because those boys have been playing that sport for so long and it's hard to coach someone up on a sport they've never played before."

Check out @LouisReesZammit's first interview as a #BristolBears player 

 A 'whirlwind week'
 Arriving in Bear Country
 'Bears style of play suits me perfectly'
 Lessons from time in @NFL
 Entertaining the fans
 Recap of key tries

Watch full interview here 

— Bristol Bears  (@BristolBears) August 18, 2025

Rees-Zammit has won 32 caps for Wales and was part of the British and Irish Lions squad for their 2021 tour of South Africa, scoring three tries in four warm-up games.

He has scored 14 tries for Wales overall, the last five of which came at the 2023 World Cup as they reached the quarter-finals.

Rees-Zammit has no regrets over his time in the United States, adding: "I'm real about it – it probably wasn't for me in the end. There are no regrets. 

"I'm very happy that I made the decision because would I regret it if I never did it? I've gone out, did it, played a year, and I made a decision to come back and really express my game again.

"It was a gradual thing, but when I went back for year two, I kept thinking about what would happen if I came back to rugby."