The Wales winger scored a sensational solo try for Bristol Bears against Leicester Tigers on Sunday, with his top speed in the act of scoring now published
Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit showcased an impressive top speed whilst scoring a sensational solo try for Bristol Bears at the weekend. During the PREM match against Leicester Tigers at Ashton Gate on Sunday, with the clock ticking into the 80th minute, former Gloucester wideman Rees-Zammit took possession of the ball and proceeded to sprint from well within his own half to score, leaving several would-be tacklers trailing in his wake.
This was a timely reminder – if one were needed – of the 24 year old’s talents, with a spot in Steve Tandy’s Wales squad for the autumn internationals already looking like a sure thing. This marked the winger’s first league appearance of the season for the Bears and his first in the competition since he left rugby for the NFL over 18 months ago.
During his stint Stateside, the speedster bulked up, gaining weight in an attempt to break into the sport, reports Wales Online.
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But despite carrying an extra kilo or two upon his return, he still managed to clock an extremely impressive 23.57mph – or 10.54m/s – as he ran in from 73 metres out. He maintained a top speed of 10m/s for two seconds as he accelerated away.
The Bears shared the clip with the stat on their X account, highlighting that it is faster than the 20mph speed limit in place around their Ashton Gate stadium. It is, of course, also quicker than the speed limit on many of Wales’ roads.
That pace is faster than anything he recorded during his stint with Kansas City Chiefs or Jacksonville Jaguars, with the Penarth product disclosing he managed to reach 23mph whilst in America.
He has now shed 5kgs – dropping from 105 to 100 – which will have assisted the 32-cap international in boosting his performance.
However, he has actually clocked even quicker than that, with the Welshman revealing he has reached 24mph previously.
“I got up to like 105 kilos and my playing weight in rugby was probably about 96kg,” Rees-Zammit said after signing for Bristol.
“Over the last couple of months I have really got myself back to about 100kg and now I am actually doing rugby training, I think I can get straight back down to that 96-98 kilo range and that is probably perfect for me.
“On stats it didn’t, I was still hitting 23mph at 105 kilos so it was just the amount of conditioning, they don’t do that much because plays last four to six seconds in the NFL so it is not something they need to have.
“It is all about repeated sprints for the wide receivers.
“Playing rugby it is different, you have got to be very fit because the ball in play, if that gets high you are going to be running around a lot.”
His display against the Tigers left watching pundits Austin Healey and Sam Warburton impressed, who were covering the match for broadcasters TNT Sport. “I think some people’s concerns might have been how does Rees-Zammit fared beyond 60 minutes because he hasn’t played a game which needs repeated efforts,” Warburton said.
“But to do that on the 80th minute I think anyone who might have doubted some of his condition from an endurance perspective, he’s answered all of those critics.
“To run that fast that late in the game is special.”