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Louis Rees-Zammit surpasses top speed in NFL with 80th minute try
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Louis Rees-Zammit dispelled any concerns over his stamina on Sunday when he raced in for an 80th-minute try against Leicester Tigers, clocking 23.57mph as he ran in from 65 metres out.
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After spending 18 months in the NFL, which is characterised by short, explosive bursts rather than sustained bouts of running seen in rugby, there were issues over the 24-year-old’s fitness heading into the new Gallagher PREM season with Bristol Bears, particularly as he has appeared to have bulked up.
However, there is nothing quite like a long-range try in the last play of the game for any player to make a statement over their fitness.
No Leicester player was able to get near the Wales wing as he sprinted down the right flank for his try, with his club since revealing he clocked 23.57mph, or 10.54m/s.
???? ???! ⛽️@LouisReesZammit topped 23.57mph on his way to the try line on Sunday – that’s 10.54 m/s 🤯
…in the 80th minute. pic.twitter.com/3oFo804oba
— Bristol Bears 🐻 (@BristolBears) September 30, 2025
That speed is quicker than any time he recorded during his time in the NFL, where he revealed after signing for Bristol that he managed 23mph while in the United States.
Of course, he has probably rounded that time to 23mph, but he was nevertheless .57mph faster at Ashton Gate on Sunday, and would likely have been even quicker earlier in the match. The 32-cap Welshman has said that he was weighing in at 105kg in the NFL, whereas he is roughly 100kg currently, which would have contributed to his increase in speed.
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“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.”
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