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'Social media shot up after the Scotland game. I got 70,000 people following me... it was very weird'
Louis Rees-Zammit has given his first interview as a Guinness Six Nations title winner for Wales, the 20-year-old telling The Rugby Pod about his feelings while watching last Friday’s France versus Scotland game, how Wales celebrated the result, what it is like being an overnight Instagram sensation and his acquaintance with ex-England and Manchester United footballer Paul Scholes.
Rees-Zammit played for Gloucester in their win over Exeter last Friday at Kingsholm and it wasn’t until the late stages that he was back at home to watch events unfold in the Test match in Paris, a result that led to the Six Nations trophy being presented to Wales the next day at their Vale of Glamorgan training base.
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“Our game was brought forward, we finished against Exeter with a good win and my dad drove me up so on the way back I could watch the Wales game,” explained Rees-Zammit on the show co-hosted by Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton.
“So I caught the last ten minutes in the house with my family and I was so scared. I didn’t know if France were going to win it or whatever. Even in the 82nd minute when France couldn’t even win, I was still nervous. That was a good night, to say the least.
“We had a few Proseccos, that was the first time I actually had Prosecco, to be honest,” he continued, detailing what happened the next day when Wales met up. “It was weird because you were just in a barn and you were like yeah, not full of fans and screaming, but to win the Six Nations is a dream come true and I really enjoyed it.
Episode 31 is now LIVE on YouTube!
Two quality guests this week in Stuart Lancaster & Louis Rees-Zammit who are no strangers to winning some silverware of late.
All that plus some Lions chat and Premiership action thrown in for good measure ?
?: https://t.co/fFY9phO85Y pic.twitter.com/6JBww0G5mJ
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) March 30, 2021
“I don’t know what it would feel like with fans but there was definitely a lot less pressure when I was running into stadiums, especially watching it on TV when there were fans and going to Stade de France and there were 80,000 French fans screaming at you, you don’t want to make one mistake do you? It was definitely a lot easier. I just can’t wait for fans to be back.
“When I first went in last Six Nations, I didn’t play but Wales made me feel very welcome. I settled in really well. At the start, I walked into the changing rooms and you see all these big players and you just say hi from a distance.
“The next campaign you are kind of settled in then and you’re making friendships and you’re getting closer with the boys and that helps massively when you are playing because if you don’t really know someone the chemistry is not going to be there. I have definitely settled in really well and all the boys have made me feel very welcome.”
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That chemistry was pivotal in Rees-Zammit becoming a Six Nations star, scoring in the opening round win over Ireland and adding two more in the thriller away to Scotland which brought him to the attention of many new admirers.
“It was a bit weird at the start and then after a few games I kind of got used to it and the social media shot up after the Scotland game. I got 70,000 people following me (on Instagram) after that one try or the two tries, it was very weird.
“I didn’t get much media training because everything has happened in such a short period of time, I have just been using every interview as a training method. There is definitely advice out there. A few of the Gloucester media team have been speaking to me. I just try and focus on my game but yes, I am thoroughly enjoying my professional rugby and I am just trying to keep on doing what I am doing.”
Wales next beat England at the end of February to clinch the Triple Crown and while Gloucester colleague, English winger Jonny May, has been on the receiving end of some banter, Rees-Zammit was respectful by not bringing his Six Nations medal to training.
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“He [May] has been getting some stick by Mark Atkinson which is quite funny but no I didn’t do that,” he said, adding that won’t reveal who might be the quicker of the pair, downplaying the evidence of a previous race.
“Jonny has actually done shuttles across the pitch then so he was a bit tired and I was a bit fresher in that race. On another day he could beat me, I’m not sure. At the end of the day, he is my teammate, I am never going to say who is faster because we don’t know.”
Rees-Zammit also touched on his rapport with ex-United footballer Scholes, whose daughter he dated for a while. “He had a word with me (about playing for England and not Wales) but it was going in one ear and going out the other.
“He had actually never watched rugby, had never watched a rugby game and he watched me for the first time, I think it was Exeter at home last year and that was the very first rugby game he had ever been to. So yeah, he said he enjoyed it and he still watches the games actually.”
Andy Goode finds room for just 1 England player in his Lions XV while his old @TheRugbyPod mucker Jim Hamilton voices jolting opinions regarding Owen Farrell and Alun Wyn Jones #LionsRugby
https://t.co/1yAfKLU5SI— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 30, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments