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Rees-Zammit vs May: 'They run against each other a lot in training, they're well versed on each other's strengths and weaknesses'
It’s set to be one of the most intriguing Guinness Six Nations individual battles for many a year, the February 27 head-to-head in Cardiff between two Gloucester teammates with serious wheels, Louis Rees-Zammit of Wales going up against England’s Jonny May.
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In the red corner, there will be a 20-year-old from Penarth who has six Test caps and four tries, and in the white corner there is an experienced 30-year-old from Swindon who has 63 Test caps and 32 tries.
Both generated massive headlines coming out of Murrayfield and Twickenham last weekend. In Edinburgh, Rees-Zammit won the whole shooting match for Wales with his audacious kick, chase, gather and winning score in an amazing gallop down the touchline.
Meanwhile, in London some hours earlier, May’s acrobatic finish in the corner was a score that made him the second all-time highest England try scorer. Now, if both stay fit, they are poised to go head-to-head at the Principality on Saturday week, Rees-Zammit donning the Wales No14 and May wearing the England No11.
It’s likely to provide epic entertainment, even for Gloucester boss George Skivington who will have to watch the battle unfold on TV delay as his team’s 3.15pm kick-off in the Gallagher Premiership at home to Worcester that same day won’t be finished by the time Pascal Gauzere blows his whistle for the 4.45pm Test kick-off in Cardiff.
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“Thankfully I will get to watch that game without any pressure on the result,” enthused Skivington at his club’s weekly media conference. “They run against each other a lot in training. Like we have done with the squad selections, we mix and match in training a lot and make sure we have got different combinations running together.
“For Jonny and Zam, it’s great for both of them. It’s great for Jonny as well having a youngster like Zam keeping him on his toes, defending and attacking against each other. They’re well versed on each other’s strengths and weaknesses and I’m sure they will enjoy going head to head.”
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Skivington sidestepped when asked which of his Kingsholm flyers is the fastest. “We’ll maybe wait and see for that day. I wouldn’t know exactly but it would be pretty close.”
While everyone has long admired the talents of May, who made the breakthrough at Gloucester in 2010 and was first capped by England in 2013, the world is only waking up to the potential possessed by Rees-Zammit, who made his club debut in 2019 and had a first appearance for Wales just last October in a friendly versus France.
“He [Rees-Zammit] is a world-class finisher,” beamed Skivington. “There are not that many people with Zam’s pace and ability to score tries. He is thriving on that at the moment. He is just a very impressive young man. He is very humble. He works hard. He gets on with his job.
“He knows he has got lots to learn the game and he has got two good environments that he can bounce off and be around some really good individual professionals as well. He is at the very start of his journey and it’s teeing up to be a very exciting one for him.”
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If the pair see out the remainder of the championship in the same attention-grabbing way they have started it, they could each be receiving a call from Warren Gatland about touring with the Lions if their series versus the Springboks goes ahead.
“It would be amazing for Gloucester,” continued Skivington. “If we get anyone on the Lions tour it is a great representation of the club. I don’t think it is something those two are focused on right now.
“Zam is back training with us this week. The first thing he said was, ‘Let’s get into Bath and let’s try and beat Bath on Friday night’. That is a credit to him but it’s always great to see any Gloucester players playing for their country and we’ll see what happens with the Lions in the summer, but that is a good bit off yet.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments