Louis Rees-Zammit was the star of the show as he scored a brace to help Bristol Bears stage a comeback and clinch a 36-27 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls in the Gallagher PREM on Sunday. Newcastle had initially taken a 10-point lead at Ashton Gate, threatening an upset. However, Pat Lam’s squad managed to overpower their spirited rivals, largely thanks to Rees-Zammit’s double.
The Welsh full-back showcased his exceptional skills by scoring the first try for his team, exploiting a gap in the Newcastle defence. Rees-Zammit also played a crucial role in setting up a try for team-mate Matias Moroni with a perfectly timed offload, before going on to score his second try of the match with an impressive finish.
A sharp pass from Moroni found Rees-Zammit just outside the Newcastle 22, but the 24-year-old still had plenty to do. He managed to dodge one defender and outpace two others with his swift footwork, slicing through the defence and diving over the line.
His score levelled the game with less than 25 minutes remaining.
The two tries brought his total to eight for Bristol since returning to rugby from the NFL earlier this year.
This marked the second consecutive match where Rees-Zammit, typically a winger, started as a full-back. He donned the number 15 jersey against Harlequins at Twickenham last week, where he also made it onto the scoresheet with a superb solo effort.
Prior to this, he had featured in the position only occasionally for Gloucester and Wales, but appears to be thriving at full-back, with TNT Sports commentator Joe Byrnes declaring “the full-back experiment is working” as the Welshman touched down for his second try.
This progression is certain to capture the attention of Wales head coach Steve Tandy with the Six Nations less than six weeks away.
Whilst Scarlets star Blair Murray donned the number 15 shirt in all four of Wales’ autumn international Tests, he found life difficult under the high ball and has become a potential doubt for the Six Nations following a scan on an ankle injury earlier this week.
Jacob Beetham and Cam Winnett are amongst other potential candidates for Tandy, but Rees-Zammit would provide a physical presence, experience and composure under the high ball, alongside his renowned pace and capability to penetrate defences.
The Welshman’s switch from wing to full-back has already caught the eye of his head coach, with Lam praising him following last week’s encounter with Harlequins.
“Louis has fitted in really well after returning from his NFL spell in the States,” he told the BBC. “He’s an outstanding lad who can switch from wing to full-back, where he played tonight. He can do special things and that’s what he did here with his try.”