A rising star of world rugby who leaves his club and his team less than three weeks before the start of the Six Nations Tournament. By announcing that he was putting his rugby career on hold to embark on the adventure of American football towards the NFL, Louis Rees-Zammit took everyone by surprise. The 22-year-old Welsh hopeful will join theInternational Pathway Program (IPP), a test-based detection program for international players who want to try their luck in the NFL.
Why this choice, why now and what can he expect? Sébastien Sejean, who played for the Saint-Louis Rams between 2008 and 2010 (without playing an official match) deciphers this choice.
Why this choice ?
Scheduled for the Welsh list for the Six Nations, which begins on February 3 against Scotland, the winger took a big risk for his career, leaving his Gloucester club and its selection brutally orphaned. This choice is explained firstly by the length of the program. “If there’s ever a time he wants to do it, it’s now. Because if he enters the IPP program, he signs a three-year contract. If he doesn’t manage to break through, that allows him to return to rugby, and be eligible for the 2027 World Cup.” explains Sébastien Sejean.
His coach Warren Gatland has also confirmed that the adventure could only be temporary. “It’s something he’s always dreamed of. (…) He thinks that, if he does not seize this opportunity, it might not present itself again. I asked him what his next steps would be if it didn’t work out, he said he would come back…”, he revealed when announcing the list on January 16.
The economic choice is also not decisive, even if it is common to obtain contracts worth several million dollars in this league. “The IPP contracts are blocked, I think, between 150 or 200,000 dollars per year, he loses money going there, corrects Sébastien Sejean. Maybe the sponsors will compensate, but it’s strange that a player at this level, who played in the World Cup and the Six Nations, decides to go there.”asks the former defender.
Was its integration facilitated by the NFL, which saw it as a way to gain traction in Europe? Sébastien Sejean remains doubtful about the real scope for the internationalization of the league. “This program must allow hidden talents to emerge, but above all to promote the university career of the players. This choice is not really a showcase, it will not at all speak to English or French people and encourage them to watch the NFL.”
Why is the transition difficult?
In the past, there are a few who have attempted this bridge. The latest, Christian Wade, did not score a try in 2019 and now plays for Racing 92. “Going from rugby to American football is going to be very complicated because the expectations are going to be high, especially with the CV he has. There are lots of parameters: the fact that he hasn’t really played at a high level in American football, that he will be behind at the tactical level, but also technically”begins Sébastien Sejean.
The former safety (defensive player) believes that the Welshman is starting from a very long distance, and that his inexperience will force him to do a lot of adaptation work. “If in terms of movement techniques, he manages to have this coordination, anything is possible. For me, either it has always been a dream to play in the NFL and he has already played. Or he has never played, and I ‘hope he’s ready to understand that putting on a helmet and equipment is not at all the same as putting on a rugby jersey’warns the Frenchman.
What will be its advantages?
Louis Rees-Zammit will have three advantages when attempting his adventure across the Atlantic. International experience, facing players who have not experienced the atmosphere of a Millennium Stadium with the pressure of an often decisive challenge. But also a physical demand and less harshness of the shots than before in the NFL.
:quality(50)/2024/01/24/066-dppi-50722013-020-65b17b1394749699350838.jpg)
“American football is no longer at all the same as it was 10 or 15 years ago. In terms of shocks, it’s less demanding today,” notes the former player, who experienced ultra-competitive training camps to integrate the 53 players in the final squad. “He 10-15 years ago, during training camps, it was more or less a natural selection. At the slightest physical problem, you had the player behind you who could take your place. Today it’s less like that and that’s good because it protects the physical integrity of the players.”he remembers.
Last advantage: the timing and his worldwide popularity, which indicate that the chances of his adventure in the NFL are real. “If they tell him to come, I’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t get picked up by an NFL team. Otherwise, even he wouldn’t have made the decision to terminate his pro contract and say no to the Six Nations and the Welsh teambelieves Sébastien Sejean.
What will its shortcomings be?
For the former safety, the main challenge for the Welshman will lie in understanding this game of precise collective execution, with numerous variations of the same action to assimilate. “In the NFL, tactics are pushed to the limit. It’s how quickly you are able to understand what is asked of you, implement it and adapt it in a fraction of a second. It’s a huge challenge”, continues the man who ended his career in 2018.
“In rugby, you have the scenarios, we give you time to get into rhythm. In American football, they don’t have time.”
Sébastien Sejean, former NFL playerat franceinfo: sport
If “LRZ” joins an NFL team, he will then have to enter a locker room where more than 50 players and three teams (offensive, defensive, special) come together. “An American football locker room is not a rugby locker room at all. It’s a place where there are egos and people who are not there to give gifts. The pressure is really there, you can’t afford to have two or three training sessions below your level”underlines the former defensive second curtain player.
What position can he play?
Presented by the NFL in the program as a wide receiver or running back, what position will Louis Rees-Zammit play in a sport where each position is extremely codified? “I don’t see him playing receiver. They will ask him to gain weight and play tight end, a position where you have to know how to multitask. In rugby, a winger can play fullback. But gaining weight and keeping the same speed and coordination is something else.”says the former Rams.
The French sees the Welshman playing as an attack team, but he remains cautious about his chances of success in the NFL, since he will face seasoned players and young people who have been trained for years to land in the NFL. “It’s cheeky, I find it interesting and I take my hat off to him. It could be a wise choice and a very good opportunity for him, even if I remain mixed in view of the current information on the opportunities he will have and the results it will produce.”