Rees-Zammit: My NFL Dream Is Dead — Now I Want the Six Nations Played in America
Louis Rees-Zammit told The Times his NFL adventure is over and he wants rugby to follow American football's lead by staging internationals — even Six Nations games — in the United States.
Louis Rees-Zammit has closed the door on his NFL dream — and opened another one: taking Six Nations rugby to America.
In an interview with The Times, the Wales winger said his American football adventure is finished after his time living and working in the United States. Now back in rugby with Bristol, Rees-Zammit wants the sport to embrace the kind of global expansion American football has perfected.
He pointed to the All Blacks-Springboks game in Baltimore, which drew 65,000 fans — many watching rugby for the first time — as proof of the appetite. "Can we do that more? Can we bring international games to America?" he said. "The more people we can tap into from different countries, whether in Australia, America, Asia or Africa, as long as we keep getting eyes on rugby, ultimately that is going to grow the game."
Asked specifically about Wales v England in New York, Rees-Zammit grinned: "I would not mind it at all." Bristol will keep pushing boundaries themselves, taking a third annual regular-season game to Cardiff next April for their Big Day Out against Gloucester at the Principality Stadium.