Louis Rees-Zammit's cheeky four-word comment as he arrived for first day at new club

Louis Rees-Zammit has made his return to rugby following a short stint in the NFL. The Welshman has penned a deal with Bristol Bears, having originally quit rugby at the start of 2024 before going through the NFL's International Player Pathway.

He originally joined the Kansas City Chiefs before penning a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rees-Zammit has decided to leave his NFL dream behind though, with the 2001-born ace refocusing his career on rugby union going forward.

He travelled to Bristol earlier this week to finalise his move to the side and during a behind-the-scenes feature, Rees-Zammit was seen asking the club's media directors: "Did you miss me," with a smirk on his face.

Rees-Zammit will no doubt have plenty of eyes on him when he eventually returns to the pitch, with the 24-year-old confident his time in the NFL will help him develop as a player. Speaking about his return, he told the club website: "I think the way they play the game is the way I see myself in that team, the attacking play is amazingly structured, and I think I can thrive off.

"My previous rugby skills and my ability to use my speed within the game is going to suit me to a tee and speaking to the coaches and with Pat, as many touches I can get on the ball is going to help and hopefully, I can help the team in many ways. I've learnt a lot [from the NFL], not just on the field but off the field.

"My size has got a lot bigger, my speed is a lot faster and just learning about myself and about my body, that's been one of the biggest things over the last 18 months and I'm raring to go."

It comes at a good time for Welsh rugby too, given just two players were involved in the recent British & Irish Lions squad. Commenting on his return to action, Wales head coach Steve Tandy said: "I'm pretty open-minded, I just want to see him playing. That's the most important thing, getting him back and him being in an environment he's really happy in.

"Him being available is a massive addition to the squad. You know he'll be in brilliant shape, he'll be fit and he's an instinctive rugby player who does things really naturally. The learning he's had will have made him an even better rugby player so it's, for him, finding the right club and environment, and I've no doubt he'll be back to where he was, if not better."