Rees-Zammit reaping rewards of extra work, says Lam
Louis Rees-Zammit is scoring for fun again. Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam says the Wales winger is earning every bit of it.
Rees-Zammit has four tries from Bristol Bears' first two Prem matches this season, two in each game. That tally was the most by any player in the league at the time of reporting, BBC Sport.
Two of them came in the win over Sale Sharks in the opening round. Two more followed against Northampton. Simple arithmetic. Lethal finishing.
The Northampton display was about more than dots on the scoresheet. He made five line breaks, clean bursts straight through the defensive line, carried for 81 metres and drilled a 50:22, the kick from inside your own half that bounces into touch deep in the opposition 22 to win a prime attacking chance.
He nearly left with the match ball. Tommy Freeman deliberately knocked on to halt one run, so the referee awarded a penalty try instead, the automatic seven points given when foul play stops a certain score.
Lam says the secret is repetition. Rees-Zammit and other backs have stayed out after main training with defence coach Jordan Crane, drilling tackle technique. Better tackles mean more confidence. More confidence means more gas in attack.
"He is reaping the rewards of the work he has put into training," Lam said.
The mindset looks right too. Lam said Rees-Zammit is in a great place mentally and enjoying the way Bristol are playing, fast, wide and willing to back pace.
It is his second season at Ashton Gate. He is back on the wing after spending much of 2025-26 at full-back, the deep-lying catcher and last line of cover, for club and country. The shift has put him closer to the touchline and closer to space.
Lam had already tipped his hat after Sale. He called the two-try return "world-class" and predicted Rees-Zammit would get better and better, Yahoo Sports.
What makes this stand out is the timing. Rees-Zammit was dropped to the bench by Wales for the Nations Championship match against Argentina. Lam still backed him to feature strongly for his country over the next year, and said Wales coach Steve Tandy is buzzing at where the winger is.
For newcomers, the winger's job is simple to spot. Wait for the ball to find the edge, then win the race. Right now, few in England are winning it faster.
