​Former Wales teammate Jonathan Davies believes Louis Rees-Zammit’s pride will be dented by being benched, and he expects it to trigger a response from the Gloucester-bound wing in Argentina. The 25-year-old is set to earn his 42nd cap in the Nations Championship clash with the Pumas in San Juan on Saturday (20:10 BST), but he’ll start on the bench wearing 23. Rees-Zammit began at full-back in every Six Nations game and moved back to the wing in the win over Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium last week. Yet head coach Steve Tandy has chosen to bring in Ellis Mee to partner Josh Adams and Blair Murray in the back three for the Argentina showdown.
“Zam will be coming off the bench when the game starts to disrupt things even more, so it’s an exciting chance for us to see him in that role,” Tandy said. There’s always curiosity when arguably Wales’ most recognisable player is left out of the starting XV. Rees-Zammit returned to rugby last summer after giving American football a go and was quickly called into the fold by Tandy despite only four club appearances with Bristol. He scored against Japan and New Zealand in the autumn, but did not cross the line when stationed at full-back in the Six Nations. He overcame a minor injury to begin the Nations Championship opener, yet it was Fiji’s back three who illuminated the field in a match dominated by Wales’ tight, structured approach.
Jonathan Davies and Rees-Zammit were part of Wales’ 2021 Six Nations-winning side. Davies stressed that Rees-Zammit must seek more involvement. “Ellis Mee has shown more appetite to receive the ball,” Davies said on the Scrum V podcast. “Louis Rees-Zammit has X-factor when he gets the ball in his hands, but Ellis has worked off his wing to pick up more touches. If Rees-Zammit is our most dangerous player, why aren’t we encouraging him to get on the ball? I’m sure the coaches are doing that, and you can’t expect the ball to miraculously find its way to the wing. Shane Williams always worked hard; we always tried to get George North and Alex Cuthbert on the ball as much as possible. I want to see more hunger from Louis to try to get his hands on the ball, not just stay on the wing. His pride will probably be dented, so when the chance comes off the bench we hope to see someone who doesn’t want to give up a starting spot.”
Rees-Zammit rejoined the international setup as a substitute against Argentina in Cardiff, and this marks the first time since then that he has been left out of the starting lineup. The only other occasions Wales have started without him in the back three under Tandy were against South Africa and Barbarians, when England-based players were ineligible. Former Wales and Lions centre Tom Shanklin believes the management group is aiming to spark the wing into action. “Louis Rees-Zammit is the most X-factor player we have,” he said on Scrum V. “Maybe they’re doing this for better SEO.”