Joe McConnell
Former Welsh rugby union player Louis Rees-Zammit made his debut for the Kansas City Chiefs in their pre-season loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the start of the NFL season.
Earlier this year, Rees-Zammit announced he was giving up rugby to focus on American football, with the 23-year-old spending 10 weeks training in Florida as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program before signing with the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
In addition to being part of the punt coverage team, he played running back, kicker and kick returner during Saturday’s game, when the Jaguars beat the Chiefs 26-13 at EverBank Stadium in Florida.
He rushed for four yards on three touches and was tackled solo by special teams.
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After attending the Kansas City Chiefs rookie minicamp, Louis Rees-Zammit shares his experience.
“It was a great first experience,” Rees-Zammit told the Irish NFL Show. “I enjoyed it, I enjoyed getting the snaps I did, even on special teams, which was great. I just need to look back and see how I can improve.
“I had a little kickoff, it was great, being able to play special teams is incredible. Being able to use different skills. But yeah, I’m happy. I’ll see how I can improve and take it to the next game.
“The atmosphere was great, there was a lot of electricity in the stadium and there were a lot of Chiefs fans, which helped a lot. It was a great game and I can’t wait to play the next one.”
The Chiefs, who open their regular season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5 and are aiming to become the first franchise to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive years, will continue their preseason at home against the Detroit Lions, live on Vscek, on Saturday (9pm, Vscek Mix).
Elsewhere, former Gaelic football goalkeeper Charlie Smyth celebrated his debut for the New Orleans Saints by kicking a spectacular game-winning field goal to secure a 16-14 preseason victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Charlie Smyth kicks the game-winning field goal to give the New Orleans Saints a winning start to the preseason
The 22-year-old Irish rookie, who like Rees-Zammit joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program earlier this year, scored for 37 yards with just five seconds left.
“I thought it was awesome,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said at a news conference. “The first kick in a football game and to see him kick it like that in a pressure situation was great to see.”
Who will impress in the NFL pre-season? Watch the games live every week on Vscek! Watch the Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions live on Saturday from 9pm on Vscek Mix. Stream the NFL and other top sports with NOW.
