Rees-Zammit Wing Return Favored by Williams
Louis Rees-Zammit has earned 40 international caps representing Wales.
Wales rugby legend Liam Williams advocates for Louis Rees-Zammit to resume playing on the wing after a season featuring him at full-back for both club and country.
Williams aligns with Bristol Bears coach Pat Lam, who recently repositioned Rees-Zammit back to the wing following the player's own request.
Wales head coach Steve Tandy had selected Rees-Zammit at full-back throughout the five matches of the 2026 Six Nations Championship.
Williams, who accumulated 93 caps for Wales playing both wing and full-back, shared with Scrum V that Rees-Zammit's greatest impact is on the wing.
"Zam [Rees-Zammit] needs that bit of space on the edge on the wing to work his magic," said Williams.
"He is so quick and electric. Give him some space and he will show what he is good at."
Who Will Be Wales' Full-Back?
Tom Rogers (L) and Blair Murray have experience playing both wing and full-back for Scarlets.
Following Rees-Zammit's switch back to the wing at Bristol, it remains uncertain if Tandy will continue to deploy him at full-back during the upcoming summer fixtures.
Wales is preparing for a match against the Barbarians on 27 June, followed by Nations Championship games against Fiji, Argentina, and South Africa in July.
Other players named by Tandy as potential number 15 options in his 48-man squad for these four matches include Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, Josh Adams, and Ellis Mee.
Notably, specialist full-backs such as Cameron Winnett, Jacob Beetham, and uncapped Angus O'Brien were not selected.
For over a decade, Wales benefited from two world-class full-backs in British and Irish Lions teammates Liam Williams and Leigh Halfpenny, both of whom have recently announced their retirements.
A clear long-term successor has yet to emerge. Williams identified Scarlets back Blair Murray, who has been utilized on both wing and full-back by club and country, as the best current option for Tandy.
"With the ball in hand he [Murray] can make something happen," said Williams, who has been working with the Scarlets backs recently.
"He has also got a good [kicking] left foot which is a nice option to have."
Former Scarlets and Wales centre Jonathan Davies concurred that Murray is the leading candidate for the full-back role.
"He [Murray] is working on his aerial game," said Davies.
"When you look at the options, you have to look at where you are willing to concede in some areas to gain in others.
"Blair gives you the biggest positives in his all-round game for the number 15 jersey."
Tandy Awaits Wales Captaincy Decision
Wales head coach Steve Tandy expressed pride as Wales ended a prolonged winless streak.
The team experienced relief and pride as they finally secured a victory after a difficult period.
'Rees-Zammit Loves Scoring Tries'
Louis Rees-Zammit (L) and Liam Williams both featured in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Rees-Zammit signed with Bristol Bears in the summer of 2025 after returning to rugby following a two-year pursuit of a career in American football.
The 25-year-old began the season playing on the wing for Bristol but transitioned to full-back midway through the campaign.
Following another discussion with coach Pat Lam, Rees-Zammit has now returned to his original wing position.
"Zam was really keen to play full-back, but the biggest thing is he loves to score tries and is a world class try-scorer," said Lam.
"What he quickly realised, he was a British [and Irish] Lion as a wing and he wants to be there again. He's a world-class winger.
"I love the fact that he was honest enough to come and say, 'Look, Pat, I want to try playing at full-back'.
"So basically now he wants to be a world-class winger who can cover full-back."
Lam emphasized that the latest positional change was driven by Rees-Zammit's preference.
"We had a discussion, and he said that he'd like to go back on the wing," said Lam.
"One of the things I want to be clear about is that I always ask them, 'Which jersey do you want?'.
"When they tell me they want to play this one, okay, 'All right, let's see how you go'.
"Every time he's played on the wing for us, he's scored tries because our game creates space for the wingers."
- Rees-Zammit signs 'long-term' deal with Bristol
- Rees-Zammit left NFL after 'wasting his talent'
- Why is it so hard to break into the NFL?
