It had been in the air for a few days: Louis Rees-Zammit (24) has indeed chosen Bristol Bears, fourth last season in the English Premiership, for his return to rugby union. A prize signing for the club in the south-west of England, even if LRZ has to find his bearings again 18 months after leaving a sport that had crowned him one of the game’s great global prospects.

Maximum ambition

His failure in his attempt to break through in the NFL has clearly not dented his self-belief, as he was able to demonstrate to his new manager Pat Lam. He wants to come back into rugby to be the best player in the world in the back three (the two wings and the full-back, editor’s note), and I love that, revealed the former Samoa international back-rower to the BBC. I want to know what drives players, and that dream is very important. When boys just say ‘I only want to be a better rugby player’, that is probably not what I am looking for. I am looking for boys who dream big and Rees clearly falls into that category.”

A stated objective of great ambition that Louis Rees-Zammit will now have to live up to in the coming weeks, first with his club and, if all goes well, with Wales in the November tests.