Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has said he felt his talent was being wasted while trying to crack the NFL.
Earlier this month, Rees-Zammit announced his return to rugby after stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars after joining the NFL International Player Pathway Program last year.
However, he will return to Premiership Rugby with the Bristol Bears this season having returned to the UK.
“I just felt like I was kind of wasting my talent out there, to be honest with you,” Rees-Zammit said.
“I gave it my best shot but it’s very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven’t gone through the college system, you just don’t get the same opportunities as those boys.
“It makes sense from a coach’s point of view, because those boys have been playing that sport for so long and it’s hard to coach someone up on the sport they’ve never played before.”
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The 24-year-old said he is confident his rugby skills won’t have faded and will be focusing on his fitness before the season starts next month.
“The skill isn’t really the issue, it’s just about being match fit,” Rees-Zammit said.
“There’s a lot more conditioning in rugby. In NFL it’s more anaerobic fitness, being able to do repeated sprints, not so much long-distance stuff because the [time of the] ball in play here is very high.”
