Rising star Louis recognised as this season’s top young player
gloslivesport@reachplc.com
LOUIS Rees-zammit’s remarkable first full season in senior rugby has been recognised with his selection as the best young player in England.
The winger from Cardiff has lit up the Gallagher Premiership with his tryscoring exploits for Gloucester and is now on the verge of making his Wales debut.
He will go into the autumn international campaign having been named the Young Player of the Year in the Rugby Players Association awards, following a ballot of his fellow pros.
“It’s an honour to win it and I want to thank all the players who voted for me,” said the 19-year-old.
“It means a lot to me and my family because at the start of the season I did not expect this.
“It’s been a bit of a shock to play in the Premiership and then all of a sudden to win this is amazing. All I want to do is keep helping the team and keep scoring.”
Rees-zammit began his rugby journey with Llandaff and Rumney, going on to attend Hartpury College and link up with the Gloucester Academy.
He made his debut for the Cherry and Whites against Bath in April 2019 and has gone from strength to strength, racking up the tries - 13 in his first 18 games.
His scintillating form saw him selected in Wales’ Six Nations squad at the beginning of this year, but he didn’t feature in the curtailed Championship.
Having once again been picked by Wayne Pivac for the autumn campaign, he looks certain to make his Test debut at some point during the six-match programme.
It could come as early as this weekend in the warm-up game against France in Paris.
Meanwhile, another uncapped rising star, Wasps’ Jack Willis, has been crowned the RPA Players’ Player of the Year.
The 23-year-old flanker has been receiving rave reviews week after week for his performances as he has helped his club reach the Gallagher Premiership final.
While he is yet to play Test rugby, he is already being talked about as a bolter for next summer’s Lions tour of South Africa.
And now he has scooped one of the most prestigious awards in the English game, polling the most votes from his peers.
He follows in the footsteps of Gloucester fly-half Danny Cipriani and becomes one of the youngest recipients to win the coveted honour.
Bouncing back from a long-term injury, Willis has taken the Premiership by storm, topping the charts with a phenomenal 44 turnovers and nine tries to boot.
The Berkshire-born former England U20s back rower said: “It’s an incredible honour to win this award and for it to be voted by all the players and teams that I’ve played against, and my peers, makes it even more special.
“It is something I am extremely proud of and something later in life, post career, that will bring me enormous pride and be a highlight of my career.
“A big focus for me was not to just come back (after my injury) and be the player I was. I thought it gave me an opportunity to come back and be a more physical player, so I definitely wouldn’t change it and going through that was a good learning process.”
Other notable award winners included Tom Curry as the England Men’s Player of the Year, Zoe Aldcroft as the England Women’s Player of the Year and Meg Jones as the England Women’s 7s Player of the Year, while Saracens stalwart Richard Wigglesworth received the RPA Special Merit Award.
It means a lot to me and my family because at the start of the season I did not expect this Louis Rees-zammit