Louis Rees-Zammit’s decision to chance his arm in American Football could be viewed as a blow to rugby union with the Gloucester, Wales and Lions wing’s instant departure.
However, there is an upside to the shock decision by Rees-Zammit, 22, to join the NFL’s international player pathway, in the sense that it is such a long shot that there is very little chance of a legion of 15-a-side players following in his footsteps.

The conversion rate among rugby union players who have gone to the USA to crack the code by becoming established in the starting line-ups, or ‘active rosters’, of NFL team...