High profile code hopper Louis Rees-Zammit has revealed that making the transition from rugby union to American football has not been easy.

In January it was confirmed that Rees-Zammit was heading to the United States to join the NFL International Player Pathway program (IPP), which gives elite athletes from around the world the chance to earn a spot on an NFL roster and increase the number of international players in the league.

After doing well during the IPP, the ex-Wales and Gloucester flyer joined the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs in March on a three-year contract but, after failing to make their 53-man NFL roster recently, he was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars to join their practice squad at the end of August.

Made a positional switch as well

The 23-year-old has also changed positions from running back to wide receiver since joining the Florida-based outfit.

The Jaguars are set to face the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Sunday and while Rees-Zammit is happy to be back in familiar surroundings in the United Kingdom, he admitted that it’s been difficult to switch sports codes.

“I mean, it’s unbelievable to come back here finally,” he told reporters at a press conference. “I’ve been in America for pretty much nine out of the ten months of this year.

“It’s great to come back, see all the Jags fans and just how loyal they are because there’s a lot of them out in the UK.

Louis Rees-Zammit receives honest verdict on his NFL chances from former rugby convert

“So us players love coming out here and being able to play in front of them and see that support that they’ve given us. Yes, it’s been great. The transition from the very start was tough.

“You know, completely diving into a different sport is obviously not an easy task to do. But this is what I wanted and I’m chasing this dream of mine.

“So I’m going to try and do it with the excitement that I bring to training every single day.”

‘It’s two different things’

When asked if he’s happier chasing the NFL dream than he was as a rugby player, Rees-Zammit replied: “I mean, it’s two different things. You know, now I’m here, I get to work hard and train all the skills that’s needed for me to be in a team.

“Being a rugby player and wanting to play in the NFL, I knew that I had to do a lot in rugby to be able to get the opportunity to do this.

“So, you know, when I was playing rugby, my full focus was on rugby. But in the back of my head, I knew that this was a massive dream of mine. And one that I wanted to chase.

“And now we’re here today. I’m on the Jacksonville Jaguars and I’m loving every single moment of it.”

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