Louis Rees-Zammit: Former Wales winger defies injury for Kansas City Chiefs

Louis Rees-Zammit overcame injury concerns and made his home debut for the Kansas City Chiefs against Detroit Lions.

The former rugby union winger is expected to miss the pre-season match at Arrowhead Stadium due to back problems.

But the 23-year-old ignored these concerns and took on several roles as the reigning Super Bowl champions lost 24-23 to the Lions.

Rees-Zammit, who played rugby union for Gloucester, Wales and the British and Irish Lions, also took a kickoff and spent time with the punt return team.

He returned a Lions kickoff 27 yards and briefly served as a wide receiver.

After his first appearance at Arrowhead, Rees-Zammit told KSNT News: “I was able to experience [the atmosphere] a little bit today. I'm looking forward to another game here next week and then we'll see what happens.

“I do my best. I train hard every day to show what I can do.

“The more reps I do, the better I get. So I'm excited to see what happens next week and of course in the future.”

Rees-Zammit made his debut for the Chiefs in early August in a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Welshman is now aiming for a spot on the Chiefs' 53-man roster for the NFL season, which begins on September 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Chiefs will confirm their full squad after their final pre-season game against the Chicago Bears on Friday 23 August (01:20 BST).