Rees-Zammit returns to wing as Wales name six changes for Fiji Nations Championship opener

Louis Rees-Zammit will start on the wing for Wales’ Nations Championship opener against Fiji in Cardiff on Saturday, ending a run of five consecutive Six Nations appearances at full-back.

The 25-year-old Bristol flier returned from an 18-month stint in the NFL to play out wide during last autumn’s internationals, before being shifted to full-back for the entirety of this year’s Six Nations — a tournament in which he failed to add to his 16-try Wales tally. He subsequently told Bristol Bears head coach Pat Lam that the wing remained his preferred position, and finished the domestic season there.

Wales head coach Tandy has named six changes from the side that beat the Barbarians 33-31 in an uncapped fixture at Allianz Stadium last weekend, with the availability of England and France-based players opening the door for several inclusions. Rees-Zammit is joined in the back division by fellow wing Josh Adams and scrum-half Tomos Williams, while prop Rhys Carré, second-row Adam Beard and flanker Alex Mann come into the pack.

“It’s been awesome to get back into camp and get ready for games,” Tandy said. “We want to keep building on the Six Nations and from last weekend as well. We’ve created a lot of momentum and we’re looking to hit the ground running on Saturday. We love to be in Wales playing games and we’re excited to be in Cardiff to start the Nations Championship.”

The match carries added significance as Wales look to sustain a rare run of form. Their Six Nations campaign ended with a home win over Italy — their first tournament victory in three years — and the Barbarians result gave them back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The build-up was briefly clouded by a dispute between the Wales squad and the Welsh Rugby Union over match fees, but the WRU confirmed on Wednesday evening that the matter had been resolved and that training preparations had continued unaffected.

Wales: B Murray (Scarlets); L Rees-Zammit (Bristol), E James, J Hawkins (both Scarlets), J Adams (Cardiff); D Edwards (Ospreys), T Williams (Saracens); R Carré (Saracens), D Lake (Gloucester, capt), D Lewis, B Carter (both Dragons), A Beard (Montpellier), A Mann (Cardiff), J Morgan (Gloucester), A Wainwright (Leicester).

Replacements: R Elias (Scarlets), N Smith (Sale), B Warren (Ospreys), T Plumtree (Scarlets), J Botham (Cardiff), K Hardy (Ospreys), S Costelow, E Mee (both Scarlets).