Louis Rees-Zammit breaks a Premiership record as Gloucester fall to Northampton Saints
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Louis Rees-Zammit has set a new Premiership record as he became the youngest player to score a hattrick in the Premiership as Gloucester earned two points in their 33-26 loss to Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens.
The Welsh winger scored his first following a nice kick from Mark Atkinson which he toed on to dive over and give Gloucester the lead in the seventh minute.
His second came from a lovely attack which had to simply finish off as he was given the ball in space and raced away to score. His third was another simple finish as he was given the ball outwide and secured the bonus point for his side.
7⃣ Games
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) December 28, 2019
6⃣ Tries
1⃣ Try Assist
✅ First hattrick
Louis Rees-Zammit has enjoyed a sensational start to his career 🔥 pic.twitter.com/scuN50cVYb
Rugby statistician, Stu Farmer revealed after the game that Rees-Zammit is in fact the fifth teenager to score a hattrick in a Premiership match but what he did manage was to be the youngest teenager to score a hattrick.
He joins an elite club with the likes of Iain Balshaw, James Simpson-Daniel, Marcel Garvey and Tom Varndell also grabbing hattricks in their teens.
Louis Rees-Zammit becomes the first 18-year-old to score @premrugby hatrick. Before today only four other teenagers had ever done it, and all were 19 (and two of those also for @gloucesterrugby): Iain Balshaw, James Simpson-Daniel, Marcel Garvey and Tom Varndell.
— Stuart Farmer (@Stu_Farmer) December 28, 2019
Rees-Zammit had a sensational start to his professional career as he broke into the Gloucester senior team earlier this season scoring two tries and set up another during Gloucester's 36-3 demolition of Worcester. His pace is electric, his size already impressive and he clearly has an eye for the try line, as evidenced by his brace against Worcester that had scores of pundits and fans purring.
He could qualify for England on residency grounds but the U18 Welsh International revealed that he has no intentions of switching allegiance, leading to fans and pundits suggesting he could get a test call up for the Six Nations next year.
Speaking after the loss to Saints, Johan Ackermann said that the youngster would not look out of place in Wales squad and suggested that he should be added to the squad even if he doesn't play in the Six Nations as he would learn a lot from experience and being in the enviroment.
