Louis Rees-Zammit will start for Wales against the Springboks in Saturday's Nations Championship clash in Durban, but the 24-year-old has been candid about a season that has not lived up to his own expectations since returning from his NFL stint.
Rees-Zammit has featured in 10 of Wales' 11 Tests this season — missing only the 0-73 defeat to South Africa last November, when his Bristol contract kept him unavailable outside the international window — making eight starts across wing and fullback.
"I haven't settled back into rugby as quickly as I wanted," he said. "It has been a very long season and I've played multiple positions. I never quite got my feet on the ground and got back running like I used to, but I've learned so much."
The positional rotation between wing and fullback throughout the campaign made it difficult to build any sustained rhythm, and Rees-Zammit acknowledges the adjustment has taken longer than anticipated. He is nevertheless clear that he has no regrets about returning.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed it. It's taken a bit of time to find my feet again, but this is the sport I've played since I was seven."
With the 2027 World Cup now the horizon, Rees-Zammit is treating Saturday as a springboard rather than a conclusion. "Hopefully I can give it my all for this final game, then next year is the year I try to make the biggest impact I can," he said.