Louis Rees-Zammit is an absentee from Wales’ Six Nations Championship squad after quitting rugby union to play American Football, a shock for coach Warren Gatland as he named his squad on Tuesday.

Rees-Zammit, 22, will join the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) and turn his back on rugby, a massive blow to Gatland to lose a versatile player who would likely have been a key figure for the next decade.

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“I have had the incredible honour of playing rugby for my country which, as a proud Welshman, I’ve never taken for granted,” Rees-Zammit said in a statement. “However, I believe that this is the right time for me to realise another professional goal of playing American football in the US. Those opportunities don’t come around very often.”

Lock Dafydd Jenkins will become the second youngest player to captain Wales when he leads them in the Six Nations, spearheading a squad that has five uncapped players.

The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times

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Wales squad

Forwards (19): Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, Leon Brown, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Teddy Williams, Taine Basham, James Botham, Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright

Backs (15): Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Tomos Williams, Sam Costelow, Cai Evans, Ioan Lloyd, Mason Grady, George North, Joe Roberts, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer, Tom Rogers, Cameron Winnett. (Reporting by Nick Said Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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