Louis Rees-Zammit back on the wing as Wales face Fiji

Louis Rees Zammit before England v Wales match during 2026 Six Nations Louis Rees-Zammit will start on the wing for Wales against Fiji on Saturday (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Louis Rees-Zammit is back in his favoured wing position for Wales’ Nations Championship opener against Fiji.

Rees-Zammit started all five Six Nations games at full-back this year after playing out wide in the Autumn internationals following his return from an 18-month spell in the NFL.

But the 25-year-old Bristol flier – who did not add to his 16-try Wales tally at full-back – ended the domestic season on the wing after telling Bears coach Pat Lam that it was his preferred position.

With their England and France-based players available, Wales make six changes after beating Barbarians 33-31 in an uncapped fixture at Allianz Stadium last weekend.

Rees-Zammit is joined by fellow wing Josh Adams and Tomos Williams in the back division, while prop Rhys Carre, second-row Adam Beard and flanker Alex Mann come in to the pack.

Tandy said: “It’s been awesome to get back into camp and get ready for games.

“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.”

Wales ended the Six Nations with a home victory over Italy to record their first win in the tournament for three years.

Beating the Barbarians saw Wales claim back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2023 World Cup.

The build-up to the Fiji game has seen the Wales squad in dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union over match fees.

But the WRU said on Wednesday evening that the issue had been resolved and that training preparations had not been affected ahead of the new competition.



Wales team to play Fiji in Nations Championship

Forwards: 1 Rhys Carre (Saracens), 2 Dewi Lake (CAPTAIN, Gloucester Rugby), 3 Dillon Lewis (Dragons), 4 Ben Carter (Dragons), 5 Adam Beard (Montpellier), 6 Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby), 7 Jac Morgan (Gloucester Rugby), 8 Aaron Wainwright (Leicester Tigers)

Backs: 9 Tomos Williams (Saracens), 10 Dan Edwards (Ospreys), 11 Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby), 12 Joe Hawkins (Scarlets), 13 Eddie James (Scarlets), 14 Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears), 15 Blair Murray (Scarlets)

Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias (Scarlets), 17 Nicky Smith (Sale Sharks), 18 Ben Warren (Ospreys), 19 Taine Plumtree (Scarlets), 20 James Botham (Cardiff Rugby), 21 Kieran Hardy (Ospreys), 22 Sam Costelow (Scarlets), 23 Ellis Mee (Scarlets)

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