Injured Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit set to return to action

Louis Rees-Zammit is set to give Six Nations strugglers Wales a major boost by returning to action for his club Gloucester.

The British and Irish Lions wing has not played since suffering an ankle injury during Gloucester’s Gallagher Premiership game against Leicester on Christmas Eve.

Apart from a number of league and European fixtures, he was also ruled out of Wales’ opening Guinness Six Nations appointments with Ireland and Scotland that produced comprehensive defeats.

Rees-Zammit was named in Wales’ Six Nations squad, and after being released back to his club last week, he is now poised to face Harlequins at Kingsholm on Friday.

“He is available for selection,” Gloucester head coach George Skivington said. “He is full of beans and bouncing around. He is definitely good to go.

“I think Wales are probably keen to get him back in next week for the England game, and it is a real positive for us.

“I didn’t think I was going to see him, so I just dismissed him for this period, but Wales released him and he came back last Friday so he could come and train.

“He has been back in and been really positive. He’s had really good energy.

“I think he has been frustrated watching us, feeling he could make a difference, and watching Wales, thinking he could make a difference there.”

Starting spot

Rees-Zammit, who has scored eight tries in 22 Tests, is expected to reclaim a Wales starting place when England arrive in Cardiff on Saturday week.

His last Wales appearance during the Autumn Nations Series defeat against Georgia saw him feature at full-back, so boss Warren Gatland has back-three options with him.

Skivington added: “I think I was the first coach to put him at full-back. I thought it would be a good learning piece for him, catching the ball deep and see if he could open up and find those gaps.

“I think he is a winger, but I do think full-back is a role he can play.

“You have probably got him and (Scotland wing) Duhan van der Merwe, if they get the ball in space, they can do things that others can’t.

“I don’t think it is a bad string to his bow that he can cover both positions.”