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May: Rees-Zammit ‘will be world-class’

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IN-FORM Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit will develop into a world-class player, reckons the man who will be doing his best to stop him next weekend.

IN-FORM Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit will develop into a world-class player, reckons the man who will be doing his best to stop him next weekend.

Jonny May is usually on the same side as the 20-year-old flyer at Gloucester but will be taking him on in Round 3 when England travel to Principality Stadium to face an unbeaten Welsh outfit.

Rees-Zammit is this year’s leading try-scorer in the Championship with three from the opening two rounds, including a match-winning brace at BT Murrayfield last time out – the second of which was named the Guinness Six Nations try of the round.

May has enjoyed watching his clubmate in action and believes the best is yet to come.

“It’s great to see him doing well,” May told Sky Sports. “I’ve enjoyed playing with him at Gloucester and being around him.

“He’s absolutely rapid and he’s got a good feel for the game as well. He’s going to be a world-class player.

“It’s good being at Gloucester with him, Ollie Thorley, Jason (Woodward). We’ve got some good back three players and I think we’re bringing the best out of each other. We’re bouncing off each other a bit.”

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May impressed himself in Round 2, scoring England’s third try against Italy with an incredible diving finish in the left-hand corner to help the Red Rose to their first win of the campaign following defeat against Scotland on the opening weekend.

The reigning champions know another slip-up will all but end their hopes of defending the trophy and May hopes to see further evidence of the attacking intent which served them well against the Azzurri.

“We just wanted to go out there and strip things back a little bit, make things a little bit simpler for ourselves,” May said.

“The backs met a couple of times in the week and said that we need to start moving the ball a bit more, not stressing about the detail all that much or overthinking it. Let’s just move the ball around – why not get our hands on the ball and take people on.

“I think we did that. It wasn’t perfect but the intent was in the right place.”