Former Wales international rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit made his Kansas City Chiefs debut in their preseason defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the NFL season.

Rees-Zammit announced earlier this year that he was stepping away from rugby to pursue American football, with the 23-year-old spending 10 weeks training in Florida as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway before signing with the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champions.

He performed as running back, kicker and kick-returner during Saturday’s match, in addition to being part of the punt coverage team, as the Jaguars beat the Chiefs 26-13 at EverBank Stadium in Florida.

He had four yards on three touches, and made one solo special teams tackle.

“It was a great first experience,” Rees-Zammit told the Irish NFL Show. “I loved it, I loved getting the snaps I did, on special teams as well which was great. I’ve just got to look back on this, review it and see how I can get better.

“I got a little kick-off, that was great, being able to play special teams is amazing. To be able to exploit different skills. But yeah, I’m happy. I’ll see how I can get better and take it onto the next game.

“The atmosphere was great, it was pretty electric in the stadium and there was a load of Chiefs fans, which helped massively. It was a great game and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

The Chiefs, who begin the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5 and will be aiming to become the first franchise to win the Super Bowl three consecutive years, continue their preseason at home to the Detroit Lions – live on Sky Sports – on Saturday (9pm, Sky Sports Mix).

Elsewhere, former Gaelic football goalkeeper Charlie Smyth marked his debut for the New Orleans Saints by kicking a dramatic winning field goal to secure a 16-14 preseason success at the Arizona Cardinals.

The rookie 22-year-old Irishman, who, like Rees-Zammit, joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway Programme earlier this year, converted from 37 yards with just five seconds remaining.

“I thought it was awesome,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen told a press conference. “First kick in an American football game and for him to knock it through like that in a pressure situation was cool to see.”

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