It’s our culture & pride.. We’re dancing with it.

Wales World Cup star takes cues from Cristiano Ronaldo after imitating his celebration

Wales’ Louis Rees-Zammit has been inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo after mimicking the Portuguese star’s winning celebration from last weekend’s match.

The home nation’s pristine record in the Rugby World Cup was retained with a late bonus point try. However, their performance was underwhelming. Rees-Zammit scored the team’s first try and has been an important member of Warren Gatland’s squad all season.

Gloucester’s winger has been a star for some time, and he remains one of Wales’ most dangerous offensive weapons. He scored a try in their first win over Fiji, but as they crossed the try line last weekend, he expressed his adoration for Ronaldo by emulating Ronaldo’s classic celebration.
“Ronaldo is my favorite player,” he stated unequivocally. I even imitate his style, right down to the boxers he wears. “Hey, why not join in on his party too?” I reasoned.

Many of Rees-Zammit’s friends encouraged him to accept the challenge against Portugal, the national team for which Ronaldo has played 201 times and scored 123 goals. “A couple of my friends at home pushed me into it.” He went on to say, “They love the sport, but we don’t play Portugal very often, so they miss out.”

So I promised them that if I scored, I would help them win. When I noticed there was no one protecting the backfield, I threw a grubber through and was fortunate to get the bounce.
Rees-Zammit scored 11 tries in 29 international games for Wales, a side that has struggled for much of his career. Despite having won only one of their five Six Nations games this year, the Welsh have reason to be optimistic now that Gatland is back.

Despite being in strong place to move from their pool after two wins, they are far from assured of a spot in the round of eight. They will face an Australia team that was defeated by Fiji the last time they faced this weekend. If Eddie Jones’ team wins, each of the pool’s four teams will have lost twice.

“We know we’ve got a lot to learn,” Rees-Zammit said of the competition, adding, “and going up against Australia, we’ve got to step it up a gear again.” Two victories have improved morale. It’s fantastic that there’s always room for growth, even when success isn’t perfect.