Louis Rees-Zammit has stolen all the headlines this week, so it is hardly surprising Welsh progress in Europe has not been a talking point.

Yet despite some of their struggles, the forgiving nature of the qualification process means three of the four Welsh sides can remain in the tournament for the knockout stages.

Cardiff are already out of the top tier tournament – the Investec Champions Cup – but could make the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.

To have any hope of making it, Cardiff will need to win away in Paris against Racing 92 in their final pool match.

Cardiff are yet to win a game in the competition and head coach Matt Sherratt has admitted standards are proving too exacting for his young squad, even though they had 11 players named in Warren Gatland’s Six Nations squad.

“You’re playing Toulouse, your Baths, your Harlequins – that’s one level down from a Test match,” he said.

“They’ve got so much firepower that they are going to hurt you, so what you can’t do is help them with that.

“You can have a great defence, but they can still score. What you can’t do is give them points.”

 

Ospreys trip south

In the Challenge Cup, the Ospreys are already through to the round of 16, but face an arduous trip to South Africa to play their final pool stage match against the Emirates Lions.

The Dragons host another South African side, the Hollywoodbets, with the Rodney Parade club needing a win to make the last 16.

The first of the Welsh sides into European action are the Scarlets, who host Edinburgh on Friday night.

But not even a win can keep Dwayne Peel’s men in the competition after a campaign where they have so far failed to win a game in Pool Three.

Rees-Zammit, meanwhile, will not be turning out for his former club Gloucester who host Castres on Friday night.

 

Zam camp

Instead, the Wales wing will be in Florida,  joining 15 other international hopefuls at an NFL training camp.

He hopes it will be the first step to a contract and a career in American Football although the Cardiff-born 22-year-old admitted he has much to learn – and quickly.

“I have never played the game so it is going to be very difficult for me at the start,” Rees-Zammit said.

“There’s going to be a lot of me watching film and certain plays. That’s going to be the biggest challenge. There are going to be a lot of different skills but, at the same time, I can improve on what I’ve got already. The quicker I can learn the game, the better for me, because then I can show everyone what I can do.”

At the conclusion of training camp, the international programme athletes will be eligible to fill a 17th practice squad roster spot on any of the 32 teams — an additional spot reserved for an international player.

This year’s class includes athletes from eight countries and various sporting backgrounds including rugby, basketball, athletics, Gaelic football and Australian rules football.

 

Gats’ plan

Wales coach Warren Gatland has already had to name a Six Nations squad without Rees-Zammit, but the New Zealander has wasted no time in looking to the future, including joining the growing calls for an Anglo-Welsh competition.

Gatland believes the RFU and the WRU need to come together in alliance to re-establish the old traditional rivalries that players and fans have always revelled in.

Cardiff have just enjoyed two full houses for their Champions Cup games against Bath and Harlequins at the Arms Park and Gatland believes that shows the potential of a more structured approach from the two arch-rival nations.

“I’ve always said from a Welsh perspective we should always have an Anglo/Welsh competition on the table. For me that is not about the present, that is about history,” said Gatland.

“It’s the history of those clubs like Newport, Cardiff or whoever, playing teams that are pretty close to the border in terms of Gloucester, Bristol, Bath, and now Exeter. That goes back a long time to those traditional rivalries.”