At Rees-Zammit’s first press convention after coming dwelling, the room buzzed. Clips of him talking and coaching flew throughout social media. One quick video hit one million views throughout our Instagram and TikTok accounts.

That issues .

As a result of Welsh rugby has all the time understood heroes – however it has not all the time understood attain.

Earlier generations of gamers bought one thing deeper than recognition. Sir Gareth Edwards and Shane Williams didn’t simply excite crowds, they embodied perception, identification and collective pleasure. They didn’t want to consider platforms or algorithms.

Rees-Zammit lives in a distinct sporting world.

He’s comfy in areas rugby historically averted. He understands how athletes at the moment are consumed, not simply on terraces however on telephones. He doesn’t apologise for that. And that’s exactly why he divides opinion.

Some see type over substance. Others see evolution.

To discover that divide, I spoke to journalists, followers and fellow broadcasters. One who has spent a long time protecting Welsh rugby and, like lots of his era, requested a good query: what is definitely new right here?

It’s a cheap problem.

However once I took the identical dialog on to the streets of Cardiff, the response was hanging.

Followers, significantly youthful ones, see Rees-Zammit as a bridge between rugby and a wider viewers. Between custom and fashionable sport. Between a recreation preventing for relevance and a era that consumes it in another way.

They don’t see him as an issue. They see him as a chance.