Dillon Lewis has been a regular fixture in the Wales squad since making his test debut against Tonga at Eden Park in 2017. The 26-year-old has won 39 caps for Wales, playing a crucial role in two Guinness Six Nations winning sides while he was also a part of the squad which reached the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-finals. But last Saturday’s gutsy 32-29 defeat to South Africa was arguably the toughest challenge of Lewis’ career.
The Cardiff Rugby star was heroic with his scrummaging passing the test against a world-class South African set-piece while he put in an industrious shift around the park. What made his performance all the more remarkable was the fact he played 79 minutes and 30 seconds at altitude which is a phenomenal effort for a tighthead prop.
Lewis left the field after 50 minutes, making way for Tomas Francis, but he’d barely put his tracksuits on when he was told he’d have to go back onto the pitch following Francis’ concussion.
“I didn’t have much time to think about it to be honest,” he said. “It wasn’t nice seeing Franny (Tomas Francis) down the way that he was.
“It was quite a nasty one, so I was hoping that he was okay. I remember Nugget [Martyn Williams, team manager] telling me to get back on. You don’t really prep for those situations, they just happen.
“It was definitely a test on the lungs and the legs. They’re big men as well so it’s not just the running around that you have to worry about, it’s also trying to stop them running over you.
“It was a tough Test but an enjoyable one, probably one of my most enjoyable Test matches for Wales. It was probably a bit of a win-win game for me.
“Everybody wrote me off at scrum time so if it didn’t go well, it was nothing people didn’t already know, but if it did go well, it’s something to take confidence from. I’m probably giving people reasons to doubt me at times, that’s my own inconsistency I have to try and iron out.
“I tend not to listen much to external factors. If the coach is picking me, I must be doing something right. The main thing is to focus on the job and dull those external voices down.”
Wales has an opportunity to level the series this Saturday against a much-changed Springboks outfit in Bloemfontein. But Lewis is expecting an even tougher examination up-front from the world champions this time around.
“Coming into the tour everybody wrote us off and expected us to get hammered,” added Lewis. “We’re only one Test in, but they are the challenges you want to face.
“They’re probably the best pack in the world at the moment at scrum and lineout time. What better test for us? I enjoyed it on Saturday and know the boys did.
“We’ve got two more to look forward to. But even though there are a lot of positives we can take from it, we still lost.
“It’s only good if we back it up again and we need to go up another level. I expect it to get a lot tougher over the next two Tests. It’s been a while since both teams have played together, so it’s only going to get better, more physical, and faster.
“I expect it to get darker on Saturday. It’s something we’ve had a long time to think about and can’t shy away from.
“If you give them an in or show a weakness then they’re the Boks, they’ll take it.”