Hull KR man Mikey Lewis admits he already feels comfortable on the international stage as he prepares to take on Samoa later this month.
It’s been some season for the half-back, who saw his remarkable form recognised at last week’s Super League awards as he picked up the Man of Steel gong. It was deserved, too, with Lewis scoring 19 tries and assisting 24 more as the 23-year-old helped guide Willie Peters’ Robins into their first ever Super League Grand Final.
Unfortunately for the east Hull man, his first outing at Old Trafford didn’t go to plan, with KR being beaten 9-2 by Wigan Warriors, who completed an historic quadruple with the win last Saturday. Lewis did manage to get over the line in the clash but saw his effort chalked off to sum up what was a frustrating collective and individual showing..
The half-back must push that disappointment to the back of the mind now though as he links up with Shaun Wane’s England. Lewis is the only Hull KR man to make the final cut, having seen Elliot Minchella and Jez Litten just miss out on selection.
Of course, he has competition for a place in the side, with George Williams and Harry Smith also being selected for the two-match series with the Samoa, with the first meeting set to take place a week on Sunday at the Brick Community Stadium in Wigan.
However, with three impressive England appearances and one try under his belt already, the Rovers man feels at home within Wane’s set up, but he won’t be getting ahead of himself.
“I feel comfortable but I’m not part of the furniture yet,” Lewis said when speaking to Serious About RL at the Super League Dream Team launch. “I have to still earn it like we all do. When I’m 35 and still playing with hopefully 40 or 50 caps that’s when you’ll know you’re furniture.”
Of course, England have a score to settle this autumn against the side that dumped them out of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup at the semi-final stage. Lewis wasn’t part of the England group at that point in time, but he can sense the determination within the squad to get that one back.
“100 per cent,” he added when asked if revenge was a motivation within the group. “After the game they were probably very disappointed with how they played, they’ll be dying to get out there and get a 2-0 victory over them.”
