He almost walked away from rugby league as a teenager, but England’s new star Mikey Lewis is now being backed as the sport’s poster boy for years to come.
If the dazzling debut display to guide his nation to victory in the first Test against Tonga was not enough to grab the nation’s attention, an emotional post-match interview certainly did.
In a sporting world where international games can so often feel like an inconvenience to our flogged club stars, here was a young man oozing authenticity, tearing up at the realisation of a dream.
“He is real, he is emotional and that is Mikey,” legendary half-back Danny McGuire tells The Sportsman.
“Mikey looks like an international already and could be a superstar.”
Having played with and coached Lewis for the last four seasons at Hull KR, McGuire admits to feeling “like a big brother” to the 22-year old, who single-handedly took the game to Tonga in a tight 22-18 win at St Helens. A lightning Lewis break set up England’s first try for Toby King, before an impulsive individual effort for a debut try of his own. There was a real trace of McGuire in both moments.
“He has always had that individual brilliance, the stuff you encourage them to hold on to but can’t really coach,” says McGuire, whose own match-winning heroics yielded eight Grand Final wins with Leeds.
“What he did against Tonga is what Mikey does every day at Hull KR; individual flair and the ability to do things that other players can’t do.
“At some points he has had coaches think he is more of a full-back, but I think he showed for England that he has all the attributes to be a world-class half-back now. His combination with Harry Smith was really good, two young British half-backs, one more controlled with a nice kicking game and the other who can make things happen off the cuff.
“Fans want to watch players who excite you. Our game can be too much about kicking to the corner and strangling the opposition. We sometimes lose this individual brilliance. I love coaching players to go and express themselves and we should never dampen that as a sport.”
This has been a devastating breakthrough year for Lewis, but at 22 he is still learning.
And behind Sunday’s emotion-drenched debut was a mountain of hard work and sacrifice.
As a schoolboy, Rovers and Hull academies had merged into the City of Hull Academy when Mikey’s mum received a letter to say her son had not been picked. That was almost it for a disheartened Lewis, but disillusionment was instead used as a catalyst for achievement.
Lewis stepped up a gear with local amateur club West Hull and made it into the academy 12 months later instead. From there he was invited to train with Hull KR as a 16-year old. That Rovers scholarship including spells sent out on loan to York, and before that Newcastle, with whom the diminutive teenager scored seven tries in seven games.
It was enough to convince KR boss Tony Smith to hand Lewis his Super League debut. And now, via two appearances for the England Knights, he is pulling the strings for England.
“This debut was a culmination of a lot of hard work and commitment,” adds McGuire, now assistant coach at Castleford Tigers.
“Mikey is just a competitor and a very good rugby player. He overcomes obstacles and this is only the start.
“We are now seeing him more as a team player, understanding his game, the subtleties of half-back play, a kicking game and creating more for those around him.
“We have worked a lot with Mikey this year on the ability to be part of a team, and he is only now scratching the surface of what he is capable of doing.”
Alongside his electric talent and a work ethic that his coaches love, is a competitive streak that has already wound up opposition fans.
A young Sam Tomkins quickly became pantomime villain to rival supporters across the Betfred Super League, and Lewis has appeared to develop that same niggly trait that McGuire sees as a quality.
“It is his competitive edge that winds up rival fans so much. He will scrap to win everything.
“Good players do wind up opposition fans, that’s just the way it is and that is one of his best qualities for me. Off the field he is level-headed, down to earth and a lovely kid who has good support from his family.
“He might be a bit irritable on the field, wind people up and annoy some fans, but off the field he is a lovely lad who works hard on his game and just wants to improve.”
McGuire has already seen enough of Lewis to believe he will be a regular star for his country for years to come.
There will be fierce competition for places in the halves - not least when captain George Williams returns from suspension - but Lewis has given national boss Shaun Wane a very welcome headache as he builds towards the next World Cup in three years time.
“Mikey is not scared to put it out there, if something doesn’t work he has the confidence to try it again,” says McGuire.
“Hopefully that is him now cemented on the international stage because he will just keep improving.”
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