Robins’ Lewis in contention for England’s French clash
MIKEY Lewis underlined his international credentials with the manner of his second-half performance in helping Hull KR reach the Challenge Cup semi-final, that’s according to his Rovers coach Willie Peters.
Lewis was some way off his usual standard against Leigh Leopards last week, that is until sparking the Robins into life and coming to the fore as the hosts booked their place in the last four for the third successive year.
Pointing to the maturity shown by his young charge and the ability to correct a below-par start in a high-pressure game, Peters believes Lewis showed the hallmarks necessary to impress England head coach Shaun Wane.
And with the national team’s next fixture now confirmed, the KR coach is hoping Lewis gets another chance to impress for England after seeing his young half-back return from international duty last season with a new confidence.
Asked if he thinks Lewis is doing enough to earn selection once again, Peters said: “It’s a question for Shaun Wane, but I know Waney is a fan as he picked him last year. What I was most pleased about last week, and Mikey will be the first to admit it, that first half wasn’t a Mikey Lewis performance.
“To have the ability to have halftime, reset and go back out and put in a performance like he did that second half, that shows growth and maturity.
“I’m sure Waney will be looking at that. If Mikey had played the second half like he did the first, what’s he going to be like under pressure on a big stage?
“I’m sure those are the type of things Waney will be thinking about, but his performance second half shows his growth.
“I’d love to see him back in that England jersey or within the squad. The growth Mikey got from that before benefits us and no doubt will benefit England as well, because they have a handy player there.”
England will play France in a doubleheader in Toulouse on Saturday June 29, with the game marking 90 years of rugby league in the republic, with the FRL XIII forming in 1934.
Both the England Men’s and Women’s sides will be in action at The Stade Ernest-wallon.
England last met France in Warrington in last year’s mid-season international, with both the Men and Women winning 64-0.
However, the scorelines were closer when the teams last met on French soil in 2021, with the Men winning 30-10 in Perpignan and the Women 40-4.
Lewis impressed in the Autumn series with Tonga last year, playing two of the three Test matches, and will hope his form with Rovers so far this year is strong enough to earn another recall from Wane.