YOUNG GUNS
Sam Lewis faced the daunting task of integrating himself into Leicester’s fearsome pack last summer but having his old academy coach Brett Deacon there to guide him through made things a lot easier.
Lewis joined the Tigers academy full-time as the incumbent captain of Denstone College first team, but senior rugby is another beast and he needed reassurance that he was good enough to cut it among seasoned professionals.
As fate would have it, mentor Deacon had been promoted from the academy coaching setup to the first team, which gave Lewis, below, the confidence to ask for advice.
“Training full-time with the senior squad was tough at first because it’s a huge step up from schools rugby,” he said.
“Men’s rugby is very physical and that’s the main thing I’ll have to get used to. I’m not the biggest on the pitch anymore so I have to make sure my technique is absolutely right if I don’t want to end up on my backside.
“Brett has been very helpful to me. He was my academy coach and made the move up to the first team set up last year.
“So as daunting as it was to train with the first team, at least I wasn’t too scared to talk to the coach. It made it a lot easier for us to exchange and ask for advice.
“He’s been full of advice, but the piece that stands out for me is to play with confidence in your abilities. It makes a massive difference when you back yourself. Senior rugby is tough enough so being confident in my abilities is crucial. You can’t play at this level half-heartedly.”
On top of his agenda was the necessary weight-gain process any young tight five leaving school must endure in order to cope at the top level.
It meant hard work in the gym to give the 6ft 5in lock the ballast to go with his frame.
He added: “I’m about 17st which is over a stone heavier than when I first reported for preseason last summer. It was tough to do but I picked up a shoulder injury which gave me time to put on a lot of weight in the ten weeks leading up to Christmas.
“I really noticed a difference in terms of my physicality. I backed myself a lot more in the second half of the season and I’m quicker, too, because I’m also more powerful.
Playing rugby in the National Leagues has also benefited his progress.
“I got a good amount of game-time playing for Leicester Lions last season and National Two North was brilliant for me because the physical battle is very important there. That’s where I need to improve so it was a perfect thing for me to experience.
“The lineout was less structured, too, so I had to take control of it at times which is another good thing if I want to make the step up with Tigers. “I think I’m going on loan in National One this season which would be another step up and I’m looking forward to it. “I’m not sure I’m at the level of the Tigers’ first team just yet but you never know what’s going to happen so maybe I’ll get a shot in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.”