Lewis revives Wales career in problem position
Two years on from his most recent international outing, tight-head prop Dillon Lewis is looking to help fill Wales' problem position.
The 30-year-old earned an international recall for the summer schedule against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa in the Nations Championship.
Wales tune up for those Tests with an uncapped fixture against Barbarians at Allianz Stadium on Saturday (14:00 BST).
It presents Lewis with the opportunity to represent his country for the first time since winning his 57th cap against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations.
"The two years have been riddled with a few injuries, which hasn't helped my case, but it is something that I never gave up on," said Lewis, who toured Australia the following summer but did not play.
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Lewis brought up a half-century of Wales caps while with Cardiff before spending two seasons with Harlequins.
He relished the change of scene, saying it made him "a more mature and more rounded player", but last summer moved to Dragons to boost his chances of featuring in a third World Cup.
"Coming home to Wales was a big driving factor in that, just trying to be in the shop window as much as possible, and luckily I picked up some form towards the end of the season," said Lewis, who made nine appearances after an autumn calf injury.
"It was never something I closed the door on. I aspired to get back in and there was a lot of competition as well to make it even harder."
Wales' tight-head prop issue
The two tight-heads that played in the Six Nations for Steve Tandy's side will not feature this summer.
Sale-bound Tomas Francis was brought back into the international fold to shore up the scrum.
The 34-year-old is rested after his exertions with Provence as Wales try to get him through to the World Cup, while Bath's Archie Griffin is absent after surgery.
Keiron Assiratti, the leading tight-head last autumn, withdrew from the squad after suffering a calf injury in Cardiff's United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final defeat.
Lewis is joined in the squad by Sam Wainwright and Ben Warren, while Chris Coleman and Rhys Henry have helped in in training before the Baa-Baas fixture.
The three official members of the squad have a combined tally of just eight professional starts in 2025-26, but opportunity knocks.
"You always like to think you can add something to a team, so it has been a frustrating time for me," said Lewis.
"The way the team finished the Six Nations was brilliant to watch. You could see a definite change and it was exciting, and something I was desperate to be a part of."
After missing out twice, Lewis has worked for the first time under Tandy and his new scrum coach Paul James.
"You hear all the boys coming back into the clubs and speaking so highly of the environment and how much they enjoyed it," said Lewis.
"It's tough to listen to, but it also spurs you on to try to get back here, so I've loved being back in with a completely fresh, new coaching staff.
"Everything's a bit different - there is a new outlook on the game and culture. I've loved it and it's been nice to get back in."
