It took the 22-year-old tight-head back to his younger international days. First capped for Wales Under 16 as a 14-year-old, he then graduated into the Under 18 set-up and enjoyed a similar experience to those youngsters currently taking part in the Under 18 Six Nations Festival.
“I played my first year of Under 18 rugby with Wales against England in Swansea and then went to Grenoble for the FIRA tournament. We lost to Scotland and then beat Portugal and Georgia,” recalled Lewis.
“I played for Wales Under 16 when I was 14. It was a game against Italy Under 17 and I had a tough time. After that we played England in the Midlands and got a bit of a hiding even though we had a pretty good team.
“It was a bit unexpected for me to play internationally at Under 16 level. The Under 18 games were really good exposure for me and I really enjoyed it – you learn so much.
“I went to Sardis Road to watch Wales play England and England had a massive pack. It is all about gaining experience at that age and picking up as much as you can.”
Even though he has got two caps, Lewis is still very much learning his trade in the front row and taking as many tips from the top as he can with Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Tau Filise still packing down in the Blues’ front row.
“I just hope that Gethin stays around a bit longer because he has been brilliant for me. You have to take on board all the experience players like him have got to offer,” said Lewis.
“I can’t take for granted the knowledge they can pass down to me. It would be great to start every week, but at the same time there is so much I can learn from Gethin and Tau.
“I came through the Academy at a young age with the Blues and loved playing age grade at Pontyrpidd. But from watching players like Gethin Jenkins and Sam Warburton playing for the Blues, that is what I wanted to aspire to.
“In our recent win over Munster there were about 13 players with who I had been involved in the Blues academy. There are a lot of youngsters coming through to join up with players like Ellis Jenkins and Macauley Cook, who are only about 24-25.
“Most of those have played for Wales at the younger age levels – 16, 18 and 20 – and it is a great breeding ground.”
