Shane Williams believes young try wizard Tomi Lewis is putting his hand up to Warren Gatland as a potential Wales full-back successor to Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams.
Lewis has just rejoined the Scarlets after a sizzling season in which he helped Jersey Reds win the English Championship title. His 12 tries, some of them spectacular solo scores, were pivotal to the Jersey fairytale, less than 20 years after the little Channel Islands side were playing parks rugby.
Wales' record tryscorer Shane namechecks Lewis in a column for The Rugby Paper as he picks his Welsh team of the year and says fans should keep an eye out for him.
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Even though Lewis has dazzled on the wing for Jersey, Shane sees him as a full-back candidate for Wales. He chooses him on the bench in his side, with Scarlets star Jordan Williams getting the nod as the best 15 this season.
But Shane says of Lewis: "He can play across the back three and did well enough to force (have forced) his way into Warren Gatland's World Cup training squad.
"He is one to watch over the next 18 months as Gatland seeks out a full time replacement for Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams."
That seasoned duo, of course, will head to the World Cup in France this autumn and battle it out for the full-back starting berth. However, Halfpenny is 34 and Williams is in his 33rd year, so there will come a point where Gatland needs to look at alternative options.
According to Shane, Lewis could be that man. The ex-Wales U20s wing and Wales Sevens man left the Scarlets after a major knee injury, but is heading back to Llanelli after relaunching his career with Jersey. He returns to Wales a better and more rounded player, having benefited from a full campaign of rugby in the English system.
Jersey chairman Mark Morgan said: “Tomi’s been an example of what we’ve done really well, of signing young players who obviously have talent, but because of the structure in Wales and in England, because of the nonsense academy structures that they have, these guys don’t play enough rugby
"I don’t care whether it’s rugby, or plastering or banking, if you are not doing your job, how do you learn it?
“Tomi had been let go by Scarlets. We had no hesitation bringing him here and he has just gone from strength to strength. He’s one of the top try scorers in the Championship this season and he’s been outstanding."
Former Cardiff stalwart Macauley Cook also played for Jersey this season to help drive the Reds to the title. Two other Welsh players, prop Huw Owen and back-rower Alun Lawrence, were also prominent in the success.
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