Dillon Lewis ends two-year Wales exile after Dragons move reignites his international ambitions

Dillon Lewis is set to end a two-year absence from international rugby after being recalled to Steve Tandy’s Wales squad for the summer programme, with the 30-year-old tighthead prop insisting he never stopped believing a return was possible.

Lewis earned his 57th cap against Italy in March 2024 and has battled injuries alongside a change of club scenery since then, signing for Dragons last summer following a two-year stint with Harlequins in England. His recall comes ahead of a non-cap match against the Barbarians at Allianz Stadium in London this Saturday.

“Two years and it’s been riddled with a few injuries as well which hasn’t helped my case, but it was never something I gave up on,” Lewis said. “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.”

Lewis departed Welsh regional rugby in 2023 during a turbulent period for the domestic game, with regions forced to cut budgets and release out-of-contract players. He described the move to Quins as a necessary reset rather than a retreat.

“The landscape of Welsh rugby the year I left was quite a difficult one because the regions had to cut their budgets, and if you were out of contract you were quite unfortunate really,” he said. “I was out of contract, but it was time where probably I needed a change. I needed a new environment, a new challenge, and fortunately the Quins gave me that.”

The former Cardiff prop highlighted the technical and cultural differences he encountered in England, particularly in the set-piece, and pointed to working alongside experienced props Joe Marler and Will Collier under coaches Adam Jones and Danny Wilson as invaluable to his development.

“The set-piece was different in England to where it was in the URC and the mindset of how we approached every game,” Lewis said. “It was invaluable experience going up there. You get to learn a lot off them.”

After the Barbarians fixture, Wales will face Fiji, Argentina and South Africa in the opening phase of the inaugural Nations Championship, building on March’s Six Nations victory over Italy — their first in that competition for three years.

Lewis, who was part of the Wales squad that won the Six Nations title in 2019 and has appeared at two Rugby World Cups, said the positive reports filtering back from club teammates about Tandy’s environment only sharpened his desire to return.

“It spurs you on to try and get back up here,” he said. “The way the team finished the Six Nations was brilliant to watch — and something I was desperate to be a part of.”