Shane Lewis-Hughes: Cardiff and Wales forward ready to 'wipe slate clean' after troubled years

Cardiff forward Shane Lewis-Hughes wants to "wipe the slate clean" after a "difficult" two years.

Lewis-Hughes made his Wales debut against Scotland in October 2020 but has not featured internationally since a loss to England a month later.

The 26-year-old suffered a season ending shoulder injury in March 2021 and struggled for game time under former Cardiff head coach Dai Young.

"It's been really tough," said Pontypridd-born Lewis-Hughes.

"I had the shoulder surgery in May 2021 and then a new coach came in [Young].

"When John Mulvihill was here I was playing consistently but last season I was rehabbing coming back and Josh Turnbull was playing six at the time, and he was club captain.

"I've gone from the peaks of playing for my country and doing well to struggling to get in the team here, which was difficult."

Lewis-Hughes has started all three of Cardiff's games this season, one more than the number of starts he had in the whole of the 2022-23 season and is thankful to new head coach Matt Sherratt for the chance to play.

"I can't thank him enough, he's given me an opportunity," said Lewis-Hughes.

"It feels like I`m getting back into that cycle now of enjoying my rugby, playing again, and feeling valued.

"He [Sherratt] gives me regular feedback, he said to me the other day - 'You're doing well, keep doing what you're doing and don't overthink anything.'

"He's been brilliant for me."

Despite budgetary requirements leading to smaller squad sizes, Cardiff's back-row depth is as strong as ever.

Lewis-Hughes faces stiff competition for his preferred six berth from fellow internationals James Botham, Seb Davies, Ellis Jenkins, Josh Turnbull and Thomas Young, alongside former Wales Under-20s captain Alex Mann.

As a result of pre-season injuries and in a bid to showcase his versatility, Lewis-Hughes has been operating in the second row, a position he hasn't played many times since age grade level.

"Back row in Wales, the competition has always been huge, the strength in depth every region has is endless," said Lewis-Hughes.

"The main thing for me was being back playing and doing what I love and what I've missed.

"Matt Sherratt and I had a conversation before the start of the season. He knew I could play in the second row, but I hadn't played there for a couple of years, it was needs must coming into pre-season and it's worked out well so far.

"Six is my main position, where I love to play but the only real difference is the scrum, soon as that is done, I'm back into Shane Lewis-Hughes the rugby player."

Being a blind-side flanker capable of playing in the second row is not a unique skill.

At Cardiff, Josh Turnbull and Seb Davies have played in both roles but Lewis-Hughes also takes inspiration from further afield.

"To try and get in that back row and stay there is very tough, you have to be on top of your game," said the former Coleg y Cymoedd product.

"You look at the game now, top sixes, Pieter Steph-du-Toit, Courtney Lawes, they can cover second row as well.

"They're about 6"7, a lot taller than I am, but to have that versatility only helps you.

"One of the best in the world, Franco Mostert, he's one of the smaller second rows in the world but he punches well above his weight.

"It's not about the size of the dog, it's about the dog in the fight. It's all well being big but if you haven't got that dog in you then it doesn't matter, most of it is having that determination and being relentless."

During his first international squad, Lewis-Hughes' determination was remarked upon by then Wales head coach Wayne Pivac who described him as a "clone" of Wales legend Alun Wyn Jones.

Three years later, Lewis-Hughes feels he has learnt to balance out his "obsessive personality".

"When you have that obsessive personality, you find it hard, when you give everything and you're not playing, you're searching for answers," said Lewis-Hughes.

"It's like a curse because no matter what you do, there will always be something you could've done better, it got to a point where I could make one mistake and it would affect me for the whole week.

"I'm not like that so much anymore, as you get older you become more self-aware and you learn to leave certain things go and that it's okay to praise yourself as well.

"I see every day as an opportunity to get better, if I can go to bed every night knowing I'm doing that, I can sleep easy."