Swansea backrower Colin Charvis is a specialist No. 6 moved to the back of the scrum out of necessity, but his under par performance in the shock loss to Italy on Saturday has many fans looking for a fresh face in the back row.
With the retirement of Scott Quinnell, coach Steve Hansen has few options at No 8, but Howells says 29-year-old Lewis can do the job against England on Saturday.
‘Geraint is playing very well and he’s proven himself at international level,’ said the Pontypridd coach, who admitted to being disappointed at his players’ performance in Rome.
‘He’s a very good No 8 who gets over the gainline and has great hands. As a bonus, he’s also the best fly-half in Wales!
‘Graham Henry and I called on Geraint when we were in charge of Wales and he did the job asked of him.’
Lewis played 16 Tests for Wales between June 1998 and October 2001.
