Mikey Lewis lifts lid on Siva Tau clash as HUGE viral viewing figures revealed

England half-back Mikey Lewis has broken his silence on his high-profile confrontation with Gordon Chan Kum Tong during Samoa’s Siva Tau on Sunday: insisting he was picked out by the Manly man and had no intention of taking a backward step.

Samoa’s spine-tingling rendition of their traditional war dance featured a significant flashpoint, when Lewis and Chan Kum Tong had an intense stare-down. The pair then made contact with one another during its closing stages before exchanging words.

And Lewis, speaking for the first time since the incident, stressed that he felt Chan Kum Tong had singled him out for attention: and that he thrived in such a passionate moment and was never going to step back.

Lewis said: “We don’t take a backward step and that’s what Waney wants. It’s our territory, they’ve got to earn to get over our side and that’s the culture we’ve built with England. It’s one of them, I enjoyed it, it got me pumped up.

“He picked me out and I’m not taking a backward step. I went head-to-head and it’s one of them. It’s all about in the moment and we both loved it.”

When asked what he said to Chan Kum Tong, Lewis smiled: “I said ‘let’s go’. We’re two lads living the dream, playing for our country and that’s rep football. We’re living our dream, aren’t we. You’ve got to be able to control your emotion after it and I was on the bench, but if you’re starting you’ve got to control it.

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“I was desperate to get out there but the boys did the business and I knew my role in the game. I was just waiting for Waney to put me on, the boys did the dirty work and I got the last 20 minutes.”

The clip has subsequently been viewed millions of times on social media platforms across the world, adding extra momentum and hype to the final match of the two-Test series this weekend.

And Lewis admitted that while he may now get extra attention from opposing players due to his success at club level for Hull KR this season, it will not change the way he goes about his business.

He said: “If that’s the case, that’s the case – but I don’t feel like that. I go out there and be myself. I don’t want to be someone else. If they’ve put a target on me fair play, but it won’t change how I play.”

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