The footballer Paolo Di Canio once reported that the man who tended his piranhas told him that if the striker left West Ham he would kill all his fish.
It is uncertain if Sam Lewis ever received such a threat during his seven years at Worcester Warriors rugby club, but there is zero doubt that, like the yesteryear Di Canio at the Hammers, he qualified for the status of fans’ favourite.
When the club announced he was being released last week, there were tributes sprayed across social media, with one poster lauding him as the “best player to have pulled on a Worcester jersey”.
No one rushed to accuse the author of hyperbole.
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Ex-Wales fly-half Paul Turner, now head coach of Ampthill, chipped in: “What a player! Where’s he going?”
And Lewis’ former Ospreys team-mate Lloyd Ashley styled the No. 7 as an “absolute legend”.
But it’s all over for him now at Sixways.
Hard feelings? If he has them, he didn’t make it obvious when he spoke to WalesOnline over the phone this week.
“I’ve had a great time at Worcester but there have been a lot of changes and I just feel maybe it’s the right time to be leaving,” he said.
“We won the Premiership Cup recently and rounded off the season with a big win over Bath. I started off at the club with a lot of boys who have since moved on. I guess nothing lasts forever.
“That said, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“Obviously there have been injuries, but bumps happen in rugby and you just have to hope you are lucky enough not to pick up too many.
“The club have parted company with players from the middle tier — not superstars and not youngsters, but the guys who fall somewhere in between. Other clubs have gone down a similar road.
“There’s no point moaning. It’s professional sport and I don’t have any hard feelings.”
Lewis heard the news through his agent. Injuries have hampered him this term, but it was still a big call to release a player former Wales international Richard Webster once described as the bravest he had come across in rugby.
And, yes, the fearless Webster could be classed as quite an authority on the question of courage on a rugby field. You can read more on the ex-Swansea openside here.
Lewis continued: “We are in tough times and the club have to balance the books.
“But I enjoyed it so much I don’t want to be negative.
“The boys have been great up here over the years and so have the supporters. Worcester are a proper rugby club, even to the point where fans come onto the pitch at the end of games. It’s been a pleasure playing for them and I’ve made friends who’ll stay mates for life.”
The question is the one posed by Turner on Twitter: where will Lewis end up next?
He broke through onto the senior scene at the Ospreys, having previously played under Webster at Swansea. But the Ospreys are well-stocked with opensides in Justin Tipuric, Jac Morgan and Harri Deaves, while potentially Cardiff and the Dragons also have their quotas of top-class sevens.
There could be room at the Scarlets if they were creative in how they used their existing back-rowers. Certainly, with his ability over the ball, toughness and dynamism around the field, Lewis might be an attractive prospect after the retirement of James Davies.
But money is tight across Welsh rugby right now.
Lewis said: “There are a few options on the table and I’m thankful for all of them.
“But my wife is expecting a baby and I’ve had that to think about as well.
“I guess I’ll mull over things and then make a call.
“I’m only 31, so I think I have a fair bit to offer.
“Would I rule out a return to Wales? Far from it but obviously there needs to be an offer there. Maybe it would be a good time to return home and be close to family, but I don’t know what the situation is at the various regions. I know there are a lot of very good sevens in Wales right now.
“I’m not pushing for anything. I just haven’t decided what comes next.”
At the Ospreys, it was his misfortune to be competing with Justin Tipuric for the No. 7 shirt, and while Lewis did feature 65 times over four years at the south-west Wales region, when it came to big games, the suggestion was the Ospreys went with Tipuric.
“I could have sat there at the Ospreys but I wanted to play and I just thought a move was in my best interest and that of the region,” he said.
“I had a lot of good friends there, but I had to make a call.
“When I look back, it was probably the best decision I could have made.
“No disrespect to the league the regions were playing in back then, but when I started with Worcester, the English Premiership had something on every game.
“The crowds were good and every match was competitive with the pressure on each Saturday.
“There was relegation and while you didn’t want to be at the wrong end of the table, you were conscious how important it was to pick up points. You were playing for something every week and the camaraderie was great.
“I think the league has lost something with no relegation as it stands.
“We played against Bath in the final game of the season and had there been relegation it would have been a huge game. As it was, neither of us wanted to finish bottom, but it wasn’t the same as if we were playing to avoid the drop.”
There has never been a cross word with his erstwhile No. 7 rival Tipuric. “I always got on well with Justin — it’s hard not to get on with him. He’s a great bloke,” said Lewis.
The mind cuts to former Ospreys scrum-half Tom Habberfield retweeting a clip of a police officer in Australia breaking off from a chat with journalists to crash-tackle a runaway man. “Is that you @Sam Lewis_90?” asked Habberfield, offering a nod to Lewis’ relentless defensive skills.
But no cap has arrived for the brother of former Swansea and Ospreys back rower Ben Lewis.
Undoubtedly, he’d be in contention for a place in any Uncapped Wales XV that were drawn up. Sadly, that would be of limited consolation.
“I thought I had some good games in Wales and at Worcester, but Sam Warburton was on the scene and so was Tips,” said Lewis.
“It’s just the way it was.
“You can’t control selection and in the end you just have to do as well as you can for your club and not worry about much else.”
Maybe Lewis is too modest for his own good.
But others are happy to speak for him.
Departing Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons, a Springbok assistant coach between 1997 and 2000 and among the most respected figures in the game, said: "Sam is one of the nicest men I have ever coached and a terrific rugby player.
"Without a doubt, he's a Test match-quality player — fabulous.
"There are very few sevens who have the ability to link like Sammy has. You could pick him at inside centre and he wouldn't have a problem playing there. He can do everything and has the heart of a lion.
"People have said he hasn't played for Wales because he is not big enough, but he is as tough as teak. He shirks nothing defensively, is good on the ground and has a rugby brain second to none.
"He's just an exceptional player and man."
As references go, it's quite a decent one.
Lewis will not be without a club for long.
