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Following the ‘official’ playing retirement of Waisale Serevi at the Melrose Sevens at the weekend, perhaps it was fate that another potential star of the game was officially unveiled to the sevens world in Scotland in the form of Earl Lewis.

The 21 year old South African was part of the winning University of Johannesburg team who upset the home club Melrose in the final. Lewis, the Player of the Tournament, lit up a tightly contested final with a classy hat-trick to deny the 10,000-plus crowd at Greenyards a first Scottish win in seven years.

On several occasions, the 21-year-old, a full-time professional who plays for the Golden Lions in the Vodacom Cup – the pro tier below Super 14 in South Africa – burst from his own 22 and just as a defender seemed to be within reaching distance he slipped into another gear scorching in for eight tries in four games.

Similarly to Serevi he can kick, taking some superb drop-goal conversions from the touchline. He is one of many who idolise the Fijian master, sporting the same biblical reference on his arm, in Afrikaans, that could also be seen on the boots and wrist and boots by Serevi (Philippians 4:13 – "I can do all things through him who strengthens me").

"I did not know a lot about Melrose Sevens before this weekend, really, but I have been part of the South Africa sevens squad and have travelled a bit, and this tournament is right up there with any. The atmosphere was incredible; the setting is magnificent; and it is the home of sevens, so it is a great place to come to," said the Johannesberg student.

"It has been an honour to play in Serevi's last tournament, and just to be here. We are all professionals, playing rugby all the time and studying mostly at night for our degrees, so we expected to win and we would have been very disappointed to go back to South Africa having lost.

"Stellenbosch University and the Shimlas have won in recent years and so there is a tradition of South African teams doing well at Melrose and we wanted to hold that up.”

Lewis grew up in a very poor part of the Western Cape, but attracted attention with his rugby skills and speed over 100m and 200m, and was contracted by the alma mater of Francois Pienaar. He will return to the Golden Lions camp this week as the Vodacom Cup returns to business, but with an eye on the IRB world sevens series with the Springboks next season.

Alec Theunissen, assistant coach with University of Johnnesburg, told us that Lewis’ story is a real rags to riches tale.

He said: “Lewis grew up in a little village called Darling in the Western Cape – a very poor area of South Africa – and he came through the provincial systems.

“He’s come up through the ranks and the University of Johannesburg decided to contract him.

“He’s certainly got pace and that’s what we are trying to develop in South Africa. The South African national squad are doing wonderfully and people are starting to play a lot more sevens.

“Earl Lewis is probably going to play with the Springboks seven. He did play some on the IRB circuit last year – he is going to go far in his rugby career.”