Freddie Steward is determined to regain his place in the England team. Photo: PA/Adam Davy
Freddie Steward's heart rarely runs far. from his sleeve. On the field, the 23-year-old personifies determination and courage; especially when hovering over flailing limbs to collect high balls. But the 23-year-old is remarkably candid.
In all his interviews he exudes an infectious enthusiasm for Leicester Tigers and England, so this, his first interview since a difficult Six Nations, may seem a little touchy-feely. But Steward doesn't shy away from it.
Leicester's campaign hangs in the balance after Saturday's 40-17 defeat to Northampton Saints. As Steward admits, accuracy deserted the Tigers at important points in games where the outcome was narrow. On a personal level, Steward's season was shaped by the serious setback of defeat to England. He never showed that he took it for granted — quite the contrary — yet his position in Steve Borthwick's team seemed as secure as it could be.
Since making his Test debut in 2021, Steward has played 28 consecutive Tests before being rested for last year's World Cup pool match against Chile. He did not feature in the quarter-final against Fiji, where Marcus Smith was at full-back, but returned to face South Africa in the semi-final and retained that place to start the Six Nations. And then, after an impressive individual performance as a stubborn Wales were ousted at Twickenham, Steward was informed that he would not feature in the 23rd round for Scotland. George Furbank will wear 15 and Smith will be on the bench.
The crucial conversation with Borthwick — “it was such a small conversation but it brought up so much emotion” — took place on the Monday before England's trip to Murrayfield. Nine days earlier, Steward was one of the hosts' best players in a 16–14 win over Warren Gatland's men. In the first round, his decent performance helped England to victory in Rome. Borthwick's decision had less to do with form and more to do with a desire to move in a different tactical direction. Was it even more painful?
“Playing for England means everything to me,” says Steward. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and every time you put that shirt on it’s special. When you don't have that opportunity, it hurts. Especially that first week and the next week were difficult. I struggled.
“But as disappointed and upset as I was — because all you want is to be 23 and play — I still had a responsibility to help the team. My role was very different and I never wanted my frustration to rub off on the team or impact the environment.
“It was really difficult; These are definitely the hardest weeks of my career. For me it was the understanding that this is a sport and this happens. I definitely wasn't the first person this happened to and I definitely won't be the last. It was a case of dealing with those emotions.”
Freddie Steward found it difficult to lose his place. Photo: PA/David Davis
David Priestley, the England team psychologist, has been a «brilliant» crutch, and Steward describes Kevin Sinfield, another valued confidant, as «always my rock.» This is not a pity party, but rather a raw and vulnerable account of the feelings involved. Claustrophobia was part of the cocktail.
“It’s difficult because you can’t escape it,” Steward continues. “You get the news and you can’t just go home and be with your family and spend time away. You are in the camp and you still have work to do.”
Ultimately, despite an error-filled false start in Edinburgh, England's convincing victory over Ireland vindicated Borthwick. Furbank was superb in the last game and the collective attacking enthusiasm almost brought England victory in France too. Although he was not in action, the 6ft 5in steward stood out over the final three rounds in his unfamiliar job as a traveling reserve. He joined the pre-game warm-up with several other players on the empty field before kick-off. Although it must have been a humiliating experience, Steward wasn't too bothered by any dents in his pride.
“Probably not so much pride, but – and I’ve always been like this – you feel like you’ve let people down,” he admits. “Family is always a key factor for me. This has been my motivation throughout my career. And it may sound stupid, but you feel like you've let people down because I want them to be proud when I play for England. When that doesn't happen, you take it on yourself, perhaps to a greater extent than is healthy.
“You just have to find joy in other things… that's obviously different, but sprints after warming up … up and the like. You just have to enjoy it. You can't be in a situation where you're frustrated and frustrated and let that permeate the team.»
Freddie Steward claims to have a good relationship with Steve Borthwick. Photo: Getty Images/Seb Daly
Out of a genuine desire to put the team first, Steward put his ego aside and refused to mope. His “very good” relationship with Borthwick, in his opinion, “certainly was not spoiled.” The steward was presented with areas for improvement that he would politely prefer to keep private. — Yes, if you don't mind? He says. “I apologize, but this is a conversation that I will keep between myself and the coaches. I've got things I need to work on and that's on me now.»
A reasonable safe bet given Furbank's strengths and how Smith has returned as a utility back is that Steward asked to focus on its distribution and connections. In fact, it is an all-consuming task. And you can’t neglect your existing strengths either.
“From the outside, you would probably think it was all about skill and stuff,” Steward explains. “Behind the scenes he talks to the coaches, watches a lot of rugby — maybe too much rugby at times — and fine-tunes those little things.
“I've had great conversations with the players here [at Leicester]. I had a good chat with Ben Youngs and the first thing he said was, “Of course you want to work on those other things and diversify your game, but don’t forget what got you to this point – keep scoring.” these strengths and improve in them.
“You can always improve. I've never been a player who was happy with where I was or my skill set. I want to continue to develop.»
«I'll stick with a back three for now, but who knows.»
Staying on the right flank, starting there against Leinster and Northampton, is helping Steward's development: «You can see on the wing the game from a different perspective and there are so many transferable skills that will help me become a better player.” . I told Dan [McKellar, Leicester manager] that I would give 100 per cent wherever they were.»
Some observers, including Sir Clive Woodward, wondered how there might have been a more radical move into the central zone. go. “It’s been mentioned here and there,” Steward laughs. “And I never paid much attention to it. I'll stick with three defenders for now, but who knows.»
No one expects Steward to shy away from the challenge and he knows he can «put his hat back in the ring» for England, who play Japan and New Zealand this summer, with some strong performances from the Tigers. McKellar's men must respond immediately because their defeat by Northampton was humiliating. The scoreline changed dramatically after Solomon Kata's red card, with Leicester losing 18-17.
«In the dressing room you feel like everyone is devastated,» Steward says of that derby defeat. “This is not something that can be overcome in a matter of hours and minutes. On Monday morning we were probably still a little unhappy with our performance. Very quickly you need to put it on hold and realize you've got four or five days to get going again.”
In typically bright tones, Steward stresses that Leicester can make the play-offs. and salvage a play-off place by beating Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs: “We just need to win the next three and let the rugby gods deal with the rest.”
Manage the managed elements and work hard to change your destiny; a hard old lesson that Steward has had to learn in recent months.
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