Freddie Steward Aims for Enhanced Attacking Role with Tigers

Leicester Tigers and England full-back Freddie Steward, who has earned 35 Test caps for England, has stated his intention to move beyond “wait on the edge for the magic to happen” as he aims to develop into a more potent attacking player for both his club and national team. The 6ft 5in, 24-year-old player is widely recognized for his aerial prowess. His skill in retrieving the ball from the air has been called “devastating” by World Cup-winning South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus, and a “super strength” by England head coach Steve Borthwick, who previously coached Steward at Tigers. Steward indicated that losing his position as England’s primary number 15 earlier this year prompted him to recognize the necessity of diligently improving other facets of his play. In Leicester’s initial European Champions Cup loss against Bordeaux earlier in the month, the full-back accumulated an impressive 304 metres, with 240 metres coming from kick returns. According to stats provider Opta, both these figures represent the highest recorded in a continental match since the company started tracking such data. Furthermore, statistics from the same match revealed he achieved 292 carry metres, a total unsurpassed by any player in the competition over the past five years. He attributes these achievements to the training he has undertaken with Tigers head coach Michael Cheika and the club’s attack and back coach Peter Hewat. “They have been fantastic for me,” Steward informed BBC Radio Leicester. He added, “It comes down to confidence and a bit of bravery, putting myself in those positions and wanting the ball in my hands.” Steward continued, “I think over the last couple of years I’ve been too happy waiting on the edge and waiting for the magic to happen, so it’s been driven by the coaches that they want all us backs out there to get our hands on the ball, so it’s a bit more licence and I’ve been really enjoying it.” Steward’s most recent start for England was against South Africa in November. However, he stated that being replaced by George Furbank during the Six Nations earlier this year, and his subsequent intermittent inclusion in the team, has served as a significant source of motivation. “I’ve played a couple of games [for England] recently but haven’t consistently been in that team. It hasn’t been easy,” he remarked. He elaborated, “It’s been difficult, but it’s almost renewed a hunger to push these areas of my game – the attacking side of the game and be even more dominant in the air with my kicking game.” “It’s given me that extra push to work unbelievably hard because I want that shirt,” he added. Steward emphasized, “My high-ball stuff is never something I want to go away from. That is non-negotiable for me.” He concluded, “That always needs to be the super strength of my game and the thing I can bring on the pitch every single time.”