The task facing Freddie Steward this week is one of keeping his emotions in check, floating as he is somewhere between the euphoria of Leicester Tigers’ semi-final victory last weekend and the higher peak of facing Bath in the Gallagher Premiership final this Saturday.
For a heart-on-sleeve character such as Steward, it does not come easily. “I’m quite an emotional person, so it’s trying to calm myself down rather than hype myself up,” he says. “It’s not easy, because you’re lying in bed trying to get to sleep in the nights before, you’re thinking about scenarios and your mind goes off on one.
“I’m bad with a wandering brain as it is. The night before a game, I’ve moved my bedtime earlier because I know I’m not getting any sleep for a couple of hours.”
Steward was outstanding in Leicester’s semi-final victory over Sale and now faces Bath in the final on Saturday
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Playing in the Premiership final is a step up for many club players, and some involved on Saturday have not played in front of anything approaching the 82,000 spectators who will pack the stands at Twickenham. In those circumstances, Steward is grateful for the experiences he has gained from international rugby in learning to cope with the heightened pressure that comes with playing on the grand stage.
“The first time you do it, it’s daunting, it’s scary,” Steward says. “It doesn’t necessarily get any easier, it’s still a huge occasion and it does things to you that you have to try to counteract. But because you’ve been there before and experienced that sort of atmosphere, it certainly helps.
“But you wouldn’t want it any other way. You want to play in the big games, in front of big crowds, it’s all massively exciting.”
Steward was outstanding in Leicester’s semi-final victory over Sale, as he has been throughout a season in which the Tigers have been timing their run to the line, aiming to win a second Premiership title in four years. Under the guidance of Michael Cheika, the full back has rediscovered the joy of playing rugby, which had temporarily deserted him last season after he lost his place in the England side and Leicester limped to an eighth-place finish in the Premiership.
The international picture has not improved greatly this season, with two underwhelming appearances for England, but his consistent excellence at club level should earn Steward a place in the squad to play Argentina and the USA next month, and the chance to rekindle his international career.
Steward made his England debut at 20 and quickly established himself as one of the finest defensive full backs in the world, with remarkable poise and courage under the high ball. But during last year’s Six Nations Steve Borthwick, the England head coach, changed his approach and dropped Steward in favour of the playmaking ability of George Furbank.
Steward was first-choice full back for England in the 2023 World Cup but has fallen out of favour …
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
… and he admitted that being side-stepped for a try by Cheslin Kolbe this season dented his confidence
REX
In this year’s championship, with Furbank out injured, Marcus Smith and Elliot Daly were picked at No15 ahead of Steward, with the exception of one appearance against Ireland. Steward has remained in Borthwick’s squads, but he has slipped down the pecking order and has begun to consider different ways in which, at the age of 24, he can add to his 36 caps.
He has worked to sharpen his footwork in defence, recently admitting to The Times that being side-stepped for tries against South Africa and Ireland this season had dented his confidence. He has also tried to expand his attacking game, while giving more serious thought to the idea that he might be able to play at inside centre as well as full back.
England have struggled for some time to find a regular No12 and the idea of moving Steward from No15 into the midfield has been aired by Sir Clive Woodward, among others, arguing that his 6ft 5in, 16st 12lb frame would bring physicality. Steward has held discussions with Borthwick over adding to his repertoire, mindful that he has struggled even to make the replacements’ bench.
“I’ve had conversations with the coach and they’ve made it clear that versatility is massive,” Steward says. “That can be the difference between being in that 23 and not, and it’s certainly something I want to try to add to my game. You look at the likes of Elliot Daly, the guy’s mastered three different positions and he’s on his third Lions tour this year.”
Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika has encouraged Steward to increase his involvement in the game and helped him sharpen his attacking ability
PA
While Steward played inside centre at school before shifting to full back, he knows that switching positions at professional level would be far from straightforward, but he is also aware of players such as Jordie Barrett and Jamie Roberts, who have made a similar switch.
“It’s a completely different job, you’re thinking about completely different things at No12, but it’d be cool to experience that again,” he says. “I’ve not thought, ‘Right, I’m going to switch,’ the focus has been very much on playing full back the best I can. But if that is my way back in [to England], I’ll certainly explore that.
“Whatever I need to do to get back in that 23, whether it’s learning new positions, playing No12, I’ll take that with both hands. It’s adding strings to my bow. Being versatile is definitely something I can add.”
At the same time, his quest to become a fully rounded No15 continues to gather pace. Cheika and Peter Hewat, the Tigers’ backs coach and a former full back have encouraged Steward to increase his involvements in the game and the work he has done to sharpen his attacking ability has been bearing fruit. In the Premiership this season, only four players (and only one back) have carried more times and only five players have beaten more defenders.
“I’ve had gym programmes tailored to improving that explosiveness, power and acceleration, I knew I needed to make developments, so that’s been a real focus and I’ve definitely seen it transfer on to the pitch this season,” he says. “But it’s also been the enjoyment thing. A year ago, I sort of fell out love [with the game]. The new coaches here, they free me up. I’m being braver, wanting to get on the ball more and try things I probably wouldn’t have previously.”
He has enjoyed, too, the often unorthodox methods that Cheika, in his one-year stay at Welford Road, has been employing to get the best out of his team.
“He’s such a great motivator,” Steward says of the Australian head coach. “He talks quite a lot about mindset, which is quite rare for a coach — usually coaching is more about tactics and game plans. He talks about how we need to get up for the game and that can be the difference in big matches.
“But he also knows the right time not to be serious. My favourite thing he’s done was one Monday morning, he came into our team meeting and brought out a bottle of Captain Morgan rum. We all had a drink together, I couldn’t believe it, never in a million years did I imagine being in an environment where we’d do that. He’s so good at those little things that bring us together.”
That ability to coax the best out of players has helped Steward visibly rediscover his zest and the Tigers regaining their belief to reach the Premiership final. After that, there is the prospect of Steward reviving his England career in Argentina, perhaps even with the intriguing possibility that he will be given the chance to experiment at No12.
“I want to get this week right first,” he says. “Whatever happens after that, I’ll be ready to rip into it.”
Gallagher Premiership final
Bath v Leicester Tigers
Twickenham
Saturday, 3pm
TV ITV1 & TNT Sports 1