When Freddie Steward marked his return to the England team against Argentina last weekend, he did more than end nearly two years without a try. He put his hand up for a British & Irish Lions emergency call.<\/b><\/p>\n
Andy Farrell, the Lions<\/a> head coach, chose not to replace like for like when full-back Elliot Daly broke his left forearm against Queensland Reds, electing instead to add another fly-half\/centre in Owen Farrell.<\/p>\n It means with Hugo Keenan only one game back from a calf injury sustained in Leinster\u2019s URC quarter-final win over Scarlets a month ago, and Blair Kinghorn who started against the Waratahs, after his late arrival post Top-14 final, the tourists are both light and undercooked at fullback.<\/p>\n Until last Saturday evening, Steward<\/a> was not seen as a contender. England\u2019s<\/a> pretty much ever-present 15 between 2021 and 2024 had lost his place, first to George Furbank, then Marcus Smith.<\/p>\n The stardust he sprinkled so liberally on Twickenham and so many places besides in his first 33 Test appearances, seemed to run out.<\/p>\n So what happened in La Plata the other night was huge for the 24-year-old. At a bouncing Estadio Uno, he came through the other side.<\/p>\n Overcoming self-doubt<\/p>\n Steve Borthwick gave him his first start since dropping him from the national squad in February and the coach was repaid with a strong display capped off with the second of England\u2019s four tries.<\/p>\n How different the world seems to Steward today. The smile is back on his face, avenues which appeared closed to him in springtime are slowly opening again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve been in the shirt and it\u2019s been tough,\u201d he told Planet Rugby. \u201cSelf-doubt kicks in. You\u2019re only human. You do start to think \u2018Am I really not good enough\u2019?<\/p>\n \u201cSaturday was an important game for me, a chance to put a marker down and try to fight my way back into that spot.<\/p>\n \u201cYou take it in your stride when it\u2019s going well, you\u2019re not really thinking about stuff. When it comes the other way, that is when you really start to find out about yourself.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gets lonely. You naturally feel like everything is against you and it\u2019s easy to victimise yourself, which I probably did at the start.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnny Sexton claims Owen Farrell is \u201910 days\u2019 ahead proving \u2018exactly why\u2019 B&I Lions called<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Steward says he owes so much to his support network \u2013 family, girlfriend, close mates, people away from rugby who he can rely on \u2013 for getting him through the darkest times.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to find things that you have probably ignored when everything is going well,\u201d he added. \u201cYou find out a lot about yourself and who you are. Mentally, you have to be tough.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a hell of a journey but I\u2019m more resilient off the back of it. It has made me better, 100 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n