I got a koala tattoo as a reward… Mum was not happy!
England’s new darling Freddie Steward on beating the Aussies and being Jones’s chosen one
WHEN Freddie Steward came home from the tour of Australia with a discreet ink marsupial as a memento of England’s series win, he had to contend with the threat of parental disapproval. This was new territory for the Leicester full back, but there is plenty of body art within the Red Rose squad and he decided it was a fitting way to mark a special event in his rugby career.
‘The tattoo was inspired by Gengey (Ellis Genge),’ Steward told Sportsmail. ‘He got a sumo tattoo when he was at the World Cup in Japan.
‘ He’s actually got loads of tattoos on his feet from other campaigns. So a couple of the boys got the brains trust together and Jack Nowell designed the koala. I think there were about seven or eight of us who did it. A couple of the boys got kangaroos, but most of us have koalas. I’ve just got a little one on my ankle.
‘My mum wasn’t best pleased when I told her, but when she saw it, she actually didn’t mind. I wasn’t going to tell her, but my brother did when he saw a clip about it.
‘It’s on the inside of my ankle so it’s easily hidden, which is probably a good thing! It’s a memory of the trip. Thank God we won 2-1, so it’s a good memory, because we got the tattoos done in the build-up to the third Test.
‘I surprised myself by doing it.
My mum always told me never to get a tattoo, but the boys wanted a memory of a great tour, so I thought it wouldn’t be a terrible idea. I might do it for every tour we go on — a little memory of each country — but I will keep the tattoos hidden!’
Having made his debut against the USA at Twickenham 16 months ago, Steward has been picked by Eddie Jones for every one of England’s last 13 Tests and been remarkably assured from the off. He has proven to be an ultra-reliable last line of defence, aerial master and highly effective attacking runner.
So has his rapid rise been life-changing for someone who is certainly not an attention-seeker by nature?
‘It has,’ said the 21-year- old, who admitted it has been difficult to come to terms with scrutiny and expectation. ‘Since playing for England, everything just blows up. I suppose it took a bit of getting used to. Last year, I was still at university living in my digs in Loughborough with my housemates, so it was very surreal to start with.
‘I’m not sure I like it too much, being in the limelight. I’m quite a private guy so I enjoy going back home to my family, which I did last weekend, seeing them and being away from things in Norfolk.
‘There’s an expectation which goes with more exposure, but it’s a challenge, so it’s exciting. I’ve done a lot of work with a psychologist at Leicester about dealing with expectation, trying to go into games with the right mindset and not feeling there’s massive pressure to have an unbelievable performance.
‘It’s about staying level-headed and understanding you need to just do your job, because that’s what gets you picked, and being satisfied with that.’
By helping Leicester to win the Premiership last year and becoming an England regular, Steward has rapidly made a name for himself.
‘ There’s obviously a bit of recognition — people asking for pictures and a few autographs — but there’s not too much of it, which is good,’ he said. ‘I’d hate for it to get to a point where you’re getting stopped in the street, because at that point I’d feel like there’s not too much privacy. It’s nice to be able to just crack on.’
However, at a time when the sport is striving to enhance its box office appeal and attract a new audience, this new darling of English rugby understands and accepts the bigger picture.
‘Yeah, it’s difficult, because as players we have a responsibility to grow the game,’ he added. ‘Part of that are things like social media. It’s a balance of being able to keep certain things to yourself but also be a role model and promote the game.’
Outside of his day job, Steward has taken up golf and is in the fourth and final year of an economics degree.
But for now, his priority is the on-field Tests ahead and reinforcing his status as one of England’s chosen men.
The way he is going, Steward is destined to add plenty more body art in the years ahead.