Steward reminds Jones of mastery under high ball
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With the aerial battle assuming increasing importance every season, the ability to field a high ball has become one of the most critical skills for back-three players. In that regard, the emergence of full-back Freddie Steward should be cherished, not just among Leicester fans who have already clasped him to their bosom, but by English supporters everywhere.
Against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, Steward gave a bomb-defusal masterclass, claiming every high ball that came his way – of which there were plenty. Normally, excellence in this area comes with experience. Steward appears to have mastered the key components at just 20, showing an unerring technique to read the trajectory of the ball and time his leap, as well as a heady dose of raw courage.
Collision is inevitable almost the millisecond your feet touch the floor, or even before. In the opening minutes, Steward was taken out in the air; the resulting penalty was kicked by George Ford. Rather than let this deter him, it was instead Exeter who shrank in confidence as Steward snuffed out every high ball that came his way.
Comparisons have been made with the authority that Mike Brown displays in this department but, physically, Steward is a lot closer to the much taller frame of Chris Latham, the former Australia fullback. “High balls is definitely a focus,” Steward said. “It comes with the height. It is easy when you are 6ft 5in. It is something that I am working hard on and will continue to work on to make it a point of difference.”
Steward made his England debut over the summer, drawing glowing reviews from head coach Eddie
Jones, who is not minded to shower young players with excessive praise. Steward is far from a one-trick pony. He scored the first Tigers try and created their crucial third for Matt Scott with a well-executed chipand-chase. Harry Potter and a pair of Nic Dolly pushover tries completed a comprehensive Leicester victory.
England’s new attack coach, Martin Gleeson, was in the stands at a raucous Welford Road to see Steward’s continued progress, which Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick believes is a natural consequence of coming into the England set-up.
“All the players that were away with England came back: one, really hungry to be involved with England again; two, having trained with international players; and three, really benefiting from being coached by a quality coach like Eddie Jones,” Borthwick said. “I think Freddie has really benefited from that and come back as a player who stepped forward.
“I see a player who is very diligent in terms of how he works to improve that area. I think he can continue to be hungry, continue to look at areas to improve and work hard at them every single day.”
Mindful of inflating expectations, Borthwick was at pains to emphasise the depleted nature of Exeter, whose usual red-zone efficiency deserted them, as well as their high penalty count. Steward says Leicester need to back up a statement victory when they travel to Gloucester on Friday night. “It’s a big first step,” Steward said. “The key for us was working towards this game through pre-season, building as a team, making relationships with each other and for it to pay off in the first game is brilliant. We can take massive confidence from this, but it is whether we can go back to back.”