Consistency key for high jumper Freddie
RANGY Leicester fullback Freddie Steward has vowed not to be a ‘ten-game wonder’ as he fights to be the latest Norfolk-born star to excel for club and country.
Steward, 20, hails from the same Holt RFC stable as Ben and Tom Youngs and is riding a similar path to the top, having started all three of this season’s league games after featuring strongly at the back end of last season under new head coach Steve Borthwick.
Borthwick’s faith has not been misplaced, with former schoolboy cricketer Steward using his ‘cool customer’ prowess under the high ball to great effect as he aims to build on early career successes that saw him capped by England U18s and 20s.
“I’m really happy with my progress,” Steward told The Rugby Paper. “About a year ago it was all about the U20s and trying to get as much experience as I could and trying to make a name for myself in pushing towards that Leicester Tigers first team.
“I’ve been grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given by Steve since he’s come in and I’ve now got to keep repaying that trust and keep working hard.
“Of course, it’s great to be getting on the pitch alongside some of the top players we’ve got, but it’s all about consistency now and I don’t want to be that young player who started ten Premiership games and then fell off. I want to be consistently performing and starting at that level for as long as I possibly can – that’s my big target now.”
At a time when box-kicking is fully in-vogue and it is not unusual for sides to launch 40 kicks from hand in games, Steward’s skill and bravery under the high ball has come to the fore, assisted by those around him and the natural abilities he displayed at school.
Steward, who stands 6ft 5ins (1.96m) and weighs 15st 13lbs (101kg) , explained: “I did high jump at school and played a lot of cricket as well, so maybe that’s where my ability to jump and catch comes from.
“With my height, I’ve always found high ball work to be one of my strengths and from there it’s always been about developing that. Me and the other back-three players will stay out after training and I’ll do as much as I can to keep developing those skills.
“It’s brilliant being around guys like Nemani Nadolo, Kobus van Wyk and Kini Murimurivalu, and with Richard Wigglesworth coming in, he’s one of the most travelled No.9s who’s unbelievable at box-kicking, so he’s been invaluable in helping me.
“High ball skills are such a massive part of the game now and these guys are great to speak to and go through clips with. Before that, Geordan Murphy was a massive influence and it’s about continuing to work on the stuff he taught me.”
There is more to Steward’s game than fielding high balls or kicking possession away, though, as he looks to develop his running threat. He added: “Joining the line is something I’d like to add and it’s one thing I probably haven’t shown enough of yet.
“I don’t think it’s been about me reining things in, it’s about making the right decisions at the right time so we can execute as a team. But being more of an attacking threat is something I’ll challenge myself to do to take my game to the next level.”
Having trained with England’s senior squad during the Six Nations earlier this year, Steward could come under consideration for next summer’s tour of North America.
However, level-headed Steward insists: “I try not to think about those things because if I did, I might get too caught up in it and start not performing. For me, it’s all game by game, keep performing for Leicester and the rest will take care of itself.”