Freddie Steward is all smiles as his final dart lands right in the heart of the treble 20 and points a finger at the camera in celebration.
‘I lied!’ he exclaims, approaching the board at Leicester Tigers’ Oval Park training ground after putting on the sort of show that Luke Littler would be proud of. ‘I said I don’t really play. But I do actually – quite a lot!’
It is no surprise to find Steward in a good mood. Like at the oche, his performances in the first two rounds of the new PREM Rugby season have been mightily impressive.
After losing his England starting spot and receiving strong criticism for being deemed a one-trick pony, the 25-year-old has had to overcome his fair share of adversity in the past two years. But after spending an hour or so in Steward’s company, it is clear he has now come through those dark times.
On and off the field, he is in a good place. This is Steward 2.0, a man who is undoubtedly a force for his club and still can be for his country.
‘This point in my life is the one where I feel I have the most security,’ a reflective Steward tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘I feel a man now, more grown up. I’ve just bought my own place. I don’t feel 25, that’s for sure. I feel the most at peace with my life outside of rugby I ever have and I think that’s really transferring nicely to the way I’m playing. I’ve got my life in order and that’s put me in a much better stead to focus on my rugby.’
Freddie Steward is all smiles as his final dart lands right in the heart of the treble 20 and points a finger at the camera in celebration
On and off the field, he is in a good place. This is Steward 2.0, a man who is undoubtedly a force for his club and still can be for his country
Steward’s ascent to a Leicester and England star was swift. He won a PREM title with the Tigers in 2022 and was an international regular at 20, his giant 6ft 4in frame making him a formidable full-back. ‘Air’ Steward ruled the skies, his aerial dominance making him a priceless asset to the teams he played in.
But when World Rugby made a significant law tweak in late 2024, it had a big impact on both Steward and England’s fortunes. A stricter enforcement on penalising players for blocking members of the opposition in kick-chase situations and aerial battles made claiming the ball far more of a lottery. Steward’s superpower was negated.
The law change also cut short England’s progress. Their kick-to-regain tactics saw Steve Borthwick’s team win 12 straight matches, before the wheels fell off in this year’s Six Nations. Steward fell out of favour as a result, with Borthwick favouring George Furbank, Elliot Daly and then Marcus Smith in the white No15 shirt.
Steward started the 2026 Six Nations games with Wales, Scotland and Ireland, but was substituted before half-time in the last of those matches. He hasn’t played a minute of Test action since, and Borthwick is urging him to add another dimension to his game.
‘It was difficult. That was probably one of the lowest points in my career,’ Steward says looking back to the Ireland game, when he was hauled off for Smith on 39 minutes with England 22-0 down and on their way to a thumping home defeat.
‘At the time, it was embarrassing for me to walk off in front of my friends and family and 80,000 people. It wasn’t a nice feeling, but you have to take it on the chin.
‘I had a good chat with Steve about it. I understood his reasons and I would never go against his decision. We needed to change our tactics in that game and bring on a more attacking full-back. But even when you can accept a decision, it’s still not easy.’
Leicester’s opening two league games this season – a rollercoaster, narrow defeat by Saracens and a win at Newcastle – have provided irrefutable evidence that Steward has listened.
Steward’s superpower was always his aerial ability – and it carried him into the England team at just 20, with 44 Test caps now under his belt
Steward was hooked before half-time in the home defeat by Ireland in this year’s Six Nations, and hasn’t played a minute for his country since
‘At the time, it was embarrassing for me to walk off in front of my friends and family and 80,000 people. It wasn’t a nice feeling, but you have to take it on the chin’
Against the Red Bulls, he showed dexterity with a grubber kick through for Adam Radwan to score, and on the opening weekend, Steward played a key role in each of Leicester wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb’s three tries – first with a fine pass out of contact and then with two counter-attacking runs.
These weren’t weapons in Steward’s arsenal previously. They are now.
‘It’s no secret I needed to make improvements in my attacking game,’ he admits. ‘It needed to happen to try to get in the England team. It’s something I’ve always wanted to improve because I was slightly too one-dimensional.
‘I worked really hard in the off-season to add explosiveness to my game and be more powerful. Kick returns are so, so important now. I’ve got my high-ball stuff, but I’ve had some good conversations with Steve and as a big lad, running the ball back can be a real point of difference.
‘I’ve not lost too much weight. I’m trying to be a bit more powerful and dynamic. A lot of it has been confidence. Before I was happy not to be in positions to make a difference. I was happy for everyone else to do that. Now, I feel almost a responsibility, especially at Leicester, to be a difference-maker, a second playmaker and to get involved more.
‘I feel in a really good place with my game. I haven’t been able to say that for the last two or three years. I feel physically I’m in the best shape I’ve been in. I just feel confident. I feel like I can make things happen. Before, I probably didn’t have that.’
Don’t rule out a revived Steward regaining the England No15 shirt this autumn. Furbank has enjoyed a rotten string of luck, injuries and illnesses wrecking his Test ambitions and he is now playing in a struggling Harlequins team. Smith, now Furbank’s club team-mate, remains a fly-half who can play full-back.
Steward is a specialist and his response both to Borthwick’s demands and the social media abuse he received on the back of England defeats has been impressive.
Don’t rule out a revived Steward regaining the England No15 shirt this autumn
His main rival for the full-back position is George Furbank – a dynamic attacking threat but with a chequered injury past and now in a struggling side at Harlequins
He admits missing out on selection to Smith in the summer’s Nations Championship games was ‘frustrating’, adding: ‘Criticism shouldn’t be a massive factor. But I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t get to me. It did affect me.
‘I had to learn quickly it’s just people behind a screen. You could have 10 good things and one bad said about you, but it’s always the one bad thing that makes you think the most. It’s fuel to the fire. You can use it as a strength.
‘It was definitely a factor in wanting to add to my game. Now I can turn around and say: “There you go. You said that, but you can see this now”. I’m uber-competitive. Always have been. But I’m not No1 in the England shirt at the minute, so until I get that spot back, I’m never going to be satisfied.
‘If I can be a full-back who, regardless of this new law change, can still go and catch clean, that’s still an absolute super-strength. Yes, in the short run, it has inhibited me because it’s made that super-strength more difficult. It all changed so quickly.
‘But in the long run, I don’t think it was necessarily a bad thing for me. It was almost a wake-up call – a perfect opportunity to spend more time on other areas. I’ve done that.
‘Giving up isn’t in my nature. Part of that is testament to my upbringing. But it’s also down to this club. I came through the academy at Leicester and it was never smooth sailing for me. Dealing with setbacks and fighting back is a part of being at Leicester.’
Steward’s goals are to take his boyhood team back to No1 in the PREM and go to a second World Cup with England in Australia next year.
‘England means everything to me,’ he says. ‘I’ve been pretty clear with myself. This year is all about getting to Australia. I would love nothing more than to be on that plane.
‘Giving up isn’t in my nature. Part of that is testament to my upbringing. But it’s also down to this club. Dealing with setbacks and fighting back is a part of being at Leicester’
Steward’s goals are to take his boyhood team back to No1 in the PREM and go to a second World Cup with England in Australia next year
‘At Leicester, the expectation is to win. We’re here to lift trophies. Last season, everyone said we overachieved and it was great we got to a semi-final. For us, it was a disappointment’
‘I remember France last time. Although we fell short, it was incredible. It’s hard because you don’t want to think about it too much. Sometimes, if something so big is on the horizon, you almost try and do too much.
‘At Leicester, the expectation is to win. We’re here to lift trophies, win a PREM. Last season, everyone said we overachieved and it was great we got to a semi-final. For us, it was a disappointment.
‘The league is so competitive now, but we’ve got a good squad. We just need to be consistent. I’ve been skipper the past two weeks when Jack van Poortvliet has gone off. I like leading, speaking and delivering emotional messages.
‘But I’m still learning. Someone pulled me into a scrap at Newcastle. I was first in and then someone quickly grabbed me and said: “Mate, you’re captain!” I’ve got to remember that!’
