My size used as ammunition against me – Steward

Too slow and too big. Freddie Steward, the full-back for England and the Tigers of Leicester, is well-versed in criticism.

The 24-year-old accepts that he is a sizeable target despite being 6 feet 4 inches (196 cm) tall and weighing in at 16 lbs. (107 kg).

He has engaged in an ongoing battle to regain his position as England’s preferred full-back at the 2023 World Cup, which he won with a bronze medal.

George Furbank, a player for Northampton for the majority of 2024, only broke his arm while playing for Saints in the European Champions Cup in December.

Steward was full-back when the Six Nations tournament first started, but playmaker Marcus Smith replaced them after their opening defeat by Ireland. In the summer, Smith would join the British and Irish Lions at full-back.

Steward and the agile were preferred because they were more versatile and attack-minded.

Steward told BBC Radio Leicester, “I think people can chop me down more than other 15s because of my size, weight, and shape.”

When it’s me because of my size, he’s too slow and he’s too immobile, which is annoying because other 15s make similar mistakes, getting beaten one-on-one, and people don’t tend to say anything.

You go out there and have your opinions, they say, but that’s the sport we play. It is up to me to decide whether I agree or disagree with what many people say.

I’m aware of what has been said, and I’d never be a player making excuses, he said, but what I’m doing is working incredibly hard at those things.

More importantly, I’m working on things that coaches want me to do and what will lead to my return to the team, not what couch people are saying.

Steward was called back for England in the summer due to his excellent form for the Tigers last season, which ended in a flimsy Premiership final defeat by Bath.

Steward claimed he let his “rugby do the talking” while on a tour of Argentina where he scored two tries in two Test starts.

He had been called the “forgotten man” when he was chosen for the series against Los Pumas, having only played for England twice in the years 2024 and 2025.

There are no two ways about it: “That tour was a chance for me to get back in the door,” Steward said.

I took that chance and exerted some pressure on myself, which, in my opinion, helped my performances.

There was a lot of pressure to show that I still have the same level of performance as Steve [Borthwick], because I was a senior player out there.