I must confess I was not on the Freddie Steward hype train before September and even after watching a few of his Lecister games I was still unimpressed. However, it is impossible to ignore his talent after the autumn tests. His performance was assured in the game against Australia, he grabbed a try and was typically solid under the highball. However his performance against the Springboks was something special, he only dropped two highballs, scored a try, and was a menace on any loose kicks. Most of his catches were not clean, they were generally taken under pressure aerial pressure from the Bok wingers and the reception committee on the floor was typically Springbok forwards waiting to smash him. The last play highlighted something that I think is lost in Steward’s aerial ability and that is his bravery. He is jumping with minimal protection, in terms of blockers, to take an aerial ball with Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert coming to smash him as soon as he lands. We all know the result of the particular play I am describing.
The point of difference between Steward and the other potential England fullbacks is his aerial ability and size. Standing 6’5 and weighing 236 pounds Steward dwarves the average height and weight of tier-one fullbacks (without steward in the data set) in this Autumn test series; 6’0ft and 204lb respectively. Steward is 5 inches and 32 pounds heavier than the average fullback. In short, kickers and kick chasers are not accounting for someone that big because they do not come up against it very often. That size offers a few advantages, the first is his ability in the air. Granted a decent part of that is his jumping ability, technique and timing however those are the basis for his ability in the air. There have been and are plenty of fullbacks who have all those things, Steward’s height makes him dominant. Steward has no different skills in the air than any other fullback, it’s just that he is more consistently excellent in the air than anything we have seen.
The second thing that size does is make him a handful on the counter-attack, again his appreciation for space and his speed help but his size allows him to dominate that first collision on kick return. When South Africa played Wales this year, Damien Willemse went off concussed inside 10 minutes. They brought on Francois Steyn he has basically played every backline position including center and Steyn’s carrying on counter-attacking opportunities was excellent and was very effective, he frequently beat the first contact and generated quick ball. That allowed South Africa to begin their attack with quick ball and lots of momentum. Not to mention Steyn’s long-range goal kicking was useful on the day too. It is something you see in the NRL, the kick return is very important. With the rising efficiency of kick-chase units, having a player who can beat several tacklers through pace and power is very useful. Think the effect of Greg Inglis or Latrell Mitchell for Souths, that ability to gain momentum at the beginning of an attacking set is very useful. It gives the 9 quick ball and opens up the options for them to continue that momentum.
Finally, his size makes him a very interesting and versatile set-piece weapon. One of the more fun plays is to have him run hard line off the 10 for a short crash ball or use him as a crash option straight off a scrum. You can use that size a little further out off of the 12 or 13. His aerial ability also makes him an option for cross-kicks or as a chaser for short grubers or chips. He is even a long-kicking option on exits.
However, what you don’t see him doing in the set-piece game highlights his weaknesses, his passing, playmaking, and game management are all still developing. You rarely see him being used as a first receiver in phase play or at set-piece unless his sizable boot is being used for a clearance kick. His current inability to do those things is something to be expected, he is 20 years old and you do not want really want someone who is inexperienced at running a team doing that when they are inexperienced. Am I suggesting that he needs to be a second playmaker in the mold of Damien Mckenzie or Willie Le Roux? Absolutely. I am most fullbacks can do that and it is a valuable tool, especially if he can balance playmaking and game management with his running game. That would make him an absolute handful. He also is not used as a second receiver or a backdoor option unless it is as a strike runner and that is a problem.
My reason for Steward needing to develop playmaking skills is that I believe that we have begun to see shifts in the fullback position and it has started with Rugby League and the NRL in particular. The use of the fullback to provide the final pass is something that we see more and more in the NRL 3 of the top 10 try assisters made appearances at fullback last season. Most of those assists come as a second or third receiver on the edges. It is no mistake that when asked about which Super League player he would take, Eddie Jones replied with Jake Connor the second-highest try-assister in the 2021 edition of the Super League and a fullback. Those elite catch and pass skills in the 15-meter channels would be very useful, particularly as defenses are becoming tighter and tighter. It is also the manner in which most teams defend that makes those skills in even more demand, teams are adopting league-style defenses with an in to out blitz that uses the touchline as a spare defender. Having someone who can provide the final pass in an efficient and accurate manner will be vital. Traditional rugby wisdom says that you want the second playmaker at 12 in order to help get the ball outside the opposing midfield quicker, and while that is useful the best place for that second or even third playmaker is providing that killer ball in or just outside the 15-meter channel.
We have also seen Fullbacks becoming a larger feature of phase play in the union, no longer are they given that classic roaming role, picking lines late and hitting gaps at pace. You can now find the fullback at first or second receiver working with their 10s to manage the game and organize the team. New Zealand was the first team that divided up responsibility between fullback and 10 with Damien Mckenzie and Bueaden Barrett. Both were very similar players thriving in the broken field, having exceptional passing and creativity, possessing lethal running games, and tactical kicking being the least polished aspects of their skillsets. The dual-playmaker system, as it became known, worked and won them games without setting the world on fire. However, it was the first thing in the firing line whenever the All Blacks lost a game and had a few key weaknesses mainly tactical kicking and game management, which meant it was difficult to wrestle momentum and territory from the opposition. However, it allowed a lot more fun in phase play. It allowed both of them to run and not have to worry about the team losing their main voice on the field, it allowed them to split the field with a fly-half on either side of the ruck, or float the two main distributors around placing one in the forwards and one in the backs. I believe that adding those distributing, playmaking, and game management skills to his game will revolutionize the fullback position and will make him far more dangerous. At current Steward plays with George Ford, who is very much in the on-field general archetype of flyhallf. Meaning Steward does not have to direct the team around the park too much. Ford rarely runs the ball so he’s hardly ever out of the game at the bottom of a ruck. However, with Handre Pollard coming in next year there will be some more burden placed on Steward’s shoulders in the playmaking department. Pollard is a very good kicker, game manager but runs more often and effectively than George Ford. With Pollard out of the game for a phase or two it’s up to Steward to run the game. It will be interesting to see if he can add the necessary skills to his game to do that.
This is all a complicated way to say that Steward, while currently excellent, should develop his playmaking and game management skills further. I am not sure that those parts of the game can be learned easily. It will take time but Steward has the physical attributes and core skills to be an excellent fullback. However, give it five years’ time and I think we will have a player who may revolutionize the fullback provided he can add the game reading and playmaking skills.
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