Freddie Steward: England squad needed to ‘look at ourselves’ after Argentina loss at Twickenham

“We really had to look at ourselves with our discipline. We made some decisions that probably weren’t right with the context of the game, so that was frustrating; our attack might not click the way we wanted, and that will be the main focus later on of the session” – Steward

England fullback Freddie Steward admits the squad had to look at themselves and their ill-discipline this week in the wake of a shocking defeat to Argentina at Twickenham.

A series of avoidable penalties, in addition to a stunted attack, saw Eddie Jones’ side suffer a 30-29 defeat to Argentina for the first time in 16 years (November 2006), at the home of English rugby, in the first Test on Sunday from England. this fall.

Speaking exclusively with air sports at Pennyhill Park England training camp in Bagshot, Steward said there was great frustration after the defeat.

“I think with our discipline we really had to look at ourselves,” he said.

“We made some decisions that probably weren’t right with the context of the game and how the game was going, so that was frustrating.

“We’ve had good discussions and have made a plan, so hopefully we’ll get a result against Japan.

“It was a really frustrating day for us. We are obviously very disappointed with the result.

“But since then we’ve had a good few days to figure out what went wrong and set things right.”

England then host Japan at Twickenham on Saturday in a kick-off at 3.15pm, aiming to avoid more unwanted history.

The Brave Blossoms are a side England have never lost to in their history, although they haven’t faced each other since November 2018, and Japan pushed the All Blacks all the way through October, eventually losing 38-31.

For 21-year-old Leicester Tiger Steward, who has excelled since breaking into the Test scene around this time last year, Japan is one side he’s yet to meet and one he’s looking forward to closing the horns.

“Very excited. I’ve never played in Japan and they play an exciting kind of rugby,” he said.

“There is a good buzz around camp at the moment and the boys are looking forward to getting started on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for us. They like to zip the ball around from edge to edge, so defensively we have to be on top of it and see what we can offer on offense.”

“Our attack may not have gone the way we wanted on Sunday, and that will be the focus of the session later on.

“It’s difficult. Everyone comes from different places and you have to learn quickly and play together there.

“It’s not something that’s going to happen right away, we understand, but we’re doing everything we can behind the scenes to build those relationships and make sure everything comes over the weekend.”

Steward, another college student with an economics degree, has already developed into one of the first names on Jones’ England team magazine.

At 1.85 m tall, adept in the air and fast on the ground, he is one of the most exciting players in the world.

“It is unbelievable. I try to take it all in my stride and not overdo it, but I enjoy every second of it.

“I’m really looking forward to the weekend and then New Zealand and South Africa.”