Freddie Steward ready to lean on 'devastating' aerial strength for England against South Africa

Steward has been restored astatine full-back to reenforce England's aerial crippled pursuing the instauration of a caller instrumentality directive intended to make much contestable kicks.

South Africa caput manager Rassie Erasmus connected Thursday described his quality successful the aerial arsenic "devastating", portion Steve Borthwick views it arsenic his "super strength".

The 6ft 5in Leicester Tiger started 2024 arsenic archetypal prime successful the presumption but mislaid his spot to George Furbank midway done the Six Nations and has appeared successful lone 3 of this year's 10 Tests.

"It was hard emotionally and I learned a batch astir myself successful that period. I'm decidedly stronger emotionally arsenic a idiosyncratic connected the backmost of that experience," Steward said.

"The full mode done the coaches person been superb - determination person been unfastened conversations astir what I needed to bash to get backmost successful the squad to propulsion my crippled on.

"There is simply a quality betwixt trying to beryllium thing that you are not alternatively than focussing connected what got you determination successful the archetypal place.

"I americium not going to shy distant from the information that my strengths prevarication much successful the aerial bits of the crippled and stableness astatine the back.

"I would similar to deliberation that hasn't changed excessively overmuch - hopefully it has improved - but of people I'm looking to turn different areas of my crippled and I person been pushing them implicit the past mates of months. Hopefully I tin bring them connected to the field."

Borthwick stated connected Thursday that the rushed instauration of World Rugby's crackdown connected 'escort' runners - brought successful this autumn - threatened to crook the athletics into Australian rules football. But Steward welcomed the development.

"It's a superb instrumentality change. It brings backmost that genuine one-on-one contention successful the aerial that we haven't seen for a while. That's an breathtaking facet of the game," Steward said.

"It's an breathtaking situation for us, particularly astatine the backmost due to the fact that you look guardant to those aerial contests.

"It's due one-on-ones now. You don't person immoderate blockers oregon obstructions, truthful it's thing to get excited about."

The penultimate clash of the autumn is simply a rematch of past year's World Cup semi-final that was mislaid 16-15 erstwhile England pushed the back-to-back planetary champions to the ligament by confronting them caput on.

"The Springboks bring a batch of contests to the game. Up-front, physically and successful the air, they person got footwork connected the extracurricular and velocity and we person got to beforehand up," said Steward, who started the lucifer successful Paris.

"We are ne'er going to beryllium a squad that sits connected the backmost ft and lets the situation travel astatine us. We person to tackle it caput on."