Freddie Steward is drawing on memories of a teenage trip to Cardiff where he witnessed a famous Elliot Daly try surrounded by upset Wales fans to help inspire him for a return to the venue with England.
Wearing a red rose jersey and with his face painted in national colours, the then 16-year-old Steward was present in 2017 to watch George Ford and Owen Farrell send Daly diving over for a dramatic late score that snatched a 21-16 win at the Principality Stadium.
It was England’s last victory in the Welsh capital and since then Steward has taken ownership of the full-back jersey at Daly’s expense.
Now 22, he aims to ignite Steve Borthwick’s first Six Nations as head coach by spearheading a revival at the venue on Saturday after an opening defeat to Scotland was followed by victory over Italy.
‘I was there when Elliot Daly scored that try in the 75th minute,’ Steward said. ‘I was in the corner with my dad and brothers, so that was a little snapshot for me of what the Welsh atmosphere is like. It’s incredible.
‘When the try was scored a lot of beer was thrown around and there was a lot of rowdiness. There was also a bit of dismay, as you can imagine. I was a proud Englishman that day. It was a brilliant day.
‘Hopefully on Saturday it will the same again. It was an awesome memory. The one thing that stands out is the Welsh anthem. There’s something special about it.’
England flanker Tom Curry will play no part in this year’s Six Nations after a torn left hamstring ruled him out of action for around a month. He had only just returned to action following an injury to the right hamstring – impressing on his Sale comeback, scoring a try in last Saturday’s 38-34 defeat at Northampton – when he was hurt in England training.
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