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New role for Freddie Steward in Dublin return 20 days after red card
By Liam Heagney
Freddie Steward will occupy a very role different from his usual position as the Leicester full-back when he makes his return to Dublin on Friday 20 days after his infamous England red card. It was three weekends ago when the youngster was controversially sent off by referee Jaco Peyper for a first-half head collision with Ireland’s Hugo Keenan.
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A disciplinary hearing subsequently rescinded Steward’s red card, explaining that he had only committed a yellow card offence.
That freed him to resume playing immediately with the Tigers and having since featured off the bench in the Gallagher Premiership win over Bristol and then as starting full-back in the round-of-16 Heineken Champions Cup victory over Edinburgh, he will now wear the No11 shirt for their quarter-final away to Leinster.
Steward has started in 12 of his 13 appearances this season for Leicester, with 11 coming at full-back and the other on the right wing in the January match in Europe away to Clermont.
The decision by interim boss Richard Wigglesworth to now reposition Steward on the left wing for his Aviva Stadium return is one of two positional and two changes in personnel to the Leicester backline from last weekend.
With Steward named on the left wing, the recalled Mike Brown will start at full-back and last week’s No11 Harry Potter has switched to outside centre where Guy Porter misses out. Another midfield alteration has seen Dan Kelly promoted from the bench to start in place of the now-benched Jimmy Gopperth.
In the pack, there are two more alterations with Joe Heyes and Jasper Wiese, two of the replacements versus Edinburgh, now starting instead of benched duo Dan Cole and Olly Cracknell.
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Leinster, meanwhile, have made two changes to their starting XV following last weekend’s round-of-16 success over Ulster, Garry Ringrose and Caelan Doris named in place of Jordan Larmour and the injured Josh van der Flier. The return of Ringrose sees Jimmy O’Brien, last Saturday’s No13, switch to the right wing where his direct opponent will be also repositioned Steward.
LEINSTER: 15. Hugo Keenan; 14. Jimmy O’Brien, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Robbie Henshaw, 11. James Lowe; 10. Ross Byrne, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 4. Ross Molony, 5. James Ryan (capt), 6. Ryan Baird, 7. Caelan Doris, 8. Jack Conan. Reps: 16. John McKee, 17. Cian Healy, 18. Michael Ala’alatoa, 19. Jason Jenkins, 20. Scott Penny, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Harry Byrne, 23. Ciarán Frawley.
LEICESTER: 15. Mike Brown; 14. Anthony Watson, 13. Harry Potter, 12. Dan Kelly, 11. Freddie Steward; 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. James Cronin, 2. Julian Montoya (capt), 3. Joe Heyes, 4. George Martin, 5. Cameron Henderson, 6. Hanro Liebenberg, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Jasper Wiese. Reps: 16. Charlie Clare, 17. Tom West, 18. Dan Cole, 19. Eli Snyman, 20. Olly Cracknell, 21. Sam Wolstenholme, 22. Charlie Atkinson, 23. Jimmy Gopperth.
