Scouting Report

The past 18 months have not been kind to Jack Nowell. A series of injuries have hampered his progress and he has gone from being a man considered a likely Lions Test starter to someone slightly on the fringes with England, an impact man off the bench rather than a player guaranteed a place in Eddie Jones’ side.

When I saw Nowell (right) had been selected at outside centre for today’s game against Japan, it did make me realise that when I have been talking about rugby he has not been at the forefront of my mind in recent months – he has drifted to the edge of conversations regarding England rather than being a focal point.

He used to be one of the players I most looked forward to seeing but Jonny May, Chris Ashton and now Joe Cokanasiga have been far more prominent in discussions over which wings Jones will use. It says it all that Nowell’s first 15 Test appearances were as a starter, but seven of his past 10 England caps have come off the bench.

Part of Nowell’s issue is that all his other rivals for a shirt have one standout attribute: for May it is his pace, Ashton his midfield bursts, Elliot Daly his long-range place-kicking, Cokanasiga his size. Nowell can do everything – he’s quick, can tackle, works hard and can finish – but I wonder sometimes what it is that makes him unique in a way that sets him apart from his rivals for a place.

There is one thing the Exeter man does have over the likes of May and Ashton, though, and that is he is an incredibly versatile player – an attribute that means he is almost always going to be included in Jones’ 23 even if he does not make the starting side.

That versatility will be tested today, as he starts at 13 for the first time in an England shirt. It is such a difficult position to get right, and I should know because I actually began my career as a centre, making my first appearance for England at 13 before moving to 12 and eventually switching to flanker. As I got older, my shirt number seemed to go down, though I never quite made it to the front row.

What you appreciate from playing in the position is how important your outside centre is defensively. You are the corner of the defence and you have to scan the line constantly for incoming threats before deciding whether to commit or not. A fly-half, for example, will mostly be concerned about their opposite number and the inside centre, but at 13 you have to keep an eye on both centres, the full-back and the two wings like a meerkat, he needs to watch for players entering the attacking line.

Jonathan Joseph is the master of knowing when to bite in and when to back off, and I suspect it will be in defence where we see whether Nowell really has what it takes to make it as a top-class 13.

But if I were him, I would have a slight concern that I was being asked to play in the position for the first time less than a year out from the World Cup. It would make me wonder whether I was seen as an all-rounder rather than a specialist, a man to have in your squad but not necessarily someone you have marked down as a likely starter in Japan next year.

Wing and lock are probably the two positions where England have most quality strength in depth and it is not impossible to think that Nowell could be behind all of May, Ashton, Daly, Anthony Watson and Cokanasiga going into the World Cup.