Baxter rap for England over injury to Nowell
EXETER head coach Rob Baxter last night criticised England’s handling of Jack Nowell after revealing that the winger had become the latest casualty of national boss Eddie Jones’ training camp in Brighton.
Nowell has joined Wasps flanker Sam Jones and Bath winger Anthony Watson on the sidelines. Jones broke his leg last Monday when the England coach introduced judo training as part of his squad’s preparations for the Autumn Internationals, while Watson fractured his jaw.
“It’s rather disappointing,” said Baxter. “Jack has a pretty significant tear of his quad. He did it on the Monday training with England.”
Baxter had only just welcomed back Nowell – for a replacement appearance last weekend – following surgery on his fractured thumb suffered at the end of last season, but defied to take part in England’s summer tour to Australia.
But the winger was ruled out of yesterday’s 27-27 Premiership home draw with Gloucester.
Baxter added: “He was probably loaded in a way we wouldn’t have loaded him, especially with the fact that he had only played his first bit of rugby back last weekend against Northampton.
“More disappointingly,
he was sent back to us with a report that they couldn’t find any significant damage, that it was just a bit of loading and he was a bit sore.
“Fortunately we scanned it and found you are talking a nine or 10cm tear so he’s going to be out for a number of weeks.”
Over at Leicester, head coach Richard Cockerill pulled England squad flanker Mike Williams out of the Tigers starting lineup to play his former club, Worcester, but insisted it had nothjing to do with England training.
Cockerill said: “He got a whack on the arm in the warm-up and we decided it was best for him not to play.”
Blindside/lock Williams was sidelined for most of last season having broken one of his arms twice in succession.
Cockerill defended Eddie Jones’ training regime which included judo at the England squad session in Brighton.
“The timing of it is agreed by the chairmen of the clubs – so, it is what it is. If you take the money, you've made your choice.
“Maybe it’s more the content than the timing...but if you’re Eddie you’ve got to be ready for the Springboks. Physically they are big, strong guys (competing with each other) and they are going to have a crack.
“When you are in England training you go balls-out because you want to catch the eye of the coaches.”
He added, “There’s nothing new in this– it’s been going on at Leicester for the last 20 years.”