Hughes blowing away cobwebs in time to face Scots
The fit-again No8 is poised for England return while Nowell is relishing impact role, says Charlie Morgan
Eddie Jones’s need for a focal ball carrier at No8 means Nathan Hughes is in line to start against Scotland, despite seeing just 90 minutes of rugby in three months. Hughes bruised a joint in his knee during his 12th and most recent England cap, a 30-6 win over Australia in November. The 26-year-old then withdrew shortly after the hour mark of his return match, Wasps’ Champions Cup meeting with La Rochelle a month later, due to another knee issue.
However, Sam Simmonds’s shoulder injury blunted England ahead of a scoreless second half against Wales and the Exeter Chief ’s absence will encourage Jones to whisk Hughes directly back into his starting side.
Hughes, who also trained with England during the build-up to the Wales game, admitted Friday’s open training session at Twickenham had been “a sweaty one” as he strived to prove his match fitness on the back of a 23-minute cameo for Wasps against Harlequins last Sunday.
“It has been tough,” Hughes explained. “[I had] eight weeks not playing and then coming back in to dust away cobwebs when I came on for Wasps. It was good to get my hands on the ball again.”
Murrayfield will be a new venue to Hughes, although he can be buoyed by his role in the 61-21 thrashing of Scotland last season. He certainly hopes to put his 115kg (18st 1lb) frame to good use. He added: “I can add another ball-carrying player to help out Mako [Vunipola], Maro [Itoje] and Courtney [Lawes]. Simmonds did a great job against Italy and Wales and I add another person to it. I have to put my hand up to get selected and if I get the nod I will try my best.”
Chris Robshaw took over at the base of the scrum following Simmonds’s withdrawal last Saturday, while James Haskell also covered the No8 position during set-piece drills against Georgia in the week.
Having shed his ‘apprentice’ status, uncapped Zach Mercer of Bath remains an option there too.
Another, less conventional, weapon in England’s attempt to puncture the gain-line has been Jack Nowell. Jones coined an adjective – “jigsaw-ish” – to describe how the winger linked attacks as a replacement in Rome, stealing off the touchline into tight exchanges. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Nowell grinned. “I’m a player that likes to stay on my feet, I’m a player that likes contact.
“I remember going into the Six Nations game last year against Wales and Eddie saying to me, ‘You’re not a back, you’re going into this game as a back-rower. You’re helping out the forwards, coming around the corner with them and getting your hands on the ball as much as possible’.
“It is the same again this year. When I came on against Italy, I had one very clear message from Eddie, ‘Get your hands on the ball as much as possible – off nine, off 10, it doesn’t matter’.”
Nowell’s tally of 12 carries over 54 minutes across two appearances off the bench so far this tournament underline his eagerness for involvement. The fractured cheekbone that required two operations, keeping Nowell out of England’s November internationals, may have benefited the British and Irish Lions tourist. Restricted to the sofa, he was unable to exercise his two French bulldogs and bulked up.
“That was one of the toughest injuries I have ever had,” he conceded. “I was not even allowed to walk my dogs in case I raised my blood pressure. The most I could do was walk to my bed. I had to have another operation because of blood clots behind my eye. I put on a bit of weight, but I’ve been working hard to drop it a bit and I’m now at a weight where I’m happy. I’m 98kg [15st 6lb] now. I was 102 [16st] at one stage. Eddie told me to drop a few kilos, and when the boss says drop a bit of weight, you drop a bit of weight no matter how.”
According to the Rugby Football Union’s website, Nowell currently weighs five kilograms more than club colleague Simmonds – as if his value as a punchy carrier needed reinforcing. Rival wingers Jonny May and Anthony Watson have returned two tries from the opening two matches of the current Six Nations campaign, so the 24-year-old may well continue in an impact role against Scotland on Saturday. Still, Jones is evidently aware of the value and variation that Nowell offers his 23-man squad.