Exeter and England wing feeling fit and fresh after summer off
REVITALISED Jack Nowell is determined to see off challenges from wing pretenders Joe Cokanasiga and Nathan Earle to fire England to Autumn success.
Nowell, 25, missed June’s tour of South Africa to undergo surgery on an ankle injury and refresh at the end of a hectic year that saw him star for the Lions against the All Blacks, have his cheekbone smashed and suffer Premiership heartache against Saracens.
However, the wholehearted Cornishman is now fit and firing again and, after featuring strongly for an Exeter side that are unbeaten at the top of the Premiership, he told The Rugby Paper: “Having the summer off has been 100 per cent beneficial for me.
“As a rugby player you give everything through the whole season and, after that loss to Saracens, it was actually a relief my season was over.
“I fractured my cheekbone in October which was a bit of a stinker and I had to have two operations on that, and then I tore all the ligaments in the lateral side of my ankle against Leicester at Christmas time. I was lucky to finish the season but it caused me lots of pain and I ended the final feeling emotionally and physically knackered.
“On the plus side, I’ve been able to get on top of those injuries now and mentally I feel a lot better. It was tough watching the guys playing in South Africa, but the bigger picture is I’m still only 25 and it’ll make me better in years to come. “We used the off-season well and I feel quicker and stronger. I was thankful to be involved in the England training camp a couple of weeks ago and that’s a big driver for me now, as well as the incentive of nailing down the No.14 shirt for my club. “We’ve got so many good wingers at Chiefs, never mind England, but that’s bettering me as a player and hopefully I’ll get picked by England again.” Cokanasiga is being tipped by many as the next big thing, but Nowell’s record of having never been beaten by New Zealand, after winning once and drawing the final Test for the Lions last summer, ought to stand him in good stead. “The Autumn series is a massive target for me but the way I’m going to get into that shirt is to play big in Exeter’s Champions Cup games,” Nowell said. “Other players are playing well and Joe Cokanasiga is a quality player who I played against at Bath last week. Having been with him at that England camp he’s a top lad and he’s where I was five years ago when I got chucked in by England at 20. “Anything can happen but I know I won’t be doing myself any harm as long as I’m playing well for Chiefs and we’re winning these big games.”
Nowell, who has an 80 per cent winning record in 28 Red Rose appearances, believes England are ready to inflict some damage when Southern Hemisphere giants South Africa, New Zealand and Australia visit Twickenham next month.
He said: “The training camp we’ve just had was one of the best I’ve been involved in and the boys are excited about getting back playing again.
“Eddie Jones is not really looking at New Zealand yet. Yes, it’s the one everyone wants to watch, but South Africa is the most important. They’re first-up and we know we must make a good start to achieve the results we want.”
In the meantime, Nowell is determined to perform for an Exeter side that is on a mission to regain their Premiership title.
He added: “We definitely came into this season a lot hungrier for it. Last season we were the defending champions and had that behind us, whereas this year we’re nothing – we’re just Exeter Chiefs trying to get that cup again.
“The Champions Cup is also big and we feel we’ve let ourselves down in the past, so that’s something we’re really targeting.”