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Eddie Jones eyes shock positional switch for Jack Nowell


England’s Jack Nowell
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Eddie Jones has suggested he could pick Jack Nowell at openside flanker and play nine forwards in an alternative approach ahead of England’s Six Nations campaign.

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The versatile Nowell, who plays for Exeter Chiefs, has lined up at wing, centre and full-back, with both club and country taking advantage of his versatility.

Jones raised eyebrows after naming his Six Nations squad on Thursday, saying the 25-year-old could feature as a forward as he ponders an alternative approach with the World Cup looming on the horizon.

Asked what position he sees Nowell in, the England head coach replied: “Seven.”

The Australian added: “He is definitely an option at seven. We haven’t tried him out but he is definitely an option, because he has great ball-carrying, great tackling skill; he puts his head over the ball, he’s a tough little bloke.

“He’s a great option. He can play wing, 13, 15 or seven for us.”

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Watch: Eddie Jones discusses his 35-man squad

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Jones added: “There are great opportunities in the game to change it and we’re looking at opportunities to change it.

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“Maybe one of the opportunities is nine forwards. There is no reason why you can’t play nine forwards. He [an additional forward] could stand on the blindside wing.

“When Japan played Georgia in the final warm-up game before the 2015 World Cup, we played nine forwards and no-one knew.

“The game has become so orthodox, so we have to look at opportunities to change it. Jack Nowell is the one who stands out. Tom Curry and Sam Underhill are the opposite (forwards who could shift into the back line).

“They are as quick as Nowell. They could play in a number of positions on the field.”

Rugby World Cup City Guides – Oita:

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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