'I have stopped drinking... I felt it was just letting me down a little bit'
England international Jack Nowell has cut out alcohol and lost around 10 kilos in weight as part of his drive to help stay injury-free.
The Exeter wing last played Test rugby during England’s 2019 World Cup campaign.
He missed a chunk of last season after undergoing surgery on damaged toe ligaments and has also suffered hamstring problems during a frustrating period in his career.
But Nowell is showing signs of recapturing top form, impressing during Exeter’s Gallagher Premiership victory over Bristol.
“I feel I am getting there,” said Nowell, who has won 34 England caps and played in two Tests for the British and Irish Lions on their 2017 New Zealand tour.
“For me, I am just targeting trying to be on the field each week. The last couple of years, everyone knows I’ve suffered a bit with injuries, but I feel I am going in the right direction.
“I don’t feel like I am at my best yet – I feel I have still got a lot more to give – but I am going in the right direction, along with the team.
“I have lost about 10 kilos since the (Premiership) final last year. For a 5ft 11in guy, weighing over 100 kilos is probably not the best. I am back down to about 90 kilos, and I am feeling good and feeling light.
“I have stopped drinking. I am not saying I was a big drinker or anything, but rugby players, and especially our team, we enjoy going out for a few beers after each game, and sometimes that leads on to going into town and early mornings.
“I have completely cut that out. I felt it was just letting me down a little bit. With (game) recovery on a Monday and a Tuesday, it was taking me longer and I am getting a bit older as well.
“It’s not just down to that. Obviously, dropping 10 kilos has been big for me as well and the way the team manage me during the week.
“Leicester away, our first game of the season, we had a few (drinks) on the bus on the way home and got a bit carried away and then I tore my hamstring that week.
“I was out for three or four weeks and I thought, ‘Look, enough is enough, sometimes’. I want to get on the field and to get back playing.”
Nowell was a key part of Exeter’s domestic and European trophy double success in 2020, but he then faced several months on the sidelines recovering from a toe injury.
"I dare say people will be looking at him."#GallagherPremhttps://t.co/nQrefKYTa3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 2, 2022
Ambitions for club and country were put on hold during a lengthy rehabilitation process, but current form suggests he could be on course for an England squad recall ahead of this season’s Guinness Six Nations campaign.
“Eddie (England head coach Eddie Jones) has always been in touch with me,” Nowell added. “He asks me how I am and how I am feeling.
“He understands that he needs the best for his team and he obviously knows what’s best for me as well, so the last couple of times he has said about concentrating on myself and getting myself back to where I need to be. It was quite pleasing to hear that and to have that contact with the team still.
“For me, I have always wanted to get back in there. My body, in terms of how I am feeling at the moment, is probably the best I’ve felt in a long, long time.”
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
29 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
29 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments