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Jack Nowell explains England axe message received from Borthwick
Seasoned international Jack Nowell has revealed the reason why Steve Borthwick axed him from his England plans for the 2023 Guinness Six Nations. The soon-to-be 30-year-old was a selection favourite during the Eddie Jones era and appeared in 10 of the 12 matches the English played in 2022, nine of those appearances coming as a starter.
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However, he learned during the Exeter trip to South Africa in January for a Heineken Champions Cup assignment at the Bulls that he wasn’t getting selected by Borthwick in the England Six Nations squad and he has just spent February watching the Test action unfold on the TV.
Appearing on the latest Rugby Pod podcast in a joint interview with Henry Slade, his Exeter teammate who did feature for England against Wales last Saturday, Nowell explained that his communication with new Test head coach Borthwick has been limited – with no update issued since the January call that informed him he was being excluded for the championship.
“He spoke to me when the team was coming out,” said Nowell. “I think we were in South Africa, we [Slade and Nowell] had a call at the same time and he [Borthwick] said that he wants his wingers carrying and getting their hands on the ball and I was like cool, and then I had the phone call when I was out in South Africa and he said the other boys are getting their hands on the ball a bit more than I am at the moment which is fine.
“At the end of the day, it is a coach’s decision. You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. For me it’s not as if he is telling me every week that I need to go and work on something, that I need to go and work on my kick chase, I need to work on my tackling. No communication is pretty good for me because I get to focus on just doing what Exeter need and what I can do for Exeter.”
With Nowell surplus to Test requirement, Borthwick named Max Malins as the right-wing starter in all three February England games with Anthony Watson a left-wing starter versus Wales after Ollie Hassell-Collins, the No11 versus Scotland and Italy, reported with a knee injury. Asked what it has been like having to watch England on TV, Nowell continued: “Do you know what, in times before I would say it was tough.
“There have been times when I was injured and not able to go into camp and stuff, they are the toughest times to watch. But where I am kind of at at the moment is I didn’t really feel that. I thought it was actually quite nice to watch, to see the boys do well, to see them win. Especially as I have got three kids running around in the house now.
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“My mind was on a lot of other things but the fact is that I’m happy that I am in Exeter, I get to stay here with the club. We had a really big drive this year to try and go and win stuff, we are in all three competitions still and Henry would agree, once you go away for Six Nations and stuff and you come back, you do feel very much out of the loop with your club.
“A lot has changed in that seven, eight weeks you have been away during the Six Nations tournament. So for me the fact that I get my head down, I get to stay with the lads, I get to really drive the team going forward in the Premiership and the Heineken Cup is something that I am sticking to. I am enjoying doing it.”
That latest club enjoyment was Nowell featuring in last Sunday’s Exeter win over Sale in the Gallagher Premiership, a victory that moved them into fifth place on the table and just a point shy of the playoff places.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
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