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The 'very open scenario' that will worry Jack Nowell fans at Exeter

By PA
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Rob Baxter has admitted he is planning for England wing Jack Nowell to not be part of the Exeter squad next season. Nowell, who has enjoyed a successful ten-year career at Exeter, is out of contract with Chiefs at the end of this term and has been strongly linked with a move to France – following teammates Luke Cowan-Dickie and Sam Simmonds, who will join Top 14 champions Montpellier after the World Cup later this year.

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While Exeter rugby director Baxter says nothing has yet been decided on 29-year-old Nowell’s club future, it would appear a Sandy Park exit is likely. Asked at a club media briefing on Wednesday morning if he was planning to be without Nowell next season, Baxter said: “Yes. I have got to plan that he won’t be here. That is the current situation.

“With Jack, it has been very open in all the conversations. There haven’t been any problems. I am not asking Jack every day what is going on and he is not asking me every day what is going on. The agreement we have got is that if I find a replacement player who I like the look of, we are going to sign them. He is aware of that. Jack is currently looking in the market at what he wants to look at.

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“If he comes back to me pre us signing anybody, we can talk. If he comes back post us signing someone who has replaced him and the salary cap room is not there, then it’s not there. It is a very open scenario. I am assuming he is not here and I think he is assuming he is going.

“As much as there is no contract been signed – and there is no definitive answer for you – we are moving on. If that answers your question, that is all I can say. If Jack turns around to me, walks up and says, ‘Go on then Rob, let’s sit down and try and get a contract’, then I would be delighted.”

Nowell, who is closing in on 50 England caps, made his Exeter debut in 2012 and has clocked up more than 150 appearances. He became the Chiefs’ first British and Irish Lion when he was selected for the New Zealand tour five years later and he has helped Exeter win Premiership and European titles.

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J
JW 53 minutes ago
Three former All Blacks assess the playing style adopted against France

Yep Wilson at least does a lot of such research but I think it’s only when it revolves around the All Blacks etc, like he go and find out why Ireland whipped our butt etc, and come back with a view we need to imrpove and do x y z like such and such is.


But none of them are individuals that are a) any sort of quality coach/analyst of the game (NPC the highest), or b) seem to consume stupids amount of rugby for the love of it like people in a similar profession in other top leagues. Johnson is probably the only one I would say comes close to that but is a pure fan, I don’t think he has any pro knowledge.


To be fair to them, the best in say soccer or american football would get paid a hundred times what these guys do, but it’s so hard in those markets that all panelists have to be students of the game just to get a shot. And in the case of Beaver, he is like the Ian Smith of cricket, he’s a knowledgable gu, enough to lead people down the wrong track (they would believe him), but they’re both very obvious in their more parochial opinions that you know to take what Beavers saying with a grain of salt. Wilson, Marshall, and even Mils go off like they think theyre the bees knees,


Admittedly things are changing globably, i’ve glimpsed enough football shows to know the Britsih media are happy, and the fans too soaking it up, getting the most high profile ex players on a show as the best way to increase ratings.

13 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Beauden Barrett weighs in on controversial yellow card

It’s an interesting question because a normal diberate knock on is just a penalty offense, an normal infringement like any other, so that’s deemed where the was not a reasonable chance to catch the ball.


But it’s a ruling that can also be upgraded to a foul, and by association, a yellow card, when it’s it was also deliberately trying to deny the ball to another player. For instance, that is why they are just given penalties up the field, because the player has just made a bad decision (one where he had no reasonable chance) and he doesn’t really care if the pass had gone to hand for his opponents or not (he was just thinking about being a hero etc).


So the way the refs have been asked to apply the law is to basically just determine whether there was an overlap (and not to try and guess what the player was actually thinking) or not, as to whether it’s a penalty or a YC.


This is the part Barrett doesn’t like, he’s essentially saying “but I had no idea whether they were likely to score or not (whether there was an unmarked man), so how can you tell me I was deliberately trying to prevent it going to someone, it could have been a blind pass to no one”.


It’s WR trying to make it clear cut for fans and refs, if at the players expense.

But yes, also you must think it entirely possible given both were foul plays that they could both go to the bench. Much the same as we see regularly when even though the play scores a try, they have started sending the player off still.


And while I agree Narawa didn’t knock it on, I think the ball did go forward, just off the shoulder. As his hands were up in the air, above the ball, basically like a basketball hope over his right shoulder, I guess you’re right in that if it did make contact with his hands it would have had to be deflected backwards onto his shoulder etc. Looking at the replay, Le Garrec clearly lost control of the ball forward too, but because Barrett was deemed to have committed a deliberate act, that overrides the knockon from 9.


I just don’t understand how they can consider it a deliberate attempt to block a pass when he actually lost the ball forward!

46 Go to comments
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