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'We haven't worked so hard to go and lose' - Jack Nowell seeking to banish painful memories from last year against Saracens
Jack Nowell will be on a mission to banish his most painful rugby memory when Exeter face Saracens in next Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final.
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The fierce rivals – dominant forces across the 22-game regular league season – return to Twickenham a year after Saracens chopped down the Chiefs 27-10.
Exeter were defending Premiership champions at the time, and England international Nowell has not forgotten how agonising an experience it was.
Asked if it was the most hurt he has felt, he said: “Yes. Not just in my Exeter career, but playing rugby. Especially after feeling what it was like to win it.
“That was the highlight of my career – winning it with this team. If it wasn’t for these boys I play with, I wouldn’t have been going on a Lions tour (in 2017) or playing for England.
“Losing last year, feeling the hurt and looking around the changing room and seeing the boys upset, crying and pretty down about it, I sat there and realised the year ahead was going to be a different one.
“We haven’t worked so hard to put ourselves in this position to go and lose it again.
“When we lost in the first year (to Saracens in 2016) we were almost just happy to be there. We won it the second year, and then last year we lost, and it hurt a lot.
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“We did use that a lot this season to spur us on. We’ve been mentioning the hurt that we felt last year and boys in the changing room being upset.”
Exeter’s 42-12 play-off victory over Northampton secured a fourth successive trip to Twickenham, where they will face a Saracens side chasing a European and domestic double.
“We’ve played each other so many times,” Nowell added. “We know their players, they know us, so it is one that you know what to expect. You know what is going to come.
“It is easy for us to constantly be thinking about them – we maybe did that a bit too much last season. This year, it is going to be very different.
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“They are currently the best in England, the best in Europe. Us as a team, if we are honest, that’s where we want to be and where we are trying to drive ourselves to.
“We felt we let ourselves down in the Champions Cup this year, and they are a team that has done it and put themselves up there.”
Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter said: “In our first couple of years in the Premiership, just playing a game of Premiership rugby was an incredible experience and winning a game was amazing.
“The fun element was great, but now it’s not so much about fun, it’s about satisfaction and achievement.
“The emotional feelings and rewards are similar, but just different. It feels great to be in a final, but it doesn’t feel amazing to be in a final.
“It would feel amazing to win it because that’s something we’ve only experienced once.
“It’s different, but it doesn’t mean it lacks excitement or importance. If anything, we are probably a team now who have reached a point where it’s only a really big day if we win it. That’s probably a nice way for us to feel.”
Don’t mess with Jim – Episode 4:
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Hi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
3 Go to commentsDon’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?
3 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 comments