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Why England like 'really good adjustment' made by recalled Nowell
England boss Eddie Jones has followed the lead of Exeter coach Rob Baxter by heaping praise on Jack Nowell for the way he had finessed himself to become more robust for rugby the older he is getting. The 28-year-old won the last of his 36 Tests in October 2019 at the World Cup in Japan but his availability since then was blighted by injuries and lack of consistent form.
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Nowell, though, has lately reevaluated his approach to rugby and altered his lifestyle to help get him back to playing consistently with Exeter. This determination impressed club coach Baxter, who last week said it wouldn’t be a surprise if his winger earned an England recall more than two years after he last represented his country.
Baxter’s hunch was on the money, Jones including Nowell in the 36-strong England squad he has chosen to meet up in Brighton next Monday to begin preparations for the Guinness Six Nations opener away to Scotland on February 5.
“Jack definitely looks more like a rugby player and less like a bodybuilder,” enthused an impressed Jones when quizzed on his decision to bring Nowell back into the England fold. “As you get older, you have to train differently.
“For our experienced players, that’s the challenge they have had. Sometimes habits of young players don’t suit you as you get older and Jack has made a really good adjustment. He’s got the bounce back in his step.
Eddie Jones has shown his hand for the 2022 Six Nations and @heagneyl ??? now runs the rule over five England players left with plenty to ponder after missing out#England #SixNationshttps://t.co/aK3j8olPH9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 18, 2022
“Watching him play last Saturday night (for Exeter) against Glasgow, he was bouncing out of tackles, he had a huge work rate, a huge appetite for the ball. That’s the sort of player we remember. We have not really seen him since 2018. It has been a long time between drinks and maybe him not drinking so much will allow the times between drinks not to be so long in the future.”
Last week, Baxter explained: “Jack is a highly thought of guy. He has got a lot of capabilities. It has been great to have him around for pre-season and have a lot of rugby, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him back in the England squad.
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“He is playing very well. Jack can be a funny one: you can watch a game sometimes and think he has had a quieter game than you are used to and then you analyse it and you will notice that every time he is around the ball he has got a bit of go-forward or has created a counter ruck where we turn the ball over or he has created pressure in a kick chase.
“You tick off his actions and you suddenly go, they are all good quality actions. He is actually doing a lot for us in defence that is probably not recognised, system-wise he is creating quite a lot of pressure on the opposition. I actually think he is performing very well and the next step I am hoping for is he is close to having one of those games where he really breaks open an opposition.
“We feel like we are close to that as a team anyway, that one of those games is coming, but we have still got a little bit of work to do just to really make sure those things happen. As a perfect example, Jack did hit some of his highest physical stats last week against Harlequins that he has hit for a long time.
“Some of the physical ability is still right up there. I’m talking about (over) the last two or three years, so there certainly hasn’t been a drop off in what he is physically capable of doing despite what people might think because he has got a little bit older and he has had to deal with injuries. I am anticipating him having some very, very good performances in the near future.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments