• He's a natural, says the Chiefs coach Rob Baxter
• Springbok Bryan Habana impressed by young Cornishman Share337
As England prepare to cast their net for fresh Six Nations wingers, it could be that a Cornish fishing community holds the answer. Jack Nowell, the son of a trawler skipper from Newlyn, is not yet a household name but another eye-catching game for Exeter Chiefs against Toulon on Saturday will further improve his chances of promotion to the senior squad in the new year.
Nowell, a member of England's victorious Under-20 World Cup winning side in the summer, has already received an admiring message from the prolific Springbok Bryan Habana after enjoying a fine game for the Chiefs last weekend. He has been a member of the Saxons squad since the summer and Exeter's coach, Rob Baxter, reckons the 20-year-old is emerging as a genuine Six Nations contender in the absence of several other injured wingers including Christian Wade, Marland Yarde, Ben Foden and Ugo Monye.
"I think England should pick their form players and believe their own eyes a little bit," said Baxter. "He's a natural rugby player. You could almost pick him anywhere.
"You get the impression he hasn't got express pace but you never see him get caught. Against Toulon he turned and caught their winger, Rudi Wulf, within five strides. There are not many wingers who are going to leave him for pace defensively. And the truth is he beats so many first defenders he doesn't have to kick too much. Sometimes there seems to be a little fear about pushing through with some of our guys, but all of them could drop into the England environment and perform. What are Jack's performances saying? They're saying he's a good player."
The athletic Nowell grew up overlooking Newlyn fish market and his father, Michael, now owns three trawlers. As a six-year-old, however, he did not immediately take to rugby at the local Penzance and Newlyn club. "I was a bit of a nutter in terms of running around when I was young and my parents thought they'd take me down to mini-rugby. I hated it.
"I sat by my mum's leg and didn't let it go. I was crying for the first three sessions, saying I didn't want to do it and wanting to go home. But as soon as I started scoring tries and running round the whole team, it was different. My dad used to offer me a quid for every try I scored."
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| Both boys got a heroes welcome after demolishing Wales in this years Under 20s Rugby World Cup - Jack Nowell (R) with proud parents Louisa and Michael Nowell |
Both he and his childhood friend from the same Penzance under-six side, Luke Cowan-Dickie, have come a long way since, the pair having shared in England's first Junior Rugby World Cup triumph. Nowell has also overcome his fair share of injuries and could scarcely believe Habana's encouraging words on Twitter this week, the Springbok World Cup-winner stressing he would be following the youngster's progress with considerable interest. "It was faintly surreal. I've been watching him on the television since I was very young and then you see him out here."
An Exeter victory in the south of France would arguably be even more remarkable given the depth of the Toulon squad, but failure will curtail the Chiefs' hopes of qualification from Pool Two. Baxter, however, is taking a longer-term view and has been recalling his maiden speech to the club's supporters after taking over in 2009, with Exeter still in the Championship.
"I said then that being part of an ambitious club is always going to hurt because you want to win. I remember telling them that in a few years' time we might lose to Leicester and it would feel disappointing.
"There were people in the bar saying: 'Rubbish, we'd love to lose to Leicester.' But last week, after we'd lost to Toulon, people were coming up to me going: 'That was disappointing, wasn't it?' We were disappointed because we want to win those games but we think we'll win them one day."
Story courtesy of the Guardian