Jack Nowell ‘desperate’ to make Lions squad

David Skippers
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Exeter Chiefs and England flyer Jack Nowell will be determined to impress British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland when the Premiership champions face Bristol Bears on Friday.

Nowell will make his first start since October last year, after being sidelined with a toe ligament injury and a torn hamstring.

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With Gatland and Lions kicking coach Neil Jenkins set to attend the game at Ashton Gate, ahead of next month’s 36-man squad announcement, Nowell is keen to shine.

“I’m desperate to go again,” Nowell told the Daily Mail. “I’ve had a taste of it, I know how good it is, and I know how much it meant to me at the time.

“So, I’m not going to lie, I’m desperate to go again but if I’m realistic there are a lot of players out there who have played all season and are playing well.

“The team is being picked in two weeks’ time. Hopefully I can perform where I left off in October. I know that seems a long time ago but I’m feeling very, very fresh and good to go. I’ve just got to focus on playing well for Exeter and then leave it down to the coaches to decide.”

The 28-year-old, who played in two Tests during the 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand, will have to hit the ground running as he faces stiff competition to make Gatland’s squad with fellow wings Josh Adams, Jonny May, Louis Rees-Zammit, Duhan van der Merwe and Anthony Watson also in the running.

However, Nowell has a more combative style of play and is now hopeful for a successful return to action after his lengthy lay-off.

“There was no way I was going to miss the European final and then the chance to do the double,” he added. “Pretty much all of the ligaments that go from your big toe to your foot had snapped, but as soon as the surgeon said I couldn’t do anymore damage I just decided that I was going to grit my teeth for two 80-minute games. It was the worst pain I’ve ever had.

“If you look back at a few clips from those games, I’m pushing off on the outside of my foot because the toe was strapped up. You couldn’t play your career like that but what’s the worst you can do in two games?

“Afterwards, the surgeon found the ligaments, stretched them back out and reattached them with screws to the bone of the foot and the toe.”

And he is keen to make an impact for Exeter as they defend their Premiership title, especially after their Champions Cup reign came to an end with a quarter-final defeat to Leinster recently.

“I was desperate to get back for the Six Nations, to be honest,” said Nowell. “That was a target I had and I did everything I could to do that. But I tore my hammy in the process of doing that, which was a bit of a stinker.

“I’ve had six months of not playing so I should come back fresh. It’s probably the best I’ve felt and I’m absolutely buzzing to get back out there with the boys.”

 

British and Irish Lions Jack Nowell