England and Exeter star Jack Nowell eyeing Lions 2021 call-up for South Africa Tour as he makes captain admission
Jack Nowell is adamant his injury nightmare is behind him as he focuses on making the British and Lions Tour of South Africa in 2021.
The England and Exeter winger has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of world rugby since making his international debut in 2015.
Jack Nowell is desperate to feature on the British and Irish Lions Tour in 2021
This culminated in the versatile back making his Lions debut in New Zealand more than three years ago.
However, injury problems have continued to blight the 27-year-old as he battled problems with his knees and shoulders in a bid to be fit.
After making just one appearance at the World Cup in Japan and missing the Six Nations completely earlier this year due to surgery, Nowell is now fully fit and focused on being part of Warren Gatland’s squad to face the Springboks next year.
He told talkSPORT.com: “Yeah I think 100%, having had that little taste of it whilst being away in New Zealand I think has almost given me that hunger to go and do it again, just knowing how good that tour is and how special it is to be involved in the Lions.
Nowell has got himself fully fit behind closed doors thanks to Red Bull and the Exeter staff
“I kind of felt that I didn’t give my best when I was out on that last Lions Tour, so I feel like I’ve got a lot more to give.
“But again, for me to get to that end goal, there is so much more that has to happen. The start of it, for me, has to be the way I perform at Exeter. Obviously if we are playing in Heineken Cup finals and then playing in Premiership finals then that is going to look after itself.
“That turns heads with England coaches, to get a shirt nailed down with the England and then go on to the next step from that. But like you said, there are so many games before then; with Japan and Fiji added into it like a Six Nations type of thing.
“Again, that’s the chance to get a shirt nailed down and then I think once you’ve done that, the Lions coaches and the Lions selectors or Warren and the people around him, you’re almost going to force them to look at you.
“But the whole base of it starts at the way you perform at your clubs.”
Nowell played no part in England’s Six Nations campaign as he recovered from an operation
The Exeter winger is expected to play a prominent role for Rob Baxter’s team as they seek to conclude the current season, starting with the visit of Leicester on Saturday.
In order to finish the current season and then start the next, any prospective Lion playing in the Premiership will have to potentially play 12 months of solid rugby.
Yet after telling talkSPORT about the joy of ending his injury hell, the prospect of relentless rugby actually excites the Truro-native.
He continued: “Definitely, I think there is nothing really in the back of my mind now almost holding me back a little bit.
The winger returned to domestic action just before the lockdown period
“Before, it was like my ankle would hurt or my knee would hurt and I would think ‘if you get injured, this could happen’.
“Don’t get me wrong, stuff happens and stuff can happen in the first few games, but I always feel like once you have three or four games under your belt, you feel a bit more robust and you feel like you can go through a lot more on the rugby field.
“I can sit back and say that I have done absolutely everything I possibly can do during this off-season to come back a better player than when I was before.
“Whether that is resting, whether that is doing the extra training sessions that I can’t normally do, it’s just about finding the right amount of balance and getting the best out of both of them.
“But that is what I like to think I have done in the past 20 weeks, putting in everything I can do to come back a better player and be better.”
The Exeter winger scores for England at the World Cup last October
Besides the squad selection, Gatland also faces the small dilemma of naming his captain for the Tour, with three names reportedly in the running.
The New Zealander admitted England captain Owen Farrell and his teammate Maro Itoje were in the running as was Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones.
Having played alongside Farrell and Itoje and against Wyn Jones, Nowell concluded whoever leads the side out in Cape Town on July 3, 2021 must be able to deliver on the pitch against the 2019 World Cup winners.
He concluded: “Obviously there is a lot around the way you are around the camp, the way you are as a person and the way you speak to the players and your individual relationships with players.
Either Owen Farrell or Maro Itoje could lead the Lions next summer in South Africa
“But for me, the best captain I like to follow and I like to be around are the guys that show it on the rugby field.
“That’s probably the main thing; the way they perform on the field that gives you that urge to follow and to be part of that team.
“And very closely behind that is obviously they look after their team off the field as well, look after every individual player and make sure everyone is fine.
“Sometimes even going up against the coach if that is what is necessary at the time, then at the same time being able to tell the boys if they are being a bit soft and we need to crack on with it.
“But for me, the main thing is the way you perform on the field – that’s the biggest thing in a captain.”
To learn more about how elite athletes mentally and physically train, watch Jack’s full video on the Red Bull Pro Hub
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