Like many in the West Country, Nowell holds the view that this part of the world tends to be neglected when it comes to sporting talent and yet it is bursting with quality sportsmen and women. He feels he was lucky to be spotted by the big teams and had always imagined that his rugby would be played in Cornwall.
Club and country have made the most of that versatility but the most interesting role may be yet to come. Coach Jones has hinted that he might play Nowell as openside flanker, an out-of-the box thinking ploy to take the game into new realms. Nowell graduated from the Cornish Pirates juniors before his move to Exeter Chiefs and the Premiership. Regarded as one of the outstanding successes of the Chiefs Academy system, his professional debut was in 2012 and he was immediately among the laurels, taking the LV Breakthrough Player Award for 2012/13. The following year, Nowell was one of five fellow Chiefs players to help England Under-20s lift the Junior World Championship in France. Nowell rapidly established himself in the Chiefs squad and played a vital role in their Premiership final appearances, including the historic first ever win for the team in 2017. Likewise for England, where he has become a regular in the Six Nations and the World Cup. From club and country, Nowell was included in the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand where he helped the Lions secure an historic draw. Like many in the West Country, Nowell holds the view that this part of the world tends to be neglected when it comes to sporting talent and yet it is bursting with quality sportsmen and women. He feels he was lucky to be spotted by the big teams and had always imagined that his rugby would be played in Cornwall. Exeter Chiefs and England have profited from the fact that the man who plays out of his skin, plays out of The Duchy. Nowell is a player well-grounded, as the saying goes, and is not afraid to admit that his team-mates love to tease him over his hobby – building countless structures out of Lego bricks. For Nowell, it’s a great way to relax and though his fellow Chiefs players laughed at him initially, rumour has it that one or two have followed suit. His roots remain in Newlyn and the beautiful port might be due a popular name change like that bestowed on Padstow where superstar fish chef Rick Stein has his base and a fleet of restaurants and related businesses. For a long time now, it has been known as ‘PadStein.’ In honour of a great West Country sporting hero, might Newlyn in future become Nowellyn? · 125