Nowell's 'over the moon'

By Mark Stevens

Cornishman Jack Nowell says he is "over the moon" to have been named in the Exeter Chiefs squad ahead of tomorrow's Aviva Premiership clash with London Welsh (3pm).

After some dazzling early season form, the talented 19-year-old is in line to make his first-ever top flight appearance after being named on the Exeter bench for the trip to the Kassam Stadium.

A product of the club's highly successful Academy system, Nowell is seen as one of Exeter's homegrown stars of the future - and his emergence already this term is yet another clearly indicator that head coach Rob Baxter is not afraid to give youth its chance.

Last season Nowell was given his first taste of life with the Chiefs when he figured in a handful of games in both the LV= Cup and the Amlin Challenge. However, his season was brought to an abrupt halt in January when he sustained a serious knee injury during Exeter's away win against Italian outfit Cavalieri Prato.

Now fully recovered from that setback, which also deprived him of going to the Junior World Cup in South Africa with England Under-20s, Nowell is looking to make up for lost time.

"I was a bit gutted when I first got injured, but I tried to use it as a positive," he said. "It gave me a chance to work on everything that needed to be worked on – my knees, my calves, everything – and I think now it shows that it has paid off a little bit. In a way it gave me a chance, while not playing any games, to focus on everything."

Nowell has figured prominently in pre-season and for the Braves in the A League already this term and it was his display on Monday against Saracens Storm which convinced Baxter and fellow coach Ali Hepher to hand him his opportunity.

"To be there so early in the season, I'm over the moon with it," added Nowell, who has come into the squad at the expense of the injured Josh Tatupu. "This is everything I've wanted since leaving college, even before that. We all want to be up there playing in Premiership games. That is 100 per cent what I came here for as an academy boy.

"I will be nervous. This is probably one of the biggest games of my career so far, but I have to take that as a good thing and then really make the most of it. Rob and Ali have just told me to play my game. They have told me I'm good enough and I just have to do it out there. I will just try to do the things I'm good at."