Jack Nowell desperate to be part of England World Cup run
England winger Jack Nowell insists he is desperate to be part of next year’s World Cup squad as Eddie Jones’s players look to use the Six Nations to cement their place in his future plans.
“I hope I can be part of that [the World Cup],” said Nowell. “I am desperate to be part of that.
“You’ve got injuries and you’ve got form but the main thing is building connections, and they’re not just on the rugby field but we see them in camp.
“With the way we train we always mix together, you never have the same centres together, you never have the same back three together. We are always getting that learning from each other.
“For me this is the first time I’ve played with boys like Max Malins and Freddie Steward, I’ve always known they’re good players but to be able to come in and play with them now, it’s awesome to be involved in.”
England semi-final
Nowell and his fellow England players are set to play a must win match against Ireland on Saturday.
Should Wales beat France this weekend, a win over the four provinces would set up a winner takes all clash in Paris on 19 March for the title.
Jones has reiterated how his side are treating this weekend’s match like a semi final, with the win over Wales last weekend their quarter final.
“If anything, it’s [seeing matches as knockout games] made it easier,” Nowell added.
“By losing that game against Scotland every game we come up against now is now a must win.
“In the Six Nations every game is a must win but there is a way you can win the tournament without getting the Grand Slam.
“I think it has cleared it up a little bit for us, we know now we’ve got to go out every single weekend and give it everything, there’s no holding back.
“If we don’t win then that’s it, it’s done. You don’t normally win the Six Nations if you lose two games.”
Knock on the head
The championship continues this weekend as Wales host France on Friday night before Scotland travel to Italy and Ireland head to London on Saturday.
Nowell played the full 80 minutes in a standout performance against Wales but his first game, against Italy after a long period away with injury, was cut short due to him failing a head injury assessment (HIA).
This tournament, and it’s U20 counterpart, has faced criticism over the HIA process and the allowance of certain players, notably Tomas Francis, to return to the field.
“It’s a tricky one for me,” Nowell said. “Every rugby player is different and the reason I was probably so angry against Italy was because I wasn’t allowed back on.
“Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that it’s safety.
“The steps and procedure for us boys now to get back and play is the best thing for us.
“I felt like I was OK to play but, with the cameras and the independent staff around, it was probably the best decision for me at the time.
“Franny’s [Tomos Francis] incident didn’t look too good on the camera and I think we can’t shy away from that.
“For me, you can’t argue with it, you’ve got to do it and come off and if you’re fit to go back on then even better.
“I could probably be knocked clean out and feel I’ll recover in a few seconds and carry on but it’s important to take that decision out of our hands.”
Nowell has always been a star performer in the white jersey, but come this weekend he’ll hope to play a crucial role as England look to reach their ‘final’.