I Wouldn't Ask Nowell To Play Outside Centre, Eddie

IT is interesting that Jack Nowell is now being talked about by Eddie Jones as an outside-centre, especially as he still has Henry Slade and Alex Lozowski in the England squad. The England coach also has Jonathan Joseph and Elliot Daly as main options at 13, and Owen Farrell at inside-centre.

Add Ben Te'o and Manu Tuilagi to the troop of centres when they are all fit, and there will be no shortage of competition for midfield places. However, if I am Slade or Lozowski I would be thinking, ‘please try me rather than Jack’.

If you want a passing game and the ball to continue down the line it is not the ideal remedy to bring a wing into outside-centre. There are not too many outside-centres who can execute a pass in heavy traffic to put a player away outside them all that well anyway – so asking a bloke who normally plays wing to do it expertly is expecting a lot.

If you take Joseph as an example, he tends to catch the ball first and then run. Daly is more of a traditional 13 because he takes a running line first and then catches it.

What probably attracts Jones to the idea of Nowell at 13 is having a player with jinky feet who can take the ball early or late and make ground. As a wing he is also used to being in an exposed position because you are either being asked to pin your ears back and get over the line, or you are the last line of defence under the high ball or as a tackler.

Earlier in his international career defenders were often able to get the Exeter wing to stop, check, and cut inside. This is mainly because young wingers often do not have the confidence to back themselves and use their speed on the outside – but these days Nowell is much more likely to do that.