Jack Nowell has revealed the reason why Steve Borthwick axed him from his England plans for the 2023 Guinness Six Nations.
“He spoke to me when the team was coming out,” said Nowell, who was appearing on the latest episode of The Rugby pod alongside Exeter teammate Henry Slade..
“I think we were in South Africa, we [Slade and Nowell] had a call at the same time and he [Borthwick] said that he wants his wingers carrying and getting their hands on the ball and I was like cool, and then I had the phone call when I was out in South Africa and he said the other boys are getting their hands on the ball a bit more than I am at the moment which is fine.
“At the end of the day, it is a coach’s decision. You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. For me it’s not as if he is telling me every week that I need to go and work on something, that I need to go and work on my kick chase, I need to work on my tackling.
“No communication is pretty good for me because I get to focus on just doing what Exeter need and what I can do for Exeter.”
Three more players who won’t play for England again under Steve Borthwick
Steve Borthwick has been brutal In his short time in charge of England, dropping a number of major stars ahead of the 2023 Six Nations.
Below, we look at three established stars who are unlikely to win another cap.
#1. Joe Marler
Age: 32
Position: Loosehead-prop
Caps: 83
Marler is unlikely to return to the England team during the 2023 Six Nations after he breached one of Steve Borthwick’s main rules.
The new England boss has a “no sh**talking policy” with England, whereby he expects players to behave appropriately on the pitch.
As a result, Marler was left out of the Six Nations squad despite his fine form with Harlequins this season.
Marler’s latest ban was for six weeks – four of them suspended – after accepting a charge regarding comments made to Bristol flanker Jake Heenan about his mother.
At this stage, an international return looks very unlikely.
DID YOU KNOW? Marler started his career at Haywards Heath RFC in Sussex where he played in the same side as fellow England international Billy Twelvetrees