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Exeter Chiefs star Jack Nowell is hoping to continue his comeback from injury against Bordeaux-Begles in the European Rugby Champions Cup. - 07/12/2016 13:04
Exeter Chiefs star Jack Nowell is hoping to continue his comeback from injury against Bordeaux-Begles in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The wing featured for Exeter Braves in an Aviva A League tie against Bath United on Monday after recovering from a quad tear. It was a long-awaited return for Nowell, who had been injured since October and was forced to miss the autumn internationals.
“It’s been a long time in the gym, not really seeing much daylight. My aim now is just trying to get back in the first-team here at Exeter,” said the 2016 Grand Slam England wing. “We’ve had three awesome performances in the Premiership, so I know it’s not going to be easy.”
The Chiefs met Bordeaux in the Pool stages last season, winning at home and losing away, and went on to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. They are currently bottom of Pool 5 after defeats to ASM Clermont Auvergne and Ulster Rugby.
Bordeaux are seeking to close the gap on unbeaten leaders Clermont. They beat Ulster at home and scored five tries in a 49-33 defeat in Clermont to put them second in the pool table.
Nowell is looking to play a big a part in the back-to-back challenges against the free-flowing TOP 14 as he attemprts to get both his club and intenational career back on track.
“We’re now coming into this next block of European games, so the first thing I am thinking about this week is training well and seeing if I can get myself in the mix for the weekend. The body feels good, but I’m not sure my lungs feel the same,” added Nowell.
“That said, there is no such thing as getting match-fit when you’re in the gym. You can do as much Wattbike and running on the field as you like, but it doesn’t compare to 80 minutes out on the pitch and that’s where I need to get to.”
Bordeaux-Begles stayed in the hunt for the quarter-finals with a smash-and-grab raid at a fog bound Sandy Park. - 11/12/2016 19:32
Bordeaux-Begles stayed in the hunt for the quarter-finals with a smash-and-grab raid at a fog bound Sandy Park.
The TOP 14 side slipped behind to a Jack Maunder try after the game had remained scoreless for the opening 30 minutes. Gareth Steenson added the conversion, but the Chiefs should have been much further ahead by then.
Lachie Turner and Steenson twice went within inches of scoring, but the Bordeaux defence stood firm. Better than that, they created a position for scrum half Baptiste Serin to kick a penalty to reduce the arrear to 7-3 at the break.
The game looked as though it could be in some danger as the fog rolled in even more just before half-time, but it cleared in the second half to allow the game to go the full distance. The home side had the greater possession and territory in the second half, but Bordeaux attacked of the base of a scrum against the head in the 22 and No 8 Marco Tauleigne sent Serin racing clear to the posts for a try that gave the visitors the lead.
Ian Madigan added the simple conversion and then his replacement, Lionel Beauxis, kicked a penalty to leave the Chiefs trailing by six points. It looked as though wing James Short had cut the gap with a wonder run from the 10 metre line, but he just lost control of the ball on the line as he stretched to score.
That summed up Exeter’s evening and, with three successive defeats in Pool 5 their hopes of backing up their trip to the quarter-finals last season are over.
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