by It may be 400 miles from Cornwall, but La Rochelle quickly turned into a home away from home for Jack Nowell.
Cornish born and bred, the former England winger enjoyed an impressive spell at youth club Exeter Chiefs in nearby Devon, winning a European title and two Premier League titles and earning 46 caps for his country, but Nowell knew that the time had come to change. The 31-year-old planted his flag on France’s Atlantic coast, the exclusive Île de Ré – the island that Orlando Bloom, among others, counts as one of his holiday home owners – and hasn’t looked back since it into the reserve. -back European champions.
“It reminds me a lot of Cornwall, being at home,” Nowell tells Telegraph Sport. “You have your house and a stone’s throw away you have one of the beaches, which is great. That is very similar to what I am used to.
“I feel like I’ve almost been here forever, because of how the boys and the staff have made me feel. Being at Exeter for 12, 13 years, that’s all I knew. So to experience something a little different – well, very different – moving countries, moving cultures, playing for a different team, I’m really glad I did. It’s great to watch Exeter and see them do so well, because there are guys who are my best friends who are still playing.”
What made Nowell’s two departures – both from Exeter and England – even more severe was the £10k fine handed out to the winger by the Rugby Union for criticizing a referee’s decision on Twitter after Exeter’s defeat at Leicester last season. Nowell described Karl Dickson showing Olly Woodburn a second yellow card as “one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen”. The subsequent fine was a bitter pill to swallow.
“I still haven’t forgotten that, to be honest,” says Nowell. “I’m still a bit bitter about leaving the RFU on a sour note. I completely disagree with what happened. I said this at the time that I wasn’t being rude or using foul language and I didn’t mean to go against the referees. It was hard to leave on that note, having been involved with Exeter and the RFU for so long – having given so much to him – and getting fined like that when surely others were doing it, too . Can I say I learned my lesson? I’m not sure. If there is something I strongly disagree with, I will still say so. That was almost my parting gift.”
Nowell is working his way back to fitness after breaking his hand in the Top 14, hoping to return to La Rochelle in this Sunday’s European visit to Sale in Pool Four of the Champions. Cup. Learning French continues apace – even if two of his three children, Nori and Zimi, are already better than him – but it was just as challenging to put the recovery against the horse to pile into the boulangerie at his daughters claim.
It’s not just Nowell resisting that temptation, either. The French league system is gaining traction, with several Premier Leagues in touch with possible moves across the Channel.
“I’m not going to name names, but a few boys were asking: ‘How is he? Do I regret coming out? Do I want to do it sooner?’” says Nowell. “I have given the honest answer. Talking then to the lads who moved over at the same time as me – Joe Simmonds, Sam Simmonds, Harry Williams and Joe Marchant – it’s nice to hear their story. Even at Montpellier – they are struggling a bit at the bottom – Sam [Simmonds] he loves it, just because of how different it is from England.”
And, does he wish he had headed out earlier?
“In a way, yes; in a way, no,” says Nowell. “I don’t think I would have had a chance to come earlier. I loved being at Exeter and I loved playing for England. It was the perfect time. With those of us who left Exeter at the same time, it would have been very different to be there without those boys. I spoke to Henry Slade and Jack Yeandle and they love it. They’ve won games, they’re playing good rugby, but they said, at the same time, it’s different without us all there together. So I think I would struggle with that a little bit.
“I think it was the right time. I fell out of favor a bit with Steve [Borthwick] because the other wings were playing so well. I sat back and watched the World Cup. We were going into La Rochelle, into the pubs and stuff and watching the World Cup with other boys who played for their country. I really enjoyed it, I really enjoyed watching England play. I think if I was in England and still in and around the set up, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. When you’re watching it on TV and you want to be there and you want to be involved, it’s quite difficult to watch it there. So to be completely out of the picture and be over here, I really liked it.
“I miss you [Exeter]. It was not nice to leave, but at the same time, there was one part of my mind that thought: Am I making the right decision here? Am I doing the right thing? And when I came here for pre-season, I almost felt like a young kid again, coming into a professional team, that’s how I felt when I was 17 at Exeter. I was that excited again to do pre-season and play because I didn’t know anyone; I didn’t know any adjusters, I didn’t know the coaches. I had to impress myself.”
Not only did Nowell make an impact on La Rochelle and its surroundings, but he was clearly influenced by Cornwall.
