Chiefs are on the right track

Jack Nowell's call-up to the England squad is testament to the excellent work of the Exeter Chiefs coaching staff, according to prop Alex Brown.

Wing Nowell made his international debut in the Red Rose's Six Nations clash against France last Saturday and will start again this weekend in the Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland at Murrayfield.

And despite England and Nowell getting off to a losing start, Brown admits he was delighted to see the 20-year-old make his bow.

However, Brown was also quick to praise those who have helped Nowell develop his game at Sandy Park, and also indicated more may follow in his footsteps if they continue to impress in the Aviva Premiership.

"Jack has made a massive impact for us, and it is a fine reward for the way he has been playing," said Brown, who himself has represented England at Under-18 level.

"I only caught a bit of the France game after we played at Worcester Warriors, but he looked just as quick as he does for us week-in, week-out.

"That's good to see that he can take that onto the international stage and he's not daunted by it. He is still a young player though.

"We've had a few players called up here at Exeter and it's all good news for the club, it's got to be testament to the work we do here and the coaches, as well as the other players of course, but we get an excellent education from the staff."

The Chiefs return to Aviva Premiership action this weekend against Northampton Saints looking to get back to winning ways after losing their last two league outings.

Exeter have actually lost four of their last five Aviva Premiership games, but they take forward some momentum having won their last two LV= Cup fixtures - booking a semi-final berth in the process.

And the 42-3 victory over Worcester Warriors last time out proved to Brown that they have turned a corner after a poor run of form.

"Winning is infectious and I think we got exactly what we wanted out of the last few weeks while there has been a lull in the Aviva premiership action," he added. "We were struggling a little bit but I think we've turned a corner. Results weren't going our way but I think we've been doing OK.

"I think we've learnt quite a lot over the past few weeks, but we're glad to be back in league action and hopefully continuing that winning form."