Nowell injury update

By Howard Lloyd
1/11/17

Jack Nowell will be out of action for longer than first anticipated after the Exeter Chiefs winger was forced to undergo a second operation on his fractured eye socket.

The 24-year-old underwent surgery shortly after suffering the fracture in the Aviva Premiership victory over Newcastle Falcons in early October.

But a bleed was discovered under the metal plate inserted under his eye, meaning a second operation was required.

While director of rugby Rob Baxter was reluctant to set a return date, he confirmed this would prolong his time on the sidelines.

“Jack required a second operation which has obviously delayed things by a little while,” said Baxter. “There was a little bit of a bleed around the plate put in by his eye, but it has been dealt with now.

“He is recuperating very quickly now. He has been in at the club and he is looking better day by day. That bleed was not letting things settle but he is much better now. His bruising is fading now and he looks almost back to normal. He is very much now on the road to recovery after that second op.”

Nowell sustained the injury after being caught by Chris Harris’ elbow in the 34-24 win over the Falcons at Sandy Park.

With blood streaming from the wound, he received treatment on the field before being replaced by Phil Dollman.

The initial prognosis was that the Cornish-born back would be would for five weeks, ruling him out of England’s Autumn international games with Argentina and Australia but leaving him as a potential option for the final Test against Samoa on November 25.

But Baxter has now all but written off Nowell’s chances of appearing for Eddie Jones’ men and adding to his 31 England caps.

“I can’t see him having any involvement with England, especially now after that second operation,” he said. “It puts things back a little bit and it is still a relatively sensitive area that he must ensure heals properly.

“You don’t take risks around your eye simply because of the risk to your sight. He needs to be careful and I simply think the Autumn Internationals will be too soon for him.”