Jack Nowell could be transformed into a flanker under Eddie Jones’ crazy play to ‘change the game’
In his most extraordinary press conference yet, Jones revealed his prediction that players will soon feature in both the backs and forwards to meet the demands of the game - starting with England’s Jack Nowell
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Your support makes all the difference.The 2019 Rugby World Cup is little more than eight months away, yet Eddie Jones is ready to take his biggest gamble yet and completely tear up the rugby playbook by deploying nine forwards instead of eight and naming England's natural wing Jack Nowell at openside flanker.
Welcome to the crazy world of Eddie Jones.
The startling revelations, which were delivered with a mischievous grin, received by bemusement and responded to by a speechless media pack, are all part of his plan to change a game that has become “so orthodox”.
Yet even by his own standards, Jones’ memorable line of a ‘six-and-a-half’ flanker is nothing compared to this latest plan, which once the initial hilarity of what he was actually saying died down, actually seemed to be a legitimate plan to shake the game up.
“He is going to be the new breed of player,” Jones said of Nowell’s new position at openside flanker, something that he is yet to learn about after returning with Exeter in the more familiar 15 shirt last weekend.
“The game has changed. The game used to be 80 minutes, now it is 100 minutes. The next change is you will have players who can play backs and forwards. Do you remember (former Australia coach) Rod Macqueen? He used to talk about it. It is going to happen. The game is going towards it.”
“Nowell is definitely an option at seven. We haven't tried him out but he is definitely an option. Because he has great ball carrying, great tackling skill; he puts his head over the ball, he's a tough little bloke. He's a great option. He can play wing, 13, 15, seven for us.”
Thankfully, Jones has not lost the plot and there may be some method to his madness. For when he describes Nowell as a seven, it does not mean he will be wearing No 7. Watch the 25-year-old’s try for Exeter last weekend against Castres and you will see all the attributes that Jones describes. Wearing 15, Nowell has no right to be scurrying around the breakdown, yet he retrieves the ball from the breakdown, floats across the line until a gap opens as utilises his footwork and acceleration to leave the defence for dead and step past David Smith for the score.
This is what Jones is talking about, and whether he wears 11, 14 or 15 on his back, the Australian is starting to view players like Nowell as a ninth forward, someone who defends in their normal channel off a scrum yet snipe around the fringes when in possession.
“I’m 100 per cent,” clarified Jones. “There are great opportunities in the game to change it and we are looking at opportunities to change it. Maybe one of the opportunities is nine forwards.
“There is no reason why you can’t play nine forwards. He could stand blindside wing.”
Jones has previous in this department. In 2015, he did exactly that with Hendrik Tui, the New Zealand-born Sunwolves player who is just as familiar with a spot on the wing as he is in his natural position in the back-row.
“When Japan played Georgia in the final warm-up game before 2015 World Cup, we played nine forwards. No-one knew,” explained Jones. “It’s like in football, Mike Bassett: England Manager, 4-4-2, every one used to play that. Then it became 5-3-2-1 or whatever it was – probably too many numbers – so there is no reason in rugby why there might not be changes in formations. Exciting, isn’t it?
“I’m serious that there are opportunities to change the game because it has become so orthodox so we have to look at opportunities to change the game. Be really good at the core things of the game but look at opportunities where you can change it.
“Jack Nowell is the one who stands out. (Tom) Curry and (Sam) Underhill are the opposite. They are as quick as Nowell. They could play in a number of positions on the field.”
Whether Jones plans on doing that as early as England’s opening Six Nations match against Ireland remains to be seen, though he does say it is a “possibility” for Dublin and gives a much bigger chance to seeing it before the World Cup comes about in September. Yet choosing now, 245 days away from the start of Japan 2019 and just 11 matches until England begin their World Cup campaign to roll out such a radical and unfamiliar plan, is one hell of a gamble.
Then again, it could be one of the many, many mind games that Jones likes to have up his sleeve. Just make sure somebody tells Jack Nowell that.
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