England and Exeter Chiefs winger Jack Nowell has confirmed his departure in an emotional Instagram post.
“So here we go.
“Never thought I’d be writing something like this, but I suppose every good thing comes to an end eventually.
“Unfortunately, my time at Exeter Chiefs is up and what a time l’ve had!
You’ve helped me go from a teenage boy to a kinda mature father or three. l’ve met some amazing people and made so many friends. I’ve been lucky enough to have created the most perfect family, who I love very much, so Exeter has a massive space in our hearts.
“My first thanks has to go to Ricky Pellow and Robin Cowling, without you two none of this would have been possible. To all the boys I’ve played with over my 12 years at the club, I love you all. You guys are the guys who have made my time so special and memorable and I owe you everything.
“Thanks to the boss Tony Rowe for the belief you have always shown in the team, obviously through the good times, but especially the bad times. I feel privileged to have worked with Rob Baxter, Ali Hepher and Rob Hunter for so many years, a lot of our success has been down to their commitment to make our side the best we can be.
“Obviously the physio team, l’ve worked very closely with you guys, Jamie Fulton, Steve Haw, Nick Cox, James Parkes and Bobby Beddard, you lads have put me back together a few times now and allowed me to be my best on the field. Can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done. Every single person at Exeter Chiefs, I would love to name you all, but I’m Cornish so that’s too much writing for me!
“To our fans, you are truly the best!
Thank you for coming along this journey with me, you have always been there for my family and always made my time at the club enjoyable as possible. The commitment you guys put in, not only for home games, but also away games, is truly amazing and will always be appreciated by the team.
Lastly, I feel very lucky to have been part of this.
“Exeter Chiefs team over the last 12 years and to have achieved the things we have. I will always be an Exeter fan and I’m sure to be back if not as a player, definitely as a supporter!
“Au revoir pour le moment”
“Horror draw” – England get pool of death in revised World Cup draw
The recently released World Rugby Rankings highlight the absurdity of the Pool Draw for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2023, which was determined three years in advance and appears to be heavily skewed.
In response to criticism, World Rugby has announced that future pool draws for the Rugby World Cup will be conducted closer to the start of the tournament, as the current practice of relying on team rankings at the time of the draw is deemed unfair.
According to a report by the Mirror, World Rugby will make changes to the pool draw process for the 2027 edition.
“World Rugby said it is able to make the change because of a new ‘hosting model’ that sees the international federation create collaborations with the host union,” the report read.
“The top of the men’s Test game has never been more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “There has never been so much movement over a two-year period.
“Bearing that in mind and noting the format of four pools of five teams, there is arguably no perfect time for a draw.”
As a result, the guys over at Eggchasers Rugby put together their own drawer the 2023 tournament based on the current World Rugby rankings.
Concentrating on only the top 10 countries in the world, it looks significant.
It was very different with England handed a much sterner test in their pool. Watch the full video here.
POOL A actual draw:
- France
- New Zealand
POOL A up to date draw
- France
- Australia