Six Nations
Nowell 'in consideration' to start against Ireland
Tom Hamilton
February 24, 2015
Jack Nowell could start on Sunday against Ireland © Getty Images
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Stuart Lancaster admits Jack Nowell is pushing his claims for a start against Ireland on Sunday.

The Exeter Chiefs winger-come-centre last played for England in the 2014 Six Nations but missed out on their end-of-season tour to New Zealand due to a knee injury. He struggled to return to full fitness in time for the autumn Tests but Lancaster has been impressed by his club form and he is in the frame to start in Dublin.

Adding to Nowell's chances is the drop in form of Jonny May who struggled defensively in their opening two matches. Nowell was kept in camp last week but released to Exeter for their match against Harlequins on Saturday and Lancaster was pleased with his performance.

"He played well at the weekend," Lancaster said. "It was the right decision for him to go back and play. I wanted to have a look at him again.

"He stayed with us and trained Thursday alongside Jonny [May] and Anthony [Watson]. He is definitely in consideration. I've got the decisions to make with the coaches this evening and the conversations to have with the players tomorrow. It'll be a tight one."

When Mike Brown was forced off injured against Italy in round two, Anthony Watson moved to fullback with Jonathan Joseph shifting to the wing. If Brown is deemed unfit to play on Sunday as he continues his return-to-play protocols then Alex Goode is likely to slot in at fullback with Watson kept on the wing.

Another one of Nowell's Exeter team-mates impressed last weekend when Henry Slade added to his burgeoning reputation with a commanding performance against Harlequins. He is on England's radar but unlikely to get his chance in this Six Nations.

"We have brought him [Slade] into camp," said Lancaster. "The next step is to bring a player into the team to give him a start. I've always been cautious about bringing a player straight into the team without having done the foundation work in the camp, particularly in a key decision making role such as 10 or 12.

"There was a lot of suggestion that George [Ford] should have started that first game against New Zealand. The reality was he'd only done three days of training and it's a key, pivotal position.

"Watson's evolution into the team and the way he was brought into the squad - got experience by training with us - so that when his opportunity did come he was ready, is the way I'd like to take it with Henry, who's actually in a very competitive position. There's no doubt about it he has got great quality. I thought he played well at the weekend."

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Tom Hamilton is the Associate Editor of ESPNscrum.

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