Twickenham (United Kingdom) (AFP)
The Englishman Jack Nowell, injured in the big toe, announced on Saturday that he would not participate in the final day of the Six Nations Tournament, which will see the XV de la Rose move next weekend to Italy and try to to win the competition.
"I played while having a foot injury, which will require surgery," said the winger (or full-back) after the England Rugby Championship final, which he won at Twickenham with his teammates of Exeter (19-13 against the Wasps).
"The ligaments around my toe are all ruptured (...) It was terrible. It's about my big toe, so every start was very, very painful," Nowell detailed after the match.
By his own admission, the player has been struggling with this injury since the semi-final of the European Cup, won on September 26 against Toulouse.
But "I would never have forgiven myself if I had not tried to play these two matches", explained Nowell in reference to the final of the European Cup (won on October 17 against Racing 92) and that of the English Championship.
With his second Premiership title (after 2017) and his first European Cup coronation, Exeter joined Leicester, the Wasps and the Saracens in the inner circle of clubs behind the double the same season.
On Saturday, another challenge could have been offered to him: traveling to Rome, the English XV has the opportunity to offer the final victory at the Six Nations Tournament, whose last day was postponed due to the pandemic of Covid-19.
His chances of victory depend on the result of France and Ireland, who face each other on the same day at the Stade de France near Paris.
But Nowell will not be in the game: "Unfortunately, I will have to have my injury treated next week," he said on Saturday.
The precise duration of his absence from the grounds was not specified.
© 2020 AFP