Baxter updates on injury front

Jack Nowell’s knee injury will not require surgery and is not as bad as first feared, Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has revealed.

But that news has been offset by the revelation that lock Mitch Lees is set for around four months on the sidelines after an operation on his injured arm on Monday.

England back Nowell, 22, hobbled off in some pain with eight minutes left in Saturday’s 19-10 win over Gloucester, having badly twisted his knee in a tackle. He is unlikely to train this week.

Lees, who had been tipped for a spot in Eddie Jones’ England squad to be announced on Wednesday, injured his bicep in the New Year’s Day loss at Northampton.

Speaking of Nowell, Baxter said: “I would describe it at this stage as looking fairly positive to what it could have been.

“We certainly don’t see the need for an operation or anything like that. We are lucky with Nowellsy because he got caught very badly in that tackle and there was a fair old bend in his knee joint. He was in a lot of discomfort too but our first impressions suggest it is not too bad. We are hoping that will be a relatively short-term injury.”

Baxter continued: “Mitch is going to be out long-term. He had an operation on Monday and it could be 16 weeks or so, perhaps a little less. It is a blow but any team in the Premiership has to be able to weather these things and get on with it.”

Baxter also revealed that scrum-half Will Chudley is unlikely to train this week after suffering minor ankle ligament damage in Saturday’s win.

The dead leg which forced Thomas Waldrom off after 67 minutes is not thought to be serious.