Nowell keen to follow Exeter teammate Sam Simmonds in moving abroad

Jack Nowell has revealed he wants to follow his Exeter and England teammate Sam Simmonds in moving abroad and said he could do so next year with his Chiefs contract up at the end of the season.

Simmonds, 27, will join Montpellier next season and though it is not entirely clear whether he will be eligible for the World Cup given Rugby Football Union rules dictate that players based outside England cannot be selected, Eddie Jones expressed confidence that he would be last week.

Nowell is two years older than Simmonds but find himself in a similar position where the pull of the international jersey will not be as great after the World Cup and at a club that, by the admission of the director of rugby Rob Baxter, is struggling to hold on to senior England players on bumper contracts within a reduced salary cap given the number of club matches they miss.

Considering that landscape, Simmonds seems likely to be joined by a number of England players in moving abroad with Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Watson and Kyle Sinckler all also out of contract as well as Nowell, who has been linked with a move to Clermont. “One day that’s something I would like to do obviously if my body allows me,” Nowell told talkSport. “Whether it’s next year or the year after I’m not too sure yet but I’m in a position where I’ve always been in contract with the club and this is the first year where I’ve found myself not in contract next year. For me there is a lot to play for and a lot still to go. The only thing I’m focusing on at the moment is playing well for the club.”

Nowell and Simmonds spent Monday morning along with the rest of the squad being put through their paces on an assault course at Thorpe Park on the first full day of a mini-camp before