Jack Nowell will have a scan on his left ankle after limping off 10 minutes before the end of Exeter’s third defeat in a Premiership final to Saracens in four seasons.
The Exeter full-back, who is used as a wing by England, will be named in the World Cup squad if fit. He had been one of the outstanding players in the final that set a record for the number of points scored while Saracens set a new landmark by coming from 11 points down to win. “It is too early to say with Jack,” said Rob Baxter, the Exeter head coach. “He will have a scan. He has had a couple of ankle issues this season. He had an outstanding match, very difficult to put on the floor, strong and quick.”
The England head coach, Eddie Jones, was among the crowd. Nowell was hurt after a collision with the Saracens centre Alex Lozowski. He was treated for a couple of minutes before turning down a stretcher and hobbling off the field unaided. He left the ground on crutches on an afternoon when a number of Exeter players were close to tears having pushed the leading team in Europe all the way.
“It was a heck of a game,” said Baxter. “We showed we have moved forward from last year and the choice now is to say that this breaks us or we keep driving forward and use this pain in pre-season. We went toe-to-toe with the European champions for 80 minutes. We are a young side and I see improvement every day. The players can be proud of how close they came to beating Saracens.”
Saracens, who achieved their second league and European double since the last World Cup, had come from 10 points down to defeat Leinster in the European Champions Cup final but there were only 20 minutes remaining when they trailed the Chiefs 27-16, having conceded 20 points in the second and third quarters.
“Exeter played really well and, while this was not the best we have played in the seven successive finals we have won, the victory is one of the most satisfying,” said Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby. “We were fantastic physically and emotionally in the last 20 minutes.”
The only blot for Saracens this season is an investigation into whether they have breached the salary cap. “I hope it gets sorted out,” McCall said. “We think our model is positive for English rugby.”