Jess raring to go again

By Mark Stevens
28/1/17

Matt Jess is looking to close the chapter on a frustrating few months for himself when he lines up in the Exeter Chiefs squad for today’s Anglo-Welsh Cup encounter with Wasps at Sandy Park (3pm).

The long-serving winger has not seen competitive action since September, when he hobbled out of an A League fixture away to Saracens.

Initially unsure of the severity of the injury, it was not until a subsequent scan was carried out that Jess realised the extent of the significant ligament damage to his big toe.

“At the time I didn’t think I had done anything too serious, so it wasn’t until the scan that I realised just what I had done,” explained Jess. “The medical staff told me I had badly damaged the ligament underneath my big toe.

“It’s the ligament which stabilises your foot and is very important for balance and for push off. It sounds pretty innoxious being your big toe, but as we’ve seen it can keep you out for four plus months.

“For me, it’s been a long four months, a lot of hard work behind the scenes with the medical team and Nick Cox, who does all of our rehab, but it’s good to be back out there again amongst the lads and getting ready for a match at the weekend.”

As is the case with modern-day rugby, injuries are very much part and parcel of the game and it’s no surprise to see fellow team-mates also sidelined due to the effects of action in matches and training.

And for a period Jess had stellar company alongside him in the Sandy Park gym with England duo and fellow Cornishmen Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell (pictured), both in ‘Team Rehab’ as they themselves overcame injuries of their own.

In what can be darks days for any injured player, the trio thought they would perk themselves up during the recovery period by forming a pact of sorts – in which no-one would shave or cut their hair until each player was back playing on the park.

In the case of Cowan-Dickie, his efforts lasted just a few weeks before he decided enough was enough and went back to his daily grooming routine. Jess and Nowell, though, continued the challenge and four months down the line – and with both men resembling the character played by Tom Hanks in the film ‘Castaway’ – the end is in sight for both men.

“As soon as I hit the pitch and get a few minutes, then it can go and I can tidy things up,” joked Jess. “It was Jack’s idea initially and I’ve had loads of people tweeting me to say hurry up because Jack looks like a hobo. For us, though, it was something that has helped us get through rehab. Sometimes you need something like this to give you that little perk up.”

Certainly Nowell – facial hair or not – has returned in stellar form for the Chiefs, producing some eye-catching displays that are sure to have been noted by England head coach Eddie Jones, who has named the winger and club-mate Henry Slade in his training squad for the upcoming RBS Six Nations Championship.

Jess, meanwhile, will return this afternoon after he was named on the bench for Exeter’s third fixture in this season’s Anglo-Welsh Cup.

And it’s a game the ‘Heamoor Flyer’ is clearly relishing, adding: “I’m really looking forward to Saturday. After being out so long it means a lot to me. You miss the opportunity to play in front of the fans and to play with the boys. I also missed preparing for game day, so it’s nice to get that sense feeling back again.

“All week I’ve been itching to go in training and I’ve been living off the buzz of the young guys like Sam Skinner and Sam Simmonds, who have taken on the roles of leaders this week.  As we know, it’s a big opportunity for those guys, but it’s also a big opportunity for people like myself.

“All of us want to go out there and make an impression and show what we can do. People talk about this competition being a great stepping stone for young players to come through – and we’ve seen that in the past – but it’s also good for some of us older guys as well because we can go out, get our hands on the ball and show people what we are all about as well.”

With the Chiefs lying second in Pool 2, they know they will need to record wins in both of their final games against Wasps and Bristol to stand any chance of overtaking leaders Ospreys, who are just a solitary point about them at the halfway stage.

Jess continued: “It’s a massive game for us, but we say that every week. Every competition we enter we take seriously. Yes, it’s a change of personnel this week, but everyone knows their jobs and it’s an opportunity for all of us to go after a game and try and advance in the competition.

“In the past we’ve been lucky enough to win this competition and we’ve been in previous finals and semi-finals. That’s where we want to be again and it all starts with a big performance at the weekend.”