Jack Nowell wins 2013 LV=Breakthrough Player award

Exeter Chiefs Jack Nowell has been named the LV=Breakthrough Player this season following his eye catching displays in the Anglo-Welsh competition.
Renowned for showcasing the brightest talents from the Premiership and Welsh regions, the England U20 flyer beat the likes of Luke Wallace, Tom Heathcote and seven other nominees to win the award.
His performances were also backed up the the statisticians at Opta who ranked him as the top performing back in the LV=Cup this season.
Nowell beat more defenders and made more metres in attack than any other player in the competition, this despite Exeter’s narrow failure to reach the knock-out stages.
Speaking from the England U20 camp were he collected his trophy, Nowell said: “Obviously I’m delighted to have been given the LV=Breakthrough Player award.
“The fact that it is voted for by rugby fans makes winning a huge honour, so thanks to everyone that voted for me. It is also nice to be recognised for playing the game I love and spurs me on to keep doing what I am doing.
“This season has been amazing for me already as not only have I collected this award, but I’ve won my first England Under-20s cap and I’ve managed to break into the Chiefs first team, playing in not just the Aviva Premiership and LV= Cup, but also the Heineken Cup.”
“It’s good that Rob, Ali and Ricky have shown faith in all of us youngsters this season. I think we’ve all benefitted massively from that exposure and I’ve used it as the stepping stone to stay within the first team.”