rugby

5,000 calories a day and Jack Nowell starts it all with one hell of a breakfast

Published 09:24 12 Jun 2019 BST

Home rugby

When you're one of the best players in the Gallagher Premiership, diet and nutrition make a slight but significant difference.

England and Exeter Chiefs wing Jack Nowell was in fine form for club and country this season. His pace and elusiveness ensured he was a thorn in the side of virtually every team he came up against. https://twitter.com/OptaJonny/status/1135822595159449600 A large part of Nowell's success is owed to the nutrition taken on during training and match days. It's all very well training for power and speed and having innate natural ability, but without the right fuel, you're not going to perform optimally. Although he doesn't consciously count calories, Nowell puts away 4-5,000 calories per day. The Cornwall man prefers fewer, bigger meals instead of smaller, more frequent snacks. Speaking to Red Bull, Nowell said:

"Breakfast is toast, avocado, spinach, eggs (poached or scrambled), bacon or sausage and then some porridge to finish. Lunch is usually a chicken breast or steak, with rice or potatoes and green veg like broccoli or peas, and a salad."

Game-day dieting

Nowell says that game-day nutrition actually begins the night before with a substantial evening meal.

"Dinner is a bit of a tradition: it's always barbecue chicken fajitas, guacamole, salsa, sour cream - the full works. Then some ice cream or rice pudding."

Ahead of a match, the order of the day calls on simple carbs that the body digests rapidly. Allowances are made after the game for his favourite foods. Jack's protein targets are topped up by the addition of a few shakes, and he gets into the zone with a sugar free Red Bull.

"On the day of the game, for breakfast it's a bowl of porridge, toast, egg and avocado. Lunch is usually small and simple, such as pasta with tomato and chicken. Post-match is pizza or Indian takeaway - I usually allow myself to eat whatever I want."

Nowell's Exeter side were narrowly beaten by Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership final. JOE recently spoke to Saracens' nutritionist George Morgan, who provided us with a full game day diet plan.