[00:00:04] |JACK NOWELL| What's up guys? I'm Jack Nowell. And this is Decoding Athletes with myself and Nick Bright.
[00:00:09] |NICK BRIGHT| That is right. I am locked down in my London living room and Jack is down in his gym in the southwest of the U.K. So Jack, what's going on boy? You alright?
[00:00:19] |JACK NOWELL| What's on? Yeah.
[00:00:20] |NICK BRIGHT| You're living life. You're in the gym as well. And I should point out, this gym is-- it's in your house somewhere, it's connected to your house. Just explain for the viewers and the listeners exactly the geography of this gym.
[00:00:33] |JACK NOWELL| Well, I kind of-- I actually kind of shot myself in the foot at the start because we bought the house off plan and then for some reason-- well, we bought it, we had no kids, it was just me and my partner and I was like, awesome. The original garage is attached to the house. I bullied my missus into letting me turn it into a man cave. So, you could imagine that's a double garage attached to the house which is just one room now with just my PlayStation, a few recovery stuff in there. And then along came two kids, a load of junk, a load of rubbish. So she made me build like a bit of a garage down the bottom of the house. So I said “That's fine, but I want a gym attached to it.”
[00:01:12] |NICK BRIGHT| Well, I guess when you're a pro athlete, you kind of need it, so you've got the excuse. So there is that. I would love though, let me tell you, to not have to share gym equipment with the gym bros at my gym. So I am very jealous. But this podcast is-- it's about getting to know you as a person, to be honest with you, you know, because we know quite a lot about Jack Nowell the rugby player, we've seen lots of interviews and heard lots of interviews, you talking about rugby and stuff, and obviously we are going to go there. But equally, I want to know what makes you tick you know and each episode we're going to find out lots of different stories about you. I hope you're ready to open up to us.
[00:01:50] |JACK NOWELL| Right, 100%, I'm very excited for this.
[00:01:52] |NICK BRIGHT| Alright. Well, just before we get into this episode properly, tell us a little bit about the Chiefs.
[00:02:00] |JACK NOWELL| I don't know where to start, mate. To be fair it's been an absolute mental, you know, 10-15 years. So as far as I go back, I've been at the club now nearly 10 years. So even when I joined, you know, they had just come from the second division of the championship, a dream of Exeter to, you know, to get a team-- well, the whole South West really, you know, we also got Bath, Gloucester, you know, Bristol teams like that, but further down Cornwall and Devon, we've never really had a Premiership rugby side. So this was the big dream for Exeter. Obviously growing up, I watched a little bit as a kid when they were in the second division. And then where we've gone in the last 10 years, you know, keeping it short, but you know, go from that league to the Premiership, you know, to win the Premiership a few years ago and now to come off the back of the season we've just had last season was one of-- you know, the weirdest but, you know, one of the best seasons we've ever had. Obviously, weirdest, saying that we've had no fans, empty stadiums, just two teams playing against each other. But we won the Premiership, you know, we won the Champions Cup. Stuff like that doesn't normally happen to players like myself or anything. So, you know, it's been a surreal year.
[00:03:04] |NICK BRIGHT| Yeah, absolutely surreal. And, you know, this is episode one of the podcast and we're going to be decoding the Chiefs. And that was the perfect kind of succinct way of summing up this crazy 10-year period that the Exeter Chiefs have gone through. But who better to bring in than two teammates. Now I'm very much looking forward to this, I can't lie, because, you know, not only are these two teammates of yours, they're almost family. So let's welcome on to the podcast Luke Cowan-Dickie and Henry Slade. Here we are. Here we are. What's going on fellas, you alright?
[00:03:41] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yo, what's going on, boy?
[00:03:43] |HENRY SLADE| What's going on? You good? Good, mate.
[00:03:45] |JACK NOWELL| What's up, lads?
[00:03:45] |NICK BRIGHT| Yeah, not too bad. Not too bad. Thank you for coming on. Looking forward to this very much so because I kind of feel a little bit like an intruder in this bromance. So, straightaway, Jack, I just want you to break down how long you guys have known each other, where you first met, this friendship that you've got.
[00:04:05] |JACK NOWELL| I met them a couple of weeks ago too, like now. Dickie, are you playing PlayStation, mate? Or you actually involved with us here?
[00:04:11] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, I'll explain, no.
[00:04:12] |HENRY SLADE| He's got Fortnite on this--
[00:04:14] |JACK NOWELL| You have, ain't you?
[00:04:14] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| The lady said on a laptop, headphones, and I thought-- perfect, gaming setup, sorted.
[00:04:20] |JACK NOWELL| I've known Dickie unfortunately since we were about four or five. We started playing for our old locals team, Penzance & Newlyn Pirates, back in Cornwall. And I think I met Sladey, what were you, Sladey, about 16?
[00:04:33] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, South West, innit.
[00:04:34] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, 16, when-- South West of England stuff. Sladey actually came down to Truro College and played for us in our second year as well and then we-- you know, we all joined or got signed for Chiefs at the same time the same year. And we've been stuck together ever since unfortunately.
[00:04:48] |NICK BRIGHT| You say that like it's a bad thing. I mean, is it a bad thing, Luke and Henry? I mean I feel like he's calling you Dickie and Sladey, I don't want to feel like, you know, I'm trying to get in on the bromance yet. So I'll stick to Henry and Luke for now.
[00:05:01] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, it's not too bad, to be fair. No, I might feel a bit nosey at four if I met Sladey at four. I think my nose would have melted off ‘cause his breath stinks, so.
[00:05:09] |HENRY SLADE| No, he got that in first, didn’t he? Brilliant. Hey, can I get this-- can I get this story out in the open?
[00:05:18] |NICK BRIGHT| We don't know what you're going to say yet, but yes.
[00:05:19] |HENRY SLADE| Because I've had enough. I've had enough of it, if I'm going to be honest, right. So everyone who goes on any podcast now just says my breath stinks and it actually winds me up a little bit, alright. I'm going to admit it winded me up a little bit.
[00:05:30] |JACK NOWELL| Yes, we got him!
[00:05:31] |HENRY SLADE| So I'm gonna tell the story.
[00:05:32] |NICK BRIGHT| You do realize that's your--
[00:05:33] |HENRY SLADE| I'm finally telling the story.
[00:05:33] |NICK BRIGHT| Your worst mistake is admitting that it's wound you up.
[00:05:38] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, but they know it winds me up a bit. They know.
[00:05:39] |JACK NOWELL| Go on. How did it start then?
[00:05:38] |HENRY SLADE| Right. I'm getting at it then. I don't want any interruptions, lads, please. I'll tell it word for-- like, exactly right and I'll tell it. Right, so I reckon it's about 2015, I'm in rehab, there's probably like four or five of us doing it for like quite a long time, like, together, like three, four, five months. Right, I think the boys got together and they were like-- there's three of them, they said, "Right, we're going to get Sladey on a prank." So they spoke to each other, "Alright, we'll tell him his breath stinks." So one was in the changing room. As I came out from the toilet, they're like, "Oh!" I was talking to him, "Oh, shit, your breath smells, man." I was like, "Really? Does it?” I was like, “Surely not." But then I went-- I walked out of there straight into the physio room, the other one of them was in there, started talking to them, they told me my breath smells. I was like, there's no way he could have told him before I got to him. So it's like maybe it does smell a bit. I was like, I was checking it. And then I walked into the gym, final straw, someone else said it. I was like, "Alright, there's no way that they could have made it up." So I was like, "Right, my breath actually must smell." So I went home I was brushing my teeth like two or three times a day. I was taking a toothpaste, toothbrush into the club, I was walking around never seen without chewing gum in my mouth. This was for about, I don't know, probably about two or three weeks. And then one of the boys, Byron McGuigan, he let it slip that it was a joke. And, honestly, massive weight off the shoulders. It's the worst-- probably one of the worst things someone could say to you, innit, that your breath smells. And yeah, it was quite dark actually for a couple weeks. I was literally, I was worried.
[00:07:15] |JACK NOWELL| Well, that story is completely BS. That's not real.
[00:07:18] |HENRY SLADE| End up being alright. No, and that is word for word exactly what happened. I won't have anyone saying otherwise.
[00:07:22] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah, okay. That might have happened. But I wasn’t in on the joke. Your breath genuinely stinks.
[00:07:26] |HENRY SLADE| Alright. Brilliant.
[00:07:28] |NICK BRIGHT| Are you looking to get revenge on this? I mean, you know, it feels like that was quite a calculated thing for people to do. Are you biding your time?
[00:07:37] |HENRY SLADE| It was calculated. Yeah, good things take time. We'll see.
[00:07:41] |JACK NOWELL| Mate, you can't go against the whole squad though, like, because even if it was a joke, everyone was in on it.
[00:07:48] |HENRY SLADE| It's got to a big thing now. I don't think that's the--
[00:07:49] |JACK NOWELL| Well, mate, we go on all different podcasts and everything like that. What was the one, one of our boys moved over to Hong Kong.
[00:07:57] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah. So one of the boys moved over to Singapore.
[00:07:59] |JACK NOWELL| Hong Kong.
[00:08:00] |HENRY SLADE| Was it Singapore or Hong Kong? He's in Hong Kong. Hong Kong. And he said, he texted one of our little WhatsApp group the other day saying, "Just saw someone come up to me and ask me if Henry Slade's breath stank?" It's reached Asia. There's nowhere it hasn't reached.
[00:08:16] |JACK NOWELL| Worldwide. Worldwide.
[00:08:18] |HENRY SLADE| It's worldwide, yeah.
[00:08:19] |NICK BRIGHT| It seems like, Jack, it seems like, you know, this group of players, you guys, you're very close, you're good friends, there's good banter there, but it seems quite mischievous as well. Is there lots of pranks and stuff like that going on in the dressing room and at the training ground and stuff?
[00:08:35] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, I think close is probably a bit of an understatement as in, I live here, Jack Kendall lives next door to me, and then Luke Cowan-Dickie lives next door to him, and there’s three houses on our road and that's it. So that is literally how-- I can't get away from Luke, I've been trying for so many years, but, unfortunately, he's still there.
[00:08:52] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Mate, I haven't seen you in I don't know how long. You're a liar.
[00:08:55] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, you don't leave your house.
[00:08:57] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| This guy, he's got a massive electric gates, barbed wire all over his gates, no one can go in. The only time I see him go out, he buzzes out, blacked out windows, drives past my house, not even a clue, goes in, comes back. He's liar, I swear.
[00:09:12] |JACK NOWELL| A lot of liars around in this at the moment.
[00:09:15] |HENRY SLADE| There's a lot of liars, isn't there? But we never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
[00:09:18] |JACK NOWELL| Exactly, mate. Exactly, that. To be fair, we always wind each other up. But the way we say it is if you're being nice to someone in the team, it's probably not a good thing because it means you probably don't like them. When you're being horrible to each other and you're taking the mick out of each other, it's normally a good thing because you're part of it and I think that's why we're so good at the club because, you know, we have no massive egos or anything other than Sladey a little bit now and again. But, you know, we make sure we put everyone back down to level, you know, we take the mick out of each other. But that's the main thing, is because we're all in it together at the end of the day. As long as we're all on the same page and we're all going the same way, that's certainly what's, you know, added to our success at the moment.
[00:09:54] |NICK BRIGHT| Straightaway, I'm looking at this, right, and I'm thinking, what's it like for new players or, you know, new people coming to a club? Maybe not even players, could be physios, backroom staff. Are you guys getting them all at it with, you know, initiations and these pranks that we're hearing about? Is that something that you guys like to get on board with?
[00:10:12] |JACK NOWELL| I think it's pretty daunting, innit? What was the one, lads, Frodo. We had a physio, and this is pretty bad but it's kind of the way we are. We had a physio and within three hours of him being in the stadium with the boys on his first day, he was named Frodo because he looks like Frodo Baggins. So we have players that come in now and his real name's Tom East, but no one knows his real name 'cause he's known as Frodo. So that's kind of just what we're at. And that was with him being in the stadium for like a couple of hours and then boom, straightaway, nickname. And that's what everyone-- I think even his missus calls him Frodo now. You lot were at it, right?
[00:10:47] |HENRY SLADE| He does look like Frodo though, so.
[00:10:50] |NICK BRIGHT| I mean people will probably be ferociously googling pictures now to see whether this is true or not. Right, I've got a question for all of you that you can get involved with. What do the Chiefs mean to you, both now and growing up, and how has that changed? Jack, I'll start with you on that and we'll go around.
[00:11:09] |JACK NOWELL| I can't take it serious at the moment because Dickie hasn't got his tooth in.
[00:11:14] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Oh, you want to me to get it in. I actually got it.
[00:11:17] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah. Can you put it in, I'm really struggling to like--
[00:11:19] |NICK BRIGHT| This is--
[00:11:20] |JACK NOWELL| Be semi-serious. He hasn't had his tooth in in seven months.
[00:11:23] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, there's all the spit on the camera as well. Wipe that off too.
[00:11:26] |JACK NOWELL| Oh my. Man, look-- what? Why haven't you put that in before?
[00:11:32] |NICK BRIGHT| I'm not going to lie, Jack, I'm quite glad that you brought that up because it was a bit off-putting for me as well.
[00:11:38] |JACK NOWELL| Mate, I've not seen him with that tooth in his mouth. Exactly. Why haven't you had it in?
[00:11:42] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Oh, I look good with a full set of teeth, don't I?
[00:11:46] |JACK NOWELL| Wait, it turns you from a two to a three.
[00:11:48] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, turns, tell him that, old man. I'm a niche.
[00:11:53] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, a Cornish 10. Cornish 10 maybe. What's the question then? Go on, sorry, I’ve got-- I'm concentrating now.
[00:11:58] |NICK BRIGHT| It's alright, that's staying in, we're not losing that, that's staying in 100%.
[00:12:02] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Might as well, I wanna talk.
[00:12:04] |HENRY SLADE| But I hope the tooth stays in.
[00:12:05] |NICK BRIGHT| The question was--
[00:12:07] |JACK NOWELL| He’ll swallow that in a minute.
[00:12:08] |NICK BRIGHT| It was just about the Chiefs and, you know, what the Exeter Chiefs as a club mean to you both now and when you were growing up, I guess?
[00:12:15] |JACK NOWELL| I don't know, like, briefly what we spoke about before as in, you know, there wasn't a Premiership side down here so, you know, all of us watched a bit of rugby when we were younger and had-- we knew these Premiership sides. But I think all of us would say that there was no way we'd think that we'd be playing for a Premiership side against some, you know, good Premiership teams. And then just to go on and say that we've won it a couple of times, we've won a championship cup, that's just things that you-- we would never have thought would happen to us. But I think what makes it even better, without being too soppy or anything, is the fact that we've kind of all done it together, like, we all went to college together, me and Dickie went school together, we all got signed together, we all, you know, played for England together, but we're kind of doing this all at the same time, which is mental to think you're doing it with some of your best mates that you've played with since you were kids. And it's not just obviously us boys that are together but like the whole team are kind of like that. There's a few boys that were originally in from London clubs, but we still played England 20s together and now they're down with us, playing for us, playing for the Chiefs. There's a good group of us in there which is pretty cool.
[00:13:19] |NICK BRIGHT| So you all kind of grew up together, you mentioned there you went to school together, college together. Who would you say has changed the most since those days?
[00:13:28] |JACK NOWELL| Sladey.
[00:13:28] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Henry Slade.
[00:13:30] |NICK BRIGHT| And why?
[00:13:31] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah. Yeah, I've put on about 20 kilos.
[00:13:35] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, no, no.
[00:13:36] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, in your head.
[00:13:37] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Nothing is wrong about his health.
[00:13:37] |HENRY SLADE| That's about it. I've always had a large head.
[00:13:41] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, no, no, we are talking ego, large head.
[00:13:44] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, I got you, Luke. I was joking.
[00:13:47] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Because you have got a big head and now you shave. Do you know why folks are asking why you shaved it like that?
[00:13:52] |JACK NOWELL| Why did you shave your hair, Sladey?
[00:13:54] |HENRY SLADE| It was hot.
[00:13:55] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, no, no. Why did you shave your head, Sladey? David Beckham had his hair like that. So ever since he shaved his head and he'd comes up to me and he goes, "Do you think I look like David Beckham?"
[00:14:04] |HENRY SLADE| No. It's because my missus likes it, so.
[00:14:06] |JACK NOWELL| Whatever she says goes.
[00:14:08] |HENRY SLADE| Whatever she says go-- no, I'm joking obviously. No, mate, David Beckham's cool guy, you know. Can't go far wrong if you're trying to look like him.
[00:14:16] |NICK BRIGHT| Yeah. Away-- just away from the pranks because, you know, I'm really enjoying this sense of, you know, bromance. But I want to get-- it's not serious, I'm making it sound like we're about to talk about something morgue-ish, it's nothing like that. But what's the importance of teammates in keeping you focused, motivated, enjoying what you're doing? And I know that sounds like a little bit of a serious question when all you guys want to do is absolutely cane each other, which I am totally here for, but you can do that in a sec.
[00:14:48] |HENRY SLADE| If you enjoy something, you're more than likely to work hard at it and to keep doing it. I think that's a massively important part of rugby. I think especially just growing up, if you're enjoying your rugby or enjoying whatever it is, keep going after it because it can get you good places and, like, we've been very fortunate to get where we are today because of rugby obviously. We love doing it and we still love doing it and yeah, we've been going alright of late, like I think that's down to a lot of hard work, but I think we wanted to do the hard work because we like it and because we enjoy it. So I think, yeah, it's been a real good balance with that.
[00:15:25] |JACK NOWELL| I think another thing on that as well is, like, that’s-- I think that's another good thing why it's so good being in like a team sport because, like, we'd all admit it, that we've all been pretty-- in pretty dark places as well. Like, especially me, injury-wise. I know Slade, he's been injured pretty badly. Dickie's gone through his fair share as well. But I put it back to-- you know, there was a time where I hurt my toe, obviously, last season, my foot, I was pretty gutted. I thought, that's it, I'm kind of probably not going to be playing these big games now. But, you know, it's a good thing as well that I went into the club, I was proper moping around, I was pretty dark and I was, you know, kind of gave up a little bit. But I think-- Dickie, it was you-- I think we were in the gym and, you know, he started taking the mick at me pretty much straight away as soon as I walked in. Was like, "Look, mate, sort your shit out. You're probably going to be playing anyway. You get it sorted after."
[00:16:10] |HENRY SLADE| Walking around like you've got a stone in your shoe.
[00:16:12] |JACK NOWELL| Exactly. Exactly that, mate. So, kind of we all-- that's another side of it how we're all there for each other because we all want to win, we all want to play these big games, these big finals. And that we kind of push each other along at the same time, which is the best thing about it.
[00:16:27] |NICK BRIGHT| Yeah, I mean injuries are a part and parcel of what you guys do, I'm guessing, because it's one of the most physical sports that you can play in the world. So you've all had serious injuries at some point. But you've just hit the nail on the head really for me, Jack, as somebody that doesn't play professional sport or could only wish I was good enough at any of them to be able to play at the level that you guys do, you know, it must be really nice when, you know, you are upset or you are sad about, you know, not being able to do what you love, but yet your teammates are still there to pick you up by, as you rightly say, taking a piss out at you, which is weird because it should be like, you know, like you should be putting your arm around me or whatever, but at the same time if that's what you've always had, if that's the relationship you've had, it's that familiarity, I guess, that is going to put a smile back on your face.
[00:17:18] |JACK NOWELL| We're not all ruthless. So there are times where you do put your arm around each other when you can kind of read, we know each other well enough now we could read the situation and you know what kind of state they're in. So it is-- there are times where you put your arm around each other, you pick each other up again. But I would say the majority of the time it's, you know, "Get on with it, mate, you're going to be alright."
[00:17:35] |NICK BRIGHT| I can tell from this podcast right now the way you lot are with each other, it's evident for everybody to hear and see, that's for sure. How much time do you actually spend together away from the club? You know, do you like to meet up and do stuff socially?
[00:17:50] |JACK NOWELL| I don't know. Me and Sladey, yeah.
[00:17:52] |HENRY SLADE| Well, me and Jack do. Me and Jack do. Yeah, we-- I haven't seen Dickie since-- at the club since about--
[00:17:59] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| I honestly I don't leave my house. Lockdown's a brilliant thing. I love it.
[00:18:02] |HENRY SLADE| He doesn't even play online with us. He only plays online with his online friends.
[00:18:05] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No. We play different games, Sladey. You're awful at every type of game and I would never play with you, I apologize. I'll get out of here, I’m appearing on a podcast. Sladey is one of the worst gamers I've ever seen in my entire life. It's like he's playing with his toes.
[00:18:20] |NICK BRIGHT| This is because-- we should bring this up. It's because, Dickie, you're one of the best players in the world, actually, at Call of Duty. And I'm not saying that as a-- I don't know, it's not hyperbole when I say that, you are actually one of the best players of the game, right?
[00:18:34] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Well--
[00:18:36] |HENRY SLADE| You played the most.
[00:18:37] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah, no and yes. So on public servers, I got to number one on Hardcore Search. And I was about 20 overall. It's a lot of game time, plus score per minute, so obviously score per minutes and score per game's got to be up there. But I haven't played Call of Duty in a long time. That was on the remastered one, so. I'm more of a PC gamer now, bro.
[00:18:54] |NICK BRIGHT| The thing is you say that, right, you're like, "Oh yeah, I reached number one on, blah blah blah, and number 20 on Reddit." Like, that's still number one and number 20. Like, you're talking like--
[00:19:04] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah.
[00:19:05] |NICK BRIGHT| That's wild.
[00:19:07] |HENRY SLADE| It's far better than any of his rugby.
[00:19:11] |JACK NOWELL| Whoa.
[00:19:12] |NICK BRIGHT| Imagine how good you could be at rugby if you actually paid that much attention to rugby instead of your game.
[00:19:16] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah. If you actually tried.
[00:19:18] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Should be out there really practicing my Irish and I really-- I'm out winning a game and shooting people.
[00:19:22] |NICK BRIGHT| Some people have got all the luck, you know, top rugby player, but also top gamer. So would you ever consider after rugby maybe, you know, becoming a full-time professional gamer because this is a thing that a lot of people are doing now and you can earn lots of money out doing it?
[00:19:38] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah, so these days all, like, kids from about 12 to 15 are the ones who are actually popping off. So I think I might be past the old esports stuff, but I stream a little bit which is on Twitch, which is quite good.
[00:19:52] |HENRY SLADE| What's your Twitch name, mate? What's your Twitch name, come on?
[00:19:56] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Trying to see the number of views I can get. Cowan-Dickie, my surname. So if you want to type that in, CowanDickie/twitch.tv.
[00:20:00] |HENRY SLADE| There you go.
[00:20:02] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Thank you very much. But anyway, yeah, so I get the locals and they're always in there. So yeah, post-rugby I might do a bit of streaming. I game a few hours most days anyway. So I thought why not. Got myself a little PC streaming set up and--
[00:20:18] |JACK NOWELL| Dickie did a charity thing during lockdown. He went really out of his comfort zone and went out and did, you know, something to defy the odds of what Luke Cowan-Dickie can do and he did a 24-hour gaming session. Right on, Luke.
[00:20:32] |NICK BRIGHT| I'm getting a sense that you guys are like the three musketeers in the team. Or are there other people in the team that are part of this friendship group as well that are just not on this call?
[00:20:41] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No. I'll say everyone's the same really, no?
[00:20:43] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah.
[00:20:43] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| There's quite a few of us. There's no real cliques or a little-- yeah, little squads within our squad. I think we're just playing with everyone. If you could have three different blokes on here or Nosey with two other guys, it’d probably be exactly the same. Obviously, they wouldn't be as charming and good looking as me, but do you know what I mean, they'll come on and they'll do the same. Well, especially now that I've got my tooth in.
[00:21:06] |NICK BRIGHT| It freaks me out that you can take it in and out just like that.
[00:21:09] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, that's like 50% of the rugby players that can do that.
[00:21:12] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah, I don't really wear him, so you should feel special around him.
[00:21:15] |JACK NOWELL| It's weird. There was like a group of us that all got signed at the same time, wasn't there? There was obviously us three, there was-- Dave Ewers was one of them as well, but he got signed the year before because he's a year older than us. But I'd say, yeah, Sam Hill came through with us, Rodney. But then like Dickie said then that there was our guys that came from like Devon or Cornwall. And then there was groups of boys that we all then went away of England 20. So you got like Ollie Devoto, Alec Hepburn, you know, boys like this. And then kind of we all then are now playing for this team. So I think that's kind of why we're all pretty close. And like Dickie said, you could have any one of us on here and it would be, you know, pretty similar to what we're talking about now because we've all been in different areas but we all kind of played for the same team the whole time, that's kind of what you get.
[00:22:01] |NICK BRIGHT| The question that I want to ask first and foremost is, you know, what was it like playing without the crowd, you know, in the English Premiership, the European Champions Cup finals as well? It must have been a pretty weird experience because you've got to the pinnacle of, you know, rugby in this country and in Europe and you haven't got your fans there cheering you on. That must have been annoying but equally, you know, you've got a job to do and, you know, you need to do it. But it would have been a little bit more special had you had the fans there?
[00:22:32] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, it's weird, man. Like it was real strange at the start. You can hear everything. You can hear Nosey effing and blinding on the touchline, it's like--
[00:22:42] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| What do you mean on the touchline?
[00:22:44] |HENRY SLADE| Like, all the opposition.
[00:22:46] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Thank you. Watching the game.
[00:22:49] |HENRY SLADE| The opposition, like I can hear your calls, you can hear their calls, it was strange. It took a bit of getting used to. I mean, you sort of had to make your own energy and atmosphere amongst yourselves. But we sort of-- we soon got used to it. I think it actually felt a bit weird at the weekend having people back. Obviously, it was class to have them back, but it felt a bit different, didn’t it? And yeah, it was pretty strange, it used to-- you boys found it.
[00:23:10] |JACK NOWELL| I don't know. Again, I was watching from the sideline.
[00:23:19] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, I thought it was alright. I diddn’t really mind it when I first came out. It was actually quite peaceful not having the crowd. Not that I don’t like the whole thing. But for me, you know, I just-- like I said, I just scrum more, do all the grass stuff. So I don't really notice much. Sladey’s the one who prances around and, you know, perhaps for the fans, goes out for about a thousand positions. And that was nice. There was only 3,000 in the stadium last week, which wasn't many. We are normally used to about 12K in there, but actually the atmosphere is pretty good, I think it’s from having no fans at all. But I'm glad that we've seen a few thousand come back. As I said, hopefully, the next few weeks, months we'll get more and more in and then the crowd will be popping again.
[00:23:57] |NICK BRIGHT| What's the relationship like with the Chiefs fans? Would you say, you know, the players and the fans are quite close?
[00:24:03] |HENRY SLADE| You see the same faces quite a lot of times. There's quite a few fans that follow us everywhere. I think the away-- like, the last away game this season they'll come on the pitch with the boys afterwards and present us with their support as player of the year for like all the away games and stuff. And, yeah, it's pretty cool to see them give their gratitude and obviously to have-- see them follow us all the time. Yeah, we've definitely got some hardcore fans and we've got some-- we've got quite a few now down there, down in Exeter. So, yeah, they're awesome.
[00:24:36] |NICK BRIGHT| Right. Do you, because obviously you've mentioned supportive fans, you know, and I'm sure you've got loads of those, but equally nowadays it's so easy for people who are getting on your back to contact you directly through social media and stuff like that. It's very different to how it used to be. So do you pay attention to potentially criticism that you might get from fans? Maybe it's through social media or even in the stadium?
[00:24:59] |JACK NOWELL| To be fair to us at Exeter, our fans don't actually do anything like that. I think we've probably got some of the best fans in terms of-- you don't get many, you know, abusive messages or all but, you know, what it is like nowadays. Anyone could pick up a phone, the old keyboard warriors, and--
[00:25:12] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Them commenting and going--
[00:25:14] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, Dickie’s searching his name. See if he’s trending.
[00:25:15] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Always searching my name on the old search. Search your name on Twitter just to see how many bad tweets you got.
[00:25:20] |NICK BRIGHT| I was about to say, Dickie, you must actually be, you know, because in this other life that you've got that we've already spoke about, you know, you must be used to seeing feedback, I guess, live because you're on Twitch and anyone can comment on your stuff there. Do you get rugby people kind of coming on there and, you know, slating you for whatever?
[00:25:38] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Nah, they never really slate me. Majority of the people who watch our rugby, there's been a few nots. Someone actually came on, I forgot to say this, but someone came on yesterday and said about Sladey's breath.
[00:25:48] |HENRY SLADE| Of course.
[00:25:49] |NICK BRIGHT| He hates it. Look at him he's fuming.
[00:25:53] |HENRY SLADE| It wouldn't be a day without someone saying that. It wouldn't be a day without that.
[00:25:55] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| I had a little keyboard warrior today saying some naughty stuff but I find it amusing. So I think he got bored and trekked on. But it's good. I don't mind it at all. The more obviously you make a deal of it, the more they're going to come back. So just embrace what else you got.
[00:26:10] |NICK BRIGHT| Well, I want to talk about motivation next because you've won it all now. Exeter Chiefs absolutely smashing it. So how does the coach keep you motivated? Jack?
[00:26:19] |JACK NOWELL| You better ask Sladey this because he's in the coach's office every day, so--
[00:26:24] |HENRY SLADE| Guilty.
[00:26:31] |JACK NOWELL| Well, let's let our leader answer this question, alright?
[00:26:31] |HENRY SLADE| Well, I think for starters we did this-- obviously, we did the double, which is brilliant, but there was no one able to watch it with us and we couldn't experience that with, like, the awesome environment that it looks like it is with full crowds because you get to the latter stages in these big tournaments, you're playing in massive stadiums and they sell out and the atmosphere looks unbelievable. So, to have the chance to maybe do that with a packed-out stadium would be awesome. I think that's what a lot of the boys want to do.
[00:27:05] |NICK BRIGHT| It's interesting when I asked that question, you know, and I'm sure you're joking but, you know, does the coach have favorites and stuff like that?
[00:27:15] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah.
[00:27:15] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah. Go on.
[00:27:15] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, Dickie. Dickie is his favorite.
[00:27:19] |HENRY SLADE| I used to be--
[00:27:19] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Ali Hepher, so our backs coach and Sladey, there's something going on there, but I have no idea what happened.
[00:27:25] |HENRY SLADE| Don't worry about it. You’re on back, mate.
[00:27:26] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| This is disgraceful.
[00:27:30] |JACK NOWELL| Basically what we're saying is there are times where Sladey probably should have been dropped, and but for some reason he's been made captain the next week, you know what I mean? There's something going on there.
[00:27:37] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Put it this way, the amount of fingers we've all got on our hands, more or not.
[00:27:42] |NICK BRIGHT| Really?
[00:27:43] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Yeah. He would do this for me.
[00:27:46] |HENRY SLADE| Tell me the time.
[00:27:47] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| I don't know. Pick the ball away when it's not right time. And Ali, I'll be on the sideline watching and Ali will be under his mouth—like, under his breath losing the pot and he’ll go upstairs, say, "Don't worry, mate, someone else can do that…"
[00:27:58] |JACK NOWELL| No. Do you know what I think-- Oi!
[00:27:59] |HENRY SLADE| You never missed--
[00:28:01] |JACK NOWELL| I think what I heard him say-- Dickie, I think what I heard him say, I was there that time, he said, "Don't worry, son, you'll get next week." Sure, he said that.
[00:28:09] |HENRY SLADE| We chat about that over dinner one time, so it's fine.
[00:28:12] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| You're a joke, bro. He's a joke, mate. He's a joke.
[00:28:19] |NICK BRIGHT| Just on Rob Baxter actually, you know, could you reckon Rob could instill the same sort of atmosphere because it seems like you guys have got a great kind of thing going on at the Chiefs? Like I said, you're winning trophies but also the camaraderie there is great. Do you think he could do a job at England maybe one day in the future?
[00:28:36] |NICK BRIGHT| Yeah, I definitely think he will. I think, obviously, there's a lot of stuff he still wants to do for Exeter. Obviously, he's won a championship, won a Heineken Cup. I know he wants to do that a few more times, especially like Sladey said, he wants to do it with fans there. But I think in terms of what he will do for England, I think it's weird, innit, because the lads will say as well, like, you could walk into a room and have a completely different view of what Rob's got or completely disagree with him. But by the end of the conversation, he could have you nodding and smiling and agreeing with him just because he tells you it in a different way, a different light. And it's kind of the way he embeds it into the team as well. Like all of us boys learnt from, you know, the older players that are with us who obviously then got that from Rob. The reason why we play is for each other, we play for our families, we play for fun. And he kind of like embeds that into you-- into the lads and kind of, that's what kind of drives the team is they don't actually do a lot of stuff in terms of motivational speech and during the week or anything like that, it's because it's kind of already in the team because it's come from us when we're 16, 17, what we knew what it took to play for the Chiefs and what it meant to play for the Chiefs is you kind of play it for each other and the lads on the field. And that's where, you know, he's given that. So I'm pretty sure that if he ever got the England job, he would 100%. That would be the main England focus, of playing for each other. And it makes a massive difference when you're on the field, I think.
[00:30:03] |HENRY SLADE| I think what's good about Rob as well is he's quite constant and like level-headed. I think if you've got like the head of your team like being-- not getting too emotional when we win or getting too down when we lose, you've always got sort of that constant there. It’s very good for the team, just maybe like subconsciously you might not even realize it, but I think it is. I think that's what he's got very good-- got very right over the years. And I think that goes a long way to, I think, enabling us to be consistently good and being able to back up good performances with good performances and not get into ruts, you know. I think he's been a big part of that.
[00:30:40] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Sladey, as teacher's pet, I mean it'd be great for you if he got the England gig, eh?
[00:30:47] |NICK BRIGHT| Alright, we're going to end with a bit of fun though and we're going to do a guest quickfire. So I'm just going to chuck some questions at you and you got to just answer them as honestly as possible. I want an answer from all three of you, right. Question number one: who would play you in a movie?
[00:31:01] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Jack Black.
[00:31:03] |HENRY SLADE| Ryan Reynolds. He's cool and he's funny.
[00:31:06] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Shut up.
[00:31:07] |JACK NOWELL| Brad Pitt.
[00:31:08] |NICK BRIGHT| Alright.
[00:31:10] |JACK NOWELL| Brad Pitt, he's Cornish.
[00:31:11] |NICK BRIGHT| Alright, okay. There you go.
[00:31:13] |HENRY SLADE| Cornish?
[00:31:14] |NICK BRIGHT| Corny, did you mean?
[00:31:15] |JACK NOWELL| Cornish. Cornish.
[00:31:17] |NICK BRIGHT| Alright, okay. What's your most used emoji?
[00:31:21] |JACK NOWELL| Dickie's is the love heart, mate.
[00:31:21] |HENRY SLADE| The aubergine.
[00:31:22] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, it’s actually the princess one now. As these boys know, I don't really reply to anything, so I never really use it.
[00:31:32] |NICK BRIGHT| This is one, an interesting one that I'm asking rugby players. How do you take your scones or scones, jam or cream first?
[00:31:40] |HENRY SLADE| The Devon way is the best-- it is the right way because--
[00:31:42] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| So he doesn't know.
[00:31:42] |JACK NOWELL| So which way is the Devon way?
[00:31:44] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, I do know what it is.
[00:31:44] |JACK NOWELL| Go on, which way is it, then?
[00:31:47] |HENRY SLADE| It's the cream first, then the jam.
[00:31:48] |JACK NOWELL| Oh, okay.
[00:31:50] |HENRY SLADE| Because you wouldn't put-- you'd always put butter on first on toast, wouldn't you?
[00:31:54] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No. I never put butter.
[00:31:55] |HENRY SLADE| And then whatever next. Butter then jam.
[00:31:57] |NICK BRIGHT| You don't put butter on toast?
[00:31:59] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, I just go straight Nutella or peanut butter, bro, innit.
[00:32:05] |NICK BRIGHT| Wait, hang on, wait, wait, wait.
[00:32:03] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| I don't have butter--
[00:32:04] |NICK BRIGHT| So you're eating dry toast?
[00:32:05] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| No, no, so I'll put Nutella on top rather than the butter. So if I have a sandwich, I like getting mayonnaise and use the mayonnaise as butter.
[00:32:14] |NICK BRIGHT| That is outrageous.
[00:32:16] |JACK NOWELL| Mate, when he says like getting mayonnaise-- when he says like getting mayonnaise, that's an understatement.
[00:32:20] |HENRY SLADE| He makes it a mayonnaise--
[00:32:20] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| I'm talking about a hundred calories from the butter, bro. Think. That's smarter.
[00:32:25] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah. How much mayonnaise you're having?
[00:32:26] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Exactly. But I'd still have that much mayonnaise if I had butter. So I'm just thinking. Quick thinking.
[00:32:30] |HENRY SLADE| Okay, fair enough.
[00:32:32] |JACK NOWELL| Mate, his mayonnaise is an understatement.
[00:32:33] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah, this doesn't make sense. The other way around doesn't make sense.
[00:32:35] |JACK NOWELL| What, cream-- what, jam then cream?
[00:32:39] |HENRY SLADE| Yeah.
[00:32:39] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| I'll do jam, dollop of cream.
[00:32:40] |JACK NOWELL| Yeah, there you go, done.
[00:32:41] |HENRY SLADE| I don't know. I don't eat scones, but that's just weird, innit?
[00:32:45] |NICK BRIGHT| Scone. Do you know what, I'm gutted that we're coming to the end of this because I'm absolutely loving the logical thinking that's going on at the most mad questions really and wish we'd be get into it sooner.
[00:32:54] |JACK NOWELL| No, they need to go now. They're winding up.
[00:32:58] |NICK BRIGHT| That's no way to talk about your-- a couple of your oldest mates.
[00:33:02] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| It’s all good bro, I’ll egg his house in a minute.
[00:33:05] |NICK BRIGHT| Well listen, Sladey, Dickie, it's been wicked having you on. And good luck with the Chiefs this season.
[00:33:13] |LUKE COWAN-DICKIE| Thanks very much.
[00:33:13] |HENRY SLADE| Cheers, mate. Cheers, lads.
[00:33:18] |NICK BRIGHT| I mean what a-- yeah, I've got to say--
[00:33:20] |JACK NOWELL| Thank God for that.
[00:33:21] |NICK BRIGHT| You glad they've gone?
[00:33:24] |JACK NOWELL| Mate, I can't listen, they wind me up now and again like that.
[00:33:27] |NICK BRIGHT| You know, for me, like, just hearing--
[00:33:29] |JACK NOWELL| They get carried away and showing off.
[00:33:31] |NICK BRIGHT| That's what I like, you know, just hearing the way you guys talk to each other and how you are together, I can tell that you've been mates since forever. So, you know, to be a part of that conversation, albeit, you know, a little bit of an intruder I felt at times, but, hey, I'm totally here for it.
[00:33:47] |JACK NOWELL| And that's why I think we do so well on the field is the fact that we do know each other very well. So we spoke well and, you know, we've grown up together, we've spent so many years together but the good thing is now like Exeter's not the biggest of places. So on days off, we do tend to spend time with each other, you know, like our partners all know each other, our kids are all the same age now. So we've kind of all gone through the same steps together, you know, played rugby together, girlfriends, serious partners together, houses together, and then like kids together as well. So it's kind of-- it's nice to be able to do that and then do what we do on the field as well.
[00:34:19] |NICK BRIGHT| You've been through it all together. I guess the only downside is because you've been through it all together, you're probably sick of the sight of each other sometimes. So, you know.
[00:34:26] |JACK NOWELL| Genuine, mate. Get this for the story right. So me and Luke, we've played together since we were five. He lived-- I lived in a village called Penzance. He lived in a village called Heamoor, which is a mile apart from each other. So we both played for Penzance. We both then got-- both went to school together, went to Truro College together. Both then got signed for Chiefs together. Both then played like England age group together. I moved-- we moved into the academy house for a couple of years and then I was like, right, I saved up enough money, I wanted to go and try get on the property ladder. Got myself a house in a little village up in Devon called Axminster. So it was like perfect, you know, by myself, away from the boys, time to grow up a little bit. Dickie then bought a house two rows behind me in the same little estate. So I was like-- But it was fine, because he was two rows down. so it was a good 200 meters away from my house. So I was like, it's fine, I'll hardly see him. Anyway, I then moved away from Axminster, I moved over to the other side of Exeter and moved to Broadclyst. And then a year later the guy buys a house two doors down from me. It's like, "What can I do to get away from him?" It's mental, mate.
[00:35:33] |NICK BRIGHT| It's endearing though. I like it. Because he strikes me as the type of guy-- he doesn't want to admit he loves you, but you can tell he does clearly because he's following you around. So, you know, you can't shake him. Hope you've enjoyed this episode of Decoding Athletes as Jack gave you a little insight into what it's like to be an elite rugby player. Remember, if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe for free at Spotify, Apple, Amazon and all major podcast platforms so you don't miss any of the new episodes as they're released. And while you're there, give the podcast a rating and let us know what you think of it or who you'd like to hear next in the reviews. There are video versions of all the episodes and loads more, including series one of Decoding Athletes with eight-time BMX Flatland World Champion Matthias Dandois, plus, a whole host of incredible sports people for you to enjoy at redbull.com/decoding. Until next time, bye-bye.
