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Jack Nowell took a 200-mile taxi ride to become a Lion – hours after turning Exeter into England’s champion club.

The Red Rose star flies to New Zealand on Monday as part of Warren Gatland’s touring squad, exhausted after the weekend of his dreams.

Scoring the try which set the Chiefs on the road to ­extra-time Twickenham glory and their first Premiership title was only the start.

He made a whistle-stop trip back to Exeter so as not to miss out on the club’s late-night celebrations, then ­somehow completed a dawn dash back to London inside the midday deadline to ­become a 2017 Lion.

“I had a taxi booked for 7am,” said Nowell. “Times like this don’t come round often. I wasn’t going to miss any of it.”

(Image: PA) (Image: PA) (Image: PA)

(Image: PA)

(Image: PA)

The advertised cost of the journey is £463 but what price the memories it allowed Nowell to bank? For this was the weekend Exeter ­completed their rags-to-riches Cinderella story.

Eight years ago they couldn’t get into the ­Premiership, now they rule over it. With less than two minutes left of Saturday’s final Wasps led and it appeared the slipper did not fit.

But Gareth Steenson stepped up to force extra-time and, with the clock seconds from the 100th and final minute, the ­Ulsterman struck again to break Wasps’ hearts.

(Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Only after team boss Rob Baxter had shed a tear, owner Tony Rowe pulled on a Chiefs head-dress and Steenson held aloft the cup, did Nowell ­reveal the secret behind their success. Two meetings, held at key times during the ­season, in which Baxter ­refocused his players by ­spelling out what it would take to ­become champions.

The first followed ­Exeter being smashed 35-8 at home by Clermont in their ­European Cup opener in October. “Rob said, ‘This isn’t us. We’re dwelling too much on what’s ­happened’,” said Nowell, ­referring to the previous ­season’s heavy Premiership Final defeat.

“His message was, ‘Stop ­expecting it to happen, go out and grab it’.” Chiefs rampaged through the rest of the season and avoided further doubt until Saturday when Wasps scored on half-time and the men in white wobbled.

(Image: PA)

“In the changing room Rob told us our fate was still in our hands,” said Nowell. “But he asked, ‘Do you go out there for the last 40 and attack it or do you go into your shells’?”

Wasps went ahead, through Elliot Daly’s try, but Exeter ­rallied to finish the stronger and get their just deserts.

“We could’ve dropped our heads, thought about ­losing,” said Nowell. “We didn’t.”

As his cab weaved its way into west London yesterday Nowell’s thoughts turned from Exeter to the Lions.

“A complete switch, a ­different mentality,” he said. “All my focus now is on trying to get one of those Test shirts.”

After the weekend he’s had you wouldn’t bet against him.