Exeter’s Tom Hooper: ‘Sometimes you’ve just got to suck up a little bit of pain’

The Chiefs’ latest Wallaby on dealing with English weather, the positive side of rehab and Australia’s World Cup chances The list of Australian rugby players who have found a spiritual home in Exeter is a long and illustrious one. Dean Mumm, Dave Dennis, Nic White, Scott Sio, Gre

The Chiefs’ latest Wallaby on dealing with English weather, the positive side of rehab and Australia’s World Cup chances The list of Australian rugby players who have found a spiritual home in Exeter is a long and illustrious one. Dean Mumm, Dave Dennis, Nic White, Scott Sio, Greg Holmes, Julian Salvi, Ben White, Mitch Lees, Lachie Turner, Len Ikitau … almost without exception they have pitched up in the south-west of England and relished the experience. As Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, drily observes: “They seem to like the pasties and the cider.” Perhaps the surfing opportunities and the area’s beguiling beaches have also played their part, although Baxter has his own subtly different theory.

“Maybe Exeter and Devon is more like Australia than anywhere else in England. There’s plenty of open space and we tend to be a relatively old school type of club. The Australian guys really seem to like that environment.” Continue reading...