Bateman on countdown to big kick-off
Exeter Chiefs forward Greg Bateman says he is counting down the days until his new club kick-off the first of their pre-season fixtures.
The 24-year-old, who joined the Westcountry side earlier this summer from London Welsh, sees this month’s friendlies against Scarlets (Aug 17), Bristol (Aug 24) and Glasgow Warriors (Aug 31) as an early opportunity to stake his claim for a place within Rob Baxter's first team squad.
Battling for the No.2 jersey alongside Chris Whitehead, Jack Yeandle and Junior World Championship winner Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bateman is excited about the challenge that lies ahead.
"These pre-season games are for us to show the coaches what we have got and to put our names down for the Premiership games when they start," he said. "But more importantly, it is about us as a team getting what we want to do right and getting a good run into the start of the Premiership season.
"In the first five weeks of the league, we have to just got to go hell for leather and look to put a marker down. Competition for places is always good and it is great to come somewhere where there is a real challenge. If we are all competitive, it only makes the squad better as we will all push each other.”
As well as the battle for Premiership glory, the Chiefs also have two dream Heineken Cup fixtures to look forward to against reigning champions Toulon in December, and Bateman, who can also play as prop, is looking forward to getting his first taste of Europe’s top competition after playing in the Amlin Cup for the Exiles last season.
He said: “We (Welsh) were just concentrating on trying to stay up effectively and it’s nice to come down to Exeter and have more than one focus. It is excellent to have that opportunity to play in the Heineken Cup because was another thing that sold the Chiefs to me.”
The former Harlequins Academy youngster experienced the brilliant Sandy Park crowd as a home player for the first time at the club’s launch of the new season and he is very happy with the way things have gone since he joined the club.
“It was nice to be down here and experience the crowd at the season’s launch," he added. "It was nice to get to know people and just to get a real feel for the place. It’s lovely and there is a real community atmosphere, which is great, and the local area is also great.
“I’ve got a family and we are very settled already, even though we have only been here a few weeks and the fact everyone seems so happy and is willing to accept new guys is great.”
As always pre-season is about getting players in tip-top shape for when the real business gets under way and Bateman has been pleased with the way the Chiefs coaches have mixed the training up with visits to Exmouth Beach, Bicton College and the University of St Mark and St John in Plymouth included.
He said: “We have all been getting our heads down really and it has been a tough few weeks. We have been working hard and just trying to grind it out.
“We are well into pre-season now, so there is not too much time to sit on your laurels really. I don’t think many people enjoy pre-season, but it is a good time to get that key conditioning that you need. Also for us new guys, it is good to get an understanding of how the Chiefs play and what they are looking to do, so it has been really valuable and enjoyable.
“It has been nice that there has been quite a lot of variety in training and the beach sessions haven’t exactly been nice, but it’s just good to do something different and not just endlessly running up and down a rugby pitch and to be enjoying what we are doing has been excellent.”
Photo credit: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency
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