Johnson's joy at new deal

Tom Johnson will extend his Exeter Chiefs career into a tenth year after he today put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with the Aviva Premiership club.

With his current contract set to expire at the end of the season, Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has wasted little time in tying down the future of the England international.

Signed in 2007 from then National League One counterparts Coventry, the 31-year-old forward has since gone on to establish as an integral part of the Exeter squad in recent years, amassing 168 appearances in total and scoring 27 tries.

Johnson’s decision to prolong his stay at Sandy Park is the latest boost for a Chiefs side that has also seen Jack Yeandle, Ian Whitten, Damian Welch and skipper Dean Mumm all agree new terms in recent weeks.

“It’s nice that it will bring up ten years of playing at the Chiefs,” said Johnson. “It’s a really good milestone to achieve, especially in the professional era. With the way the game is going, not a lot of players will achieve something like that, so I’m really proud of that.”

A popular figure both on and off the field, Johnson admitted his decision to stay in Devon was somewhat “simple” – especially as the ambitious Chiefs have shown that they are more than capable of holding their own at the top level.

“Getting the deal done now means I have three and a half seasons of rugby left, which is great,” added Johnson. “That’s a long time in a player’s career, so now it means I can just knuckle down with the hard work and help continue to the curve the Chiefs are on.”

Onward and upwards is certainly the motto for both Johnson and the Chiefs, both of whom are hugely ambitious about what the future has in store.

“It’s pleasing to see the likes of Damian and Dean signing on as well,” he continued. “Those two have been on great form this year and it’s great to see senior players and quality players re-signing, it makes you think you’ve made the right decision.”

And with five international caps already to his name, Johnson is hopeful that there is still more to come from him in terms of performances for both club and country.

“I suppose my aim is to continue to improve as best I can,” added Johnson. “I know I’ve a long way still to improve as a player and that I’ve got a few work-ons, but the facilities down here are only going to get better and that in turn will only improve the boys’ training.

“As a player it’s all in your own hands, you have the time and the opportunity to improve yourself as a player and if you put it in, then the sky is the limit. For me, a big goal is obviously the World Cup next year, which I’d like to be involved in.

“However, the main thing is to play regularly for the Chiefs and I’ve always said if you are doing that, then you always give yourself a shout for international honours.”

This term Johnson has again underlined his proven playing credentials and he insists that a settled life away from the game is just as important as performing on the pitch. That is why getting this latest deal sorted so early, means he can now focus his full attentions on producing yet more stand-out displays.

“This is my seventh season down here, so it’s like my second home,” said Johnson. “I’m staying in the Westcountry, which is good, but it’s also nice because the missus is down here now and we can look to settle down properly.

“Having that right blend on and off the field is vitally important because the off field stuff will affect the on field stuff if you don’t get it sorted. Thankfully me and my fiancée [Jess] are settled here, she is working and she is happy.” So with life seemingly rosy for Johnson, the mission for the remainder of the season and beyond is to help the Chiefs to future success.

“We’ve shown this year that we can cope well in the Heineken Cup, it’s been a big improvement on last year,” he continued. “One of our main goals between now and the end of the season will be to try and finish in that top six and be part of whatever competition comes along next year.

“Playing in those big games is what it is all about for us and I’m sure we will continue to learn a lot from them. I know Saturday at Twickenham we didn’t give ourselves the best showing, but next time when we play in one of the big games then we will have been there and done it and perhaps we will not so over-awed and taken aback by it all.”

Whatever the future holds, however, Johnson is more than ready to play his part.