Mumm agrees new deal

By Mark Stevens

Dean Mumm has admitted it was an “easy decision” to extend his stay with Exeter Chiefs for a further two years.

Signed from the NSW Waratahs ahead of the 2011/12 season, the vastly experienced Australian international has proven an instant hit at Sandy Park, both on and off the field.

His eye-catching displays, together with his try-scoring abilities and on-field leadership skills were not only a key facet of his first year in Devon, but also this term where he has led from the front since being awarded the captaincy by head coach Rob Baxter.

With his initial contract due to expire at the close of the current campaign, Baxter has wasted little time in making sure he has the 29-year-old talisman on board for the foreseeable future.

“I’m delighted to be staying with the Chiefs,” said Mumm. “The deal, to be honest, was pretty easy to sort. All Rob needed to know was that I wanted to be here and likewise all I wanted to know was that he wanted me here.

“That was pretty much agreed straight away and then the rest was sorted very quickly.”

Keeping hold of Mumm, however, will provide yet another huge boost to the Chiefs, who have already secured the futures of Ian Whitten and Jack Yeandle in recent weeks.

Others are expected to follow suit in the coming days and week, but for now all the talk is of Auckland-born Mumm prolonging his stay in the Westcountry.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the 18 months or so I have had here already and I can see no reason to leave the place,” he added. “We often talk about us being an ambitious club, but I still believe there are plenty of opportunities for this club to keep going forward in terms of what it can produce on the field and the set up that is happening off the field as well.

“For me there were plenty of reasons for me to stay around. Not only do I like the whole ambition shown by the club, but I also thoroughly enjoy the players and the wider staff.

“When I first arrived Rob was very matter of fact about his approach and his appraisal of the club. Everything he said to me early on has been exactly what he said he said it would be.

“I guess the thing I didn’t appreciate fully was how much I would enjoy playing here or the group of players and that wider community feel you get from being at the Chiefs.

“As I said, we are going well as a team, but there is still plenty of room for us to move forward. As a player it helps when you are comfortable in a side and you are very proud of the side week to week, it makes a huge difference and ultimately makes it hard to leave.”

Mumm continued: “For me, my motivation these days is to achieve things with a group of players that I’ve really enjoyed playing with – and that is clearly what I have here.

“We have performed well and done reasonably well in games this year and last, but we’ve yet to kick on fully and be in the mix of achieving things. Maybe that will be this year or next, I just don’t know, but I want to be part of this group when it happens. I genuinely believe it’s not a matter of ‘if’ it’s more ‘when’ if we continue to keep improving and playing as I know we can.”

And the laidback lifestyle of the region and the club is another factor in Mumm’s decision-making process.

“It’s pretty obvious we have a strong bond amongst this group,” said Mumm. “And I think there is a really nice balance between the professional elements of training and the game, coupled with some of the old amateur elements which can sometimes be overtaken in the professional era. It’s a great mix that we have here.

“It’s nice to come off the field after a game and go and have a beer with the fans or with your mates because that doesn’t happen at every club. A prime example was at the weekend in Toulon, it was great to see the players mixing with the fans and everyone just taking in the whole experience.

“As I said, it doesn’t happy at every club and it’s not tended to happen at clubs I’ve been at before. To have 1,000 people travel away from home for a game, that’s a fair show of support, yet I know they believe in this team and this club.

“Looking ahead I share that same belief because we have so many exciting things going for us. It’s not just the ambitious plans off the field with the redevelopment of Sandy Park, it’s the quality of players – especially the young guys – that we have coming through.

“These guys are not only striving to be first team players, but also very good international players. It’s not often you get a group of the same age and that quality coming through, so whether or not I am here to see that full progression, I’ll certainly be here for the next year or two, so I can’t wait to see it all come together.”