Ewers out to make up for lost time

By Mark Stevens
8/11/16

Exeter Chiefs star Dave Ewers says he’s out to make up for lost time after making his competitive return in last weekend’s Anglo-Welsh Cup encounter at Harlequins.

Having sat out the opening weeks of the season because of a knee injury sustained in the pre-season victory over Ulster, the imposing back-row forward played virtually the whole match at the Twickenham Stoop to give head coach Rob Baxter a much-needed boost.

With a somewhat lengthy injury list to contend with currently, the sight of the 26-year-old back in action is a timely boost for Baxter who will be keen to see one of the Premiership’s most destructive ball carriers back in harness.

Although Ewers could not mark his playing return with a victory - the Chiefs went down 29-15 in their Round One encounter - he was more than content to get back out on the field after a frustrating few months on the sidelines.

“It’s good to be back,” said Ewers at the final whistle. “It’s been a while and obviously it would have been nice to have got a result, but it’s always tough coming to Harlequins. They throw the ball around, they’re good up front, and you know you have always got to be on high alert against them.

“We’re disappointed not to have got a result or anything from the game, but we gave away a few penalties that we didn’t need to and that allowed them to get good field position and they took their chances after that.”

Saturday’s loss meant it is now six games since Exeter last tasted victory and Ewers was quick to echo the comments of his head coach, who believes the time has come for the Chiefs to grab their season by the horns, starting with this Sunday’s visit of Cardiff Blues to Sandy Park (3pm).

“The season is in our hands,” added Ewers. “We cannot look for excuses, we’ve got to take it for what it is and attack the rest of the season.

“We’ve got Cardiff this week in front of a home crowd, so we’ve got to bring a performance to get them behind us. As Rob said, we’ve got to take the season by the horns and really go after it. We’ve got to keep fighting and come back harder and harder each week.”

Certainly Ewers is sure to play a big role for the Chiefs this term and having him back out on the field is a major fillip to last season’s beaten Premiership finalists.

“It’s been a frustrating few months, but I’m happy to be out there again,” continued the Harare-born forward, who was joined in the Chiefs ranks by a number of young debutants against Harlequins.

Like Ewers himself, they have come through the club’s highly successful academy system and big things are expected of them moving forward.

“It was awesome to see them come through,” said Ewers. “Playing your first game is an experience they are sure to treasure. Although they’ll be disappointed that we lost, I think we can all learn from the game. The talent we have coming through is massive and it was brilliant to see them all out there on the pitch.”