No old pals act for Whitten

By Mark Stevens
18/8/2016

Friendships will be put to one side this season for Ian Whitten as he prepares to potentially face former club Ulster Rugby three times this season.

Part and parcel of the furniture at Ravenhill as a youngster, the 29-year-old spent four years with the Irish province – even winning full international status – before he was snapped up by Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter in the summer of 2012 and brought to Sandy Park.

It was a shrewd capture by the Chiefs leader and in the years that have followed; the Lisburn-born back has established himself as an integral part of the Exeter back division, amassing over 100 first appearances for Devon’s finest.

And as Whitten gears up for his latest campaign here in the Westcountry, part of the build-up will include a meeting with his former club and the chance to lock horns with a number of close friends.

“Obviously we’ll have them three times this year having been drawn against them in the Champions Cup, so we’ll get to know them pretty well over the course of the season,” he said.

“There are still one or two old familiar faces there from my days at the club, but at the same time it can be a wee bit difficult playing against your old club because you want to show them you’re still a good player and all.

“For me it’s exciting, especially having them come to Sandy Park twice and then going back home, they are a quality side and they’ve shown that for a number of years, especially in Europe. I know from my time there just how much they focus their attentions on Europe, so I know we can expect two real testing games from them.”

For now, though, the focus is on gearing up for the 2016/17 season – one in which the Chiefs will open up with a testing opening fortnight against Wasps (away) and then defending champions Saracens on home soil.

“Wasps and Saracens is a tough start, there’s no doubt about that,” added Whitten. “We need to make sure we hit the ground running and that starts by performing here in pre-season. We have been looking good in training, but now it’s about transferring that into these games.

“All three are good Pro12 sides and will be good tests for us, but as I said we’ve got to make sure we take the hard work from the training field onto the pitch and show what we are all about.”