Ewers' milestone moment
By Mark Stevens
15/1/22
Sat on the sidelines at Newport’s Rodney Parade, a young Dave Ewers was given his first insight into life at senior level.
Part and parcel of the Exeter Chiefs squad sent into the Principality for a British & Irish Cup encounter, this was quite the baptism of fire for the young teenager.
As a young Academy rookie, Ewers was seemingly just happy to be included in his first match-day squad. However, as the game ensued, so he got to see first-hand just what all the fuss was about.
Any English side heading into Wales is always guaranteed a fiery reception and this night was no different for the Devonians, who were pelted with some colourful abuse from the locals the moment they stepped off their team coach.
On the field, the reception was just as hostile, including at one stage a near 30-man brawl. The youthful Ewers watched for much of the tie from the bench, but he would be summoned into the fray during the second period, marking his official Chiefs debut.
Today, he will run out for his 200th appearance for the club, a figure which could easily have been hit much earlier had it not been for a number of untimely injury setbacks over the years.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Ewers and his family sadly became victims of the despotic regime of President Robert Mugabe, whose murderous land reforms of the early Noughties caused countless white farmers to flee.
Ewers, though, can consider himself fortunate – and does. In 2004, his mother and father escaped to Devon, where he attended Ivybridge School before developing his rugby career and being accepted into Chiefs academy, where he excelled and was quickly recruited to life at Sandy Park.
“On my mum’s side of the family everyone lost their farms, and where my dad was working the farm was taken over (by Mugabe’s people),” he explained. “We were based in Mutare and my uncles, who owned the farms, were in Chinhoyi, which is just above Harare. It was an incredibly sad time for everyone, very difficult, but luckily we came here and things have worked out amazingly well.
“It was a big move to make at 14 and I did struggle to come to terms with it all for the first two or three years. But the situation is what it is and I’ve been blessed to get a chance in rugby.”
Indeed, Ewers has made the most of his opportunity, forging himself as one of the most destructive forwards not only in the Gallagher Premiership, but also in the Heineken Champions Cup.
He’s a prized asset in the Chiefs ranks, loved by coaches, staff and supporters alike. When he doesn’t play, it’s a void that Rob Baxter readily admits is tough to fill.
Beneath Ewers’ hulking 125kg frame, though, remains a mild-mannered gent, who quietly goes about his daily routine with the minimum of fuss.
Even this week, reminded of his impending milestone, he remains deeply humble.
“It’s pretty special, a proud moment for me and my family,” he says. “If I think back all those years ago, never did I think I would get to this many games. Obviously, I’ve had my ups and downs here at the club, but I feel very privileged to have represented the club for all this time.”
Part and parcel of Exeter’s double winning side of 2020, that remains the key highlight in his highly successful career to date. However, he does laugh when he reflects back to that opening night in Newport.
“It was a pretty memorable game,” he chuckles. “I remember I was on the bench, but the things that really stood out were the abuse we got from the crowd and the scraps that were happening on the pitch, it was quite an experience!”
In the years that have followed, Ewers has been part of a large nucleus of homegrown talent that have helped lead the Chiefs to the very summit of the European game.
“It’s been special, very special,” he says. “I don’t really look at it as a job, it’s more like coming in for PE with your mates every day. As I said, I’ve had a few disappointments over the years, especially around injuries, but the large majority of my time has been amazing.
“Winning the double is the obvious one that stands out, just because it was my first major trophies that I won, but some of the other games, the off field stuff, it’s been an honour to be part of it all.”
Ewers, however, is far from finished and together with his fellow Chiefs they are looking to add to their experiences this season, starting with a big performance against visiting Glasgow Warriors.
“It’s a huge game for us, especially having lost up at their place just before Christmas,” he added. “They played well, but equally we know we didn’t play well ourselves. We were off our game and this weekend offers us the chance to right some of those wrongs.
“If we want to progress and we want to kick on in this competition and in the Premiership, we have to make the most of our home games. It’s another opportunity for us, so hopefully we can go out there and get the result that we need.”