Scott Sio on fatherhood, big games and inspiring Chiefs youngsters

As Exeter Chiefs prepared to take on top-of-the-table Northampton Saints last weekend, there was a big milestone away from the field for Scott Sio as his young son celebrated his first birthday.

Sio beamed with pride while talking about Tavita Filipo Sio, his son: “It’s incredibly special. I never cease to say how much being a father has elevated my game. I’m very fortunate to have such a loving and supportive fiancé in Nara as well, which makes my life really easy.

“Her being at home, raising our son every day so that he feels loved with a lot of warmth in the house, allows me to go out here and give my best to the team.

“It feels pretty weird calling him a one-year-old! The first year of life you measure by months and then suddenly they’re a whole year. Not a lot has changed, he’s still a little bit naughty. He’s quite switched on, just like his mum, so he knows what he’s doing.

“I love it. I think it’s given me a lot of responsibility as a player to go out there to provide for my family while doing the best I can for the team.”

The team performance in Treviso a fortnight ago was mammoth. For 80 minutes on Italian soil at the Stadio Monigo, it felt little short of a all-out battle between the two sides. Benetton Rugby, the Italian lions littered with Azzuri internationals, played to the death but the result came down to the boot of Henry Slade with a penalty in the 79th minute.

Sio said: “It was a bit of a shootout, wasn’t it? Like an old western. When you thought you were going to get away with the game and build momentum, they managed to reel you back in then vice versa. They’ve got a number of internationals in their team, and they play a very high ball-retention style of rugby, so you know you’re going to be in the battle for a lot of phases with high quality players that play for their country.

“Physically, it was a tough and demanding match for sure. I know a lot of boys were definitely feeling it on our first training day back.

“I think those games are important at the backend of the season, they build a lot of steel within the team and put us in good stead heading into further knockout games. From here on out, they’re all must-wins really. We’ve still got to secure ourselves in the top four of the PREM and then we’ve got quite a tough semi-final against Ulster Rugby. So, I think games, like that Benetton one, build a lot of character and a lot of resilience within the team.”

This season’s team is one of a kaleidoscope of youth and experience. More than five players have made their club debut while players the calibre of club captain Jack Yeandle, Henry Slade and Sio himself seem to be rolling back the years with the strength of their performances.

So, do the old heads feel they’re learning just as much from the young ones as they are imparting in return?

Sio chuckles: “I keep reminding [Jack] Yeandle that he’s the oldest, but he acts like the youngest! I think a guy like Finn [Worley Brady] is a great story. A lot of people will have seen him burst onto the scene this season in the PREM Rugby Cup and think ‘Oh, he’s kind of come out of nowhere’.

“However, what they wouldn’t have seen is that he had some opportunities last year in friendlies, in which he understood he wasn’t quite physically up to the challenge, but he put in the graft in pre-season and played some really consistently good rugby at the university.

“That earned him his chance in the cup competition, as well as now in the PREM and European games. The fruits of his labour are starting to show. Rugby is quite cruel in that other boys got injured but that’s how it works sometimes: you’ve got to put your best foot forward and take the opportunity. I definitely feel Finn’s done that.

“It’s nice to see guys like Campbell Ridl too, also coming into his own. He was a bit of an unknown for us too.

“As an older player, I think you’ve got to have a growth mindset too. You’re never too old to learn and pick up new things. I think the biggest thing for us as older statesmen of the team is seeing their enthusiasm all the time. It rubs off on you and pushes you, with that sense of responsibility, to keep being a role model for them on and off the field.”

Sio’s experiences in Devon played a small part in inspiring his countrymen to make the switch to the northern hemisphere too. New arrivals this season, Wallabies internationals Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper both cited the likes of Sio, as well as Nic White or Dean Mumm, as having laid the blueprint for their arrival in Exeter.

Sio said: “It’s been great having them join us this year. Len always had silky skills; he just needed an opportunity to prove himself. I think, in having a smaller stature, people sometimes underestimate how strong he is in contact. That mixed in with the soft hands he has...is big.

“I think deception is a big part of Len’s game, he moves people around with his eyes and opens up space for players around him. It’s an under-rated skill that I think rugby purists will understand how important it is.

“Then there’s Hoops whose got such an engine on him that he just goes all day. For a team like us that want to play a high-octane style of game in attach and defence. Guys like him are super important to that. He’s a natural rugby player too!

“Having those two come over here and experience something different I think is great for them. I think it’ll help them to grow as people and as players. Being in a different country, experiencing a different way of life, is important and I hope they’re enjoying that chance.”