Woodburn celebrates decade as a Chief with a home victory

On Saturday afternoon, a decade and a day on from his debut, Olly Woodburn played his 186th club game as Chiefs took a bonus-point victory over Gloucester at Sandy Park.

Having returned from injury in Chiefs’ round four PREM Rugby match-up against Harlequins, the winger is delighted to be back in action.

Injuring his ACL in a festive fixture against Gloucester in December 2024, the 33-year-old spent 11 months on the sidelines pushing himself through a gruelling rehab, at times unsure he’d play another game.

Woodburn said: “It was definitely harder coming back from a long injury at this point in my career. There were a lot of doubts externally, so I had to overcome that.

“I hadn’t played in a long time, so we’ve got new systems and a new language on the field, so there were a lot of challenges to overcome. It was a different feeling but once I was out there and that whistle blew, it all felt very familiar.”

While his reception from the fans was a rapturous one upon his return, it was the pure delight of teammates and back-room staff that reinforced Woodburn’s want to make an impact on his return.

He said: “The boys’ reaction was actually a bit overwhelming to be honest as I quite like running in my own lane. It created a little bit of pressure, a bit of expectation which, when handled poorly, could’ve been a distraction but I used all the positive energy that was directed towards me, and it came out in a good way.”

In both games, he didn’t look to have lost any of his prowess in the aerial battle, it was as if no time had passed at all. The experienced winger played 73 minutes against Quins and a full 80 against the Cherry and Whites.

When he was substituted off the pitch in that Quins fixture, it was a unique sight for Woodburn to witness the main grandstand rising in applause.

He said: “I took my time to look up. Usually I keep my head down, I’m a little shy when it comes to getting a lot of attention. I realised that being in a privileged position, I wanted to try to absorb it as much as possible. It’s quite a rare position to be in, so I took the opportunity to clap back and appreciate the fans.”

One week on from his impressive return, Woodburn was selected ahead of talented young teammate, Paul Brown-Bampoe. However, fiercely competing for a spot in the starting XV is not a new experience for the club centurion.

He explained: “I’ve always relished competition, I think that’s why I can still put my hat in the ring and play at this level. Throughout my time at Chiefs, I’ve had to compete with some of the best wingers in the world. We’ve had Jack Nowell, Alex Cuthbert, Santiago Cordero, Tom O’Flaherty so I’ve always had to compete with high quality players, it’s what I’m used to.

“The standards in which we play at, the level of intensity, has always driven me. I’m a very laid-back person, so this type of environment has dragged me to the level that I need to perform at.”

Utilising all the lessons he has learned and harnessing the knowledge he has cultivated over his 10 years as a Chief has led to the winger having a role in the Exeter leadership group. It’s not a role he would have predicted when he signed that first contract all those years ago.

Woodburn said: “I’ve definitely taken on more responsibility, more of a leadership role, which is quite alien to me. I never want to step up and be vocal, but there’s plenty of ways to lead. Trying to be as good as I can is one way to lead and I feel like I can bring a different level of experience.

“Especially with how we’re playing at the moment, we’ve matured over the summer and we’ve got so much talent, so I think towards the end of the season if we’re in the mix then I think I can add a lot when it comes to crunch time.”

There has been a notable shift in performances from the 2025/26 Chiefs squad at the outset of the season. After five games, Chiefs sit third in the PREM table, which is a marked improvement to last season’s start.

Woodburn has taken part in trophy-winning seasons before, so is there something he can pinpoint which is making this group different to some that have proceeded it?

He said: “This is a very tight-knit group, a lot of boys really care for each other. It’s really good to see such a united group, it actually reminds me of 2017 when I came through and there was a group of guys around their mid-20s who spent all their days off together and lived in the same area.

“It feels like that camaraderie is really going to take us to some special places.”