Ewers happy to lead by example

By Mark Stevens
11/11/22

Often a man of few words, Dave Ewers much prefers his on-field actions to do his talking.

Widely-regarded as one of the Gallagher Premiership’s most ferocious forwards of all time, the 32-year-old remains a vital cog for the Exeter Chiefs, both on and off the field.

Set to run out for his 219th game in Chiefs colours this Saturday, Ewers not only offers a sizeable threat to opposition defences, but his experience of the big occasion is certainly bearing fruit as Exeter start to bring through their latest batch of rising stars.

Since making his debut as a raw rookie on a cold and wet night away to Newport in the British & Irish Cup, the Zimbabwean-born powerhouse has been part and parcel of a magical Chiefs journey.

There have been highs, there have been lows, but the one consistent Ewers continues to deliver each season is a relentless work-rate, coupled with a physicality that rivals often struggle to contend with.

“Whenever I play, I try to lead by example,” says Ewers. “I’m not a big one for talking too much, but if I feel something needs to be said on the pitch, then I’ll say my bit. I remember when I was a youngster, I was lucky to have the likes of Richie Baxter, James Scaysbrook, Tom Johnson and Kai Horstmann who would talk to me.

“If I can do the same for some of those coming through now, then I’ll do that, just because I know how important it is for them. Equally, a lot of them are clever footballers and they know what they are doing, so I don’t have to do it all that often!”

Certainly, the Chiefs have never been shy in offering youth its chance on the big stage and Ewers, like many supporters of the club, is excited at what the future holds.

“When you look at some of the players starting to break through at the moment, it’s massively exciting,” added Ewers. “Guys like Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza, Richard Capstick and Patrick Schickerling have all come through in terms of the forwards and it’s the same with the likes of Josh Hodge, Dan John and Will Becconsall in the backs. All of them are getting their chance and all of them are taking it.”

Many of those young guns will get their chance again today with the visit of London Irish, a game in which the Chiefs will be looking to end a three-game losing streak.

“Losing at any time is disappointing, but we know we’re not a million miles away, the Saracens game showed that,” continued Ewers. “We know there are a couple of things that haven’t gone quite our way, but as a group we’re in a good place still. I know that sounds odd given we’ve lost three on the bounce, but we’re confident we can turn things round this weekend and get the ball rolling again.”

Standing in the way of the Chiefs, however, will be an Exiles outfit who completed a league double over Exeter last season. And it’s based on those results and their performances this season that Ewers is quick to offer a word of warning.

“It’s a massive challenge for us, Irish beat us twice last season, and they are a side who are always fighting and posing that challenge to you. It will be tough, but all games are at this level, so hopefully we can get everything right our end and produce that full 80-minute performance, because that is what we will need.”