Lees relishing Premiership return
By Nigel Walrond
18/11/18
Mitch Lees is looking forward to his first league start since last in the Premiership final at Twickenham last May when Exeter Chiefs visit Bristol Bears today (3pm).
The big second row forward had summer shoulder surgery after the showdown with Saracens, and then suffered a torn Achilles as he prepared to return to action.
It meant the 30-year-old’s comeback was delayed until last week’s Premiership Rugby Cup win over Harlequins, when he played for the opening 30 minutes before making way for team-mate Dave Dennis.
“It was all pre-planned after being out for six months,” said Lees. “I’ve had an Achilles tear, which is a high-stress injury so it has to be monitored correctly, and they were counting down my metres up in the stands. If I’d made those metres in 20 minutes, I would have been off in 20 minutes.
“It was all to get load into my legs in readiness for this block of Premiership matches coming up. The shoulder injury was straight after the final, but then I tore my Achilles coming back from that.
“The shoulder is absolutely fine now, and I am making tackles, because I have had longer to make that even stronger and better, so it is better than it was pre the injury.”
The Chiefs beat Harlequins 29-13 to stay on top of their Premiership Rugby Cup Pool, with one round of games remaining, and Lees agreed it was a good match to come back into.
“We played really well as a team and Quins put out a really strong side and it was almost Premiership quality in who we were playing against,” said Lees.
“My lungs weren’t happy, but there was a few big contacts in there, a few scrums and a few mauls, which is part of my game, and it was good to get those into my legs.”
With the likes of Jonny Hill and Toby Salmon both injured and Sam Skinner away on International duty with Scotland, Lees gets a start against Bristol without too much game time under his belt, but he is looking forward to the challenge.
“Unfortunately we have got a few guys in the second row who are injured, Skins is away on international duty, and he is doing really well there, so I am lucky enough to get picked for the Bristol match to play another game,” said the Aussie-born lock. “I won’t be playing week after week, but it’s an opportunity to get myself fitter.”
If all the club’s locks had been available though, with the way Exeter have been playing, Lees might have faced a battle to get his place back straight away, so it has worked out well for him on that front.
“I am sure if those other lads were around, I’m confident in saying I probably wouldn’t have got in this week as they have been playing really well, especially without a loss in the Premiership after the first six weeks.
“As I said, I’m lucky that I get a chance to put a marker down to try and get a position back when all those lads are back and fighting fit. I’m sure when they come back in, they will be wanting to lay their own markers down.”