White aware of French threat
By Mark Stevens
21/10/17
Nic White knows better than anyone the threat posed to Exeter Chiefs ahead of their European Champions Cup encounter with Montpellier tomorrow (2pm).
The gifted Australian swapped life in the South of France for that of the Westcountry this summer – and he’s wasted little time settling into his new surroundings, producing a string of eye-catching displays for his new club.
Now, the 27-year-old will be looking to help plot the downfall of his former club as Exeter look to build on last weekend’s 24-15 victory over Glasgow Warriors with another big display at the Altrad Stadium.
“It’s exciting for me, I kind of earmarked this fixture as soon as the draw came out,” said White. “Going back to Montpellier in the Champions Cup, it’s exciting not only for me, but for all the squad It will also be good to catch up with one or two guys back there. I’ve heard a couple of things have changed a bit since I left, but the main thing is hopefully we can go down there and get a result.”
Certainly, the Chiefs will travel in buoyant mood having overcome a Glasgow side, who arrived in Devon a week ago sporting a 100% winning record so far this season in the Guinness Pro 14 League.
In a clash which mirrored that of an international test match, White believes the Chiefs showed they have the manpower and the game plan to challenge the very best in Europe this season.
“It was like a test match, it was pretty hard yakka, not just for the early part of the game, but throughout,” added White. “Neither side gave an inch for 80 minutes, so it was good to get a win like that, against a side like Glasgow, who had come here unbeaten, was a really good stepping stone into this weekend because it’s going to have a lot of that same vibe about it this weekend.”
As White spelt out, the importance of winning home games at this level is vital, especially if the Chiefs want to advance into the latter stages. Equally, nabbing something on the road can prove just as crucial and the reigning English champions will be hopeful of gleaning some reward from their trek across the Channel.
“We want to take on every competition this year, so winning this game at home was an important step in us going forward on in the competition,” said White. “That being said, its done and dusted now. We had a bit of pressure on us to get that win last week, but now we have to go again this weekend.
“What we have to do is get that same attacking mindset in place for this weekend against what will be a very strong and physical Montpellier side.
However, Montpellier on home soil will be no walk in the park and White says the Chiefs will need to be at their very best to bring down their star-studded hosts, who themselves lost their European opener away to Leinster in Dublin.
“French sides are very emotional sides, especially at home, so there will be a lot of pressure on them to perform this weekend,” continued the Exeter scrum-half. “As I said, they are a big, physical side and it’s about us not giving them an inch to play. It will be tough, we know that, but we feel confident we can go down there, go with an attacking attitude, and really attack the game.”
Indeed, victory for the Chiefs will put Rob Baxter’s side in a great position within the pool, which will reconvene in December with back-to-back clashes against Leinster.
“A win would really put us in good stead,” continued White. “If you can get an away win, it goes a long way. A lot of teams win their home games, but it’s the ones who can pick things up on the road are the ones who go through to the finals ultimately. If we can attack that early, it’s a good opportunity for us, so it’s up to the guys to empty their tanks at the weekend, knowing it will go a long way.”