White backs young guns to shine

By Jack Miller
27/1/17

At 33 years old, Ben White will be one of the senior heads as Exeter Chiefs look to reach the Anglo-Welsh Cup knockout stages in the next fortnight – but it’s a trio of young stars that he has backed to really shine.

Following a 29-15 loss to Harlequins and a 62-25 mauling of Cardiff Blues, Exeter find themselves second in Pool 2 – just a point behind leaders Ospreys.

That means victory over Wasps at Sandy Park tomorrow (3pm) and away to Bristol Rugby eight days later will put them in great shape to reach the quarter-finals.

The Anglo-Welsh Cup has long been seen as a breeding ground for young talent and White is convinced that a particular triumvirate of new heroes will emerge.

Back-rower Sam Simmonds, 22, full-back Max Bodilly, also 22, and 21-year-old scrum-half Stuart Townsend are all in line for extended playing time.

And combined with a few more established stars, Australian back-rower White is adamant they can show the world what Chiefs rugby is all about.

“The mood in the camp is pretty good – a lot of the boys who played last weekend have had some down time this week, so there has been a fresh feeling about the place,” explained White.

“We’ve got a real good mix, with a few old boys here – Geoff Parling is still running around for example – so it should be good. But we’ve got some youngsters like Sam Simmonds back in, who is absolute dynamite, so we’ll see how he goes.

“Sam is a seven but will be playing at No.8 this week – he’s a great prospect and should be pushing on for the first-team next year. Then the Cornish Pirates boys, especially Max Bodilly, are outstanding so he’ll be one to watch. Those two, Sam and Max, and then little Stu Townsend at scrum-half should step up as well, so it will be really exciting to watch. The young guys bring that energy, they’ve got great skills and they’re so physical, then the old guys have that leadership.”

Minutes on the pitch have not always been forthcoming for White this season, so the Anglo-Welsh Cup could be the perfect platform for him to impress once again.

And the former Cardiff Blues star is keen to put himself back on the coaches’ radar.

“I’ve been pretty disappointed not getting much game-time this year, so I’m itching to get out there and it should be good,” added White. “If you have an outstanding game then the coaches can’t ignore that and it will push you up the pecking order a bit. As a squad we’re all good mates and we play for each other, so we see every comp as important – the Anglo-Welsh is no different.”