Woodburn 'buzzing' to be back

By Mark Stevens
23/2/19

It’s been six weeks since Exeter Chiefs last took to the field for a competitive fixture on home soil, but for winger Olly Woodburn his wait has been somewhat longer due a succession of untimely injuries.

Now, fully-fit once more, the 27-year-old admits he’s ‘buzzing’ to be back in the fold as he lines-up for the Devon club in today’s Gallagher Premiership clash with Newcastle Falcons at Sandy Park (2:30pm).

Woodburn is one of a handful of changes Exeter’s Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter, has made to his line-up from that which went down narrowly at Gloucester last time out.

In what will only be Woodburn’s second Premiership appearance of the season, the former Bath flyer says he’s keen to make up for lost time having suffered a broken jaw and a torn hamstring in a frustrating campaign to date.

“It’s been frustrating, I broke my jaw on the opening day against Leicester and then when I returned from that injury, I ended up tearing my hamstring,” he explained.“Now, I’m buzzing to be back and can’t wait to get back out there. It’s been a while since any of us have played at Sandy Park, me especially, so hopefully we can go out there at the weekend and put on one of those performances and give the fans something to really cheer about.”

Last week’s 24-17 loss at Kingsholm saw the Chiefs surrender their status at the top of the division, but a victory over the lowly Falcons could see them reclaim pole position after defending champions Saracens themselves lost to the Cherry & Whites last night.

However, Woodburn knows from past experience that Dean Richards’ side will be no pushovers - and with the North East outfit desperate for points, he’s expecting a real test from today’s visitors.

“We know it’s not going to be a walk in the park for us,” added Woodburn. “They’ve have some incredible players, particularly their wingers, who can go round you or they can go through you, so you’ve always got to be on your toes.

“Seeing where they are in the division, they’ll be desperate for points and for a result, and that is something we will have to be aware of. At the same time, we know what we have to do and hopefully we can use the frustrations of last week up at Gloucester as a positive for us.”

Certainly, the Chiefs faithful will be delighted to see Woodburn back in action, lining up in a mouth-watering back three alongside Alex Cuthbert and Santiago Cordero.

And those same fans should get to see more of the Keynsham-born back, who recently penned a new two-year deal with the Chiefs.

Naturally, Woodburn is delighted to have sorted his future with the club, saying: “I’m really excited about the future. When the best club in England say they want you to stay, that’s quite humbling.I’ve got a lot of friends here and I’ve made some unbelievable memories over the years, hopefully we can make some more!

“As I said, I’m itching to get back playing again. I’m not the best of watchers, but now we’re getting into that stage of the season where you want to come into form. These next few months will go so quickly, so you don’t want to be watching too much from the sidelines.”