TATUPU KEEN TO SAMPLE TOP FLIGHT WITH EXETER
- Details
- Created on Thursday, 07 July 2011 14:11
- Published on Thursday, 07 July 2011 14:11
Exeter Chiefs newcomer Josh Tatupu admits the lure of England and playing in the Aviva Premiership contributed to his decision to join the Devon club.
The 25-year-old, who is equally adept on both the wing and in the centre, is one of nine new faces Exeter head coach Rob Baxter has brought to Sandy Park as the Chiefs look to tackle their second season in English rugby's top flight.
The Samoan international - who flew in last weekend - has started pre-season training with his new team-mates and admits: "It's good to be finally here with the Chiefs."
Having previously plied his trade with Super Rugby side Western Force and Melbourne Storm (Rugby League) in Australia, as well as Otago in New Zealand and, more recently, with French outfit Castres, Tatupu arrives in England with a wealth of experience already at his disposal.
It is, however, the opportunity to try his hand at English rugby which appeals to him right now. He added: "It was something new and different for me to try out. I remember when I played for the Force against a few English sides a few years back, I really enjoyed the trip. I thought England was a nice place.
"Also I was keen to become a Premiership player and try my hand at another style of the game."
The Christchurch-born player said: "I've only been here a few days so far, but it's not a whole lot different to what I have done in the past. The biggest difference, I suppose, is when I was in Australia you had a 14-week pre-season and the first half of that was all running and you didn't see a ball at all. Here it's good that we are incorporating the anaerobic games into our programmes and that we are getting to do some rugby early on rather than just running up hills all day."
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.