Parling: Exeter ready to strike silver this time round
GEOFF PARLING has targeted trophy success with Premiership-finalists Exeter after accepting his England playing days are all but over.
Parling, 32, was axed by Eddie Jones in the wake of England’s World Cup failure and admits it was hard watching them lift the Six Nations trophy.
However, helping Exeter reach the Premiership final in his first season at Sandy Park softened the blow and he reckons Chiefs can go one better.
Parling told The Rugby Paper: “I’m not going to lie, I did envy the England lads a bit. It would have been nice to finish my Test career on a high note, but I’m more than happy with my personal situation because I always knew what was likely to happen after the World Cup with me being one of the older squad members.
“Now I’m just focused on trying to help Exeter and my feeling is we can really push towards winning trophies.”
Exeter came up short against Saracens in May and Parling, right, added: “Last season saw good progression for the club, but some people have said it was a fantastic season and I wouldn’t describe it as that.
“Being stood on the pitch at Twickenham and watching Saracens lift the trophy wasn’t a fantastic moment for me.
“But to play in those big games and progress to a Champions Cup quarterfinal showed what was possible here.
“Playing in finals there’s obviously more riding on it. Mistakes are magnified and everything seems a bit quicker, but now we’ve got that experience.
“Next time we’re in a final we’ve got to make sure we use that experience. We weren’t at Twickenham by chance, we deserved it.”
Parling’s move from Leicester last year surprised some, but he says: “One of the reasons I came here is because I always thought Exeter were a top four club and were going to be challenging for silverware.
“That’s exactly what happened so I can’t say it exceeded my expectations, but one of the things I have seen from coming here is the talent on offer. “With the way we train and the young lads coming through, that’s massive for me. “Everybody’s fighting and wanting to do well.” Exeter will be facing a Champions Cup reunion with Clermont Auvergne, having pipped the French cracks to the knock-out stage last season.
It will be the fourth time that Parling, has taken on the Top 14 outfit after appearing against them in two previous campaigns with Leicester.
He added: “Clermont’s one of my favourite places to play – a brilliant stadium – but I’ve never actually won there so I’d like to change that.
“It’s a tough group we’re in with Ulster and Bordeaux as well, but we reached the quarter-finals last season and feel we can do even better.”