Australian White finds himself right at home at Exeter
Signing the scrum-half looks like a shrewd piece of business by champions, reports Ben Coles
Exeter’s recruitment was minimal over the summer – title-winning sides rarely need a major personnel overhaul – yet their move to recruit Nic White from Montpellier ranks as one of the most impressive bits of business by any side in the Aviva Premiership.
White made his name at the Brumbies before leaving Australia behind in 2015, having won 22 caps for the Wallabies.
Somewhat surprisingly, he missed out on a spot in Australia’s Rugby World Cup squad later that year despite a match-winning cameo against New Zealand.
Two years in France followed before the scrum-half was approached to swap the Mediterranean coastline for Devon. Australia might be a world away but the local area offers reminders of home, which might explain why White is not the first Australian to settle at the club.
Greg Holmes, Dave Dennis, Mitch Lees and Julian Salvi are all part of the current flock, following on from Dean Mumm’s warmly remembered stint as club captain.
“It has that big country town feel about it. Everyone is really friendly,” White said.
“I can see why Aussies get attracted here; very similar type of people, laidback, friendly. The guys down here invest a lot of time into each other which is very easy to slide into.
“I’m really close with a guy called Peter Kimlin [briefly at Exeter in 2010-11] and he couldn’t fault the place, telling me I would really enjoy it. Once I spoke to Rob [Baxter, Exeter’s head coach] it was a very easy decision.”
White seems happier with more than just the location. Montpellier played a certain way during his time there given their mammoth pack, and in the Top 14 power is still often prioritised over flair.
Exeter’s hunger to give the ball some air blended with a dynamic set of forwards ticked the box, with White an excited spectator from afar once his move was confirmed.
“They are two very different styles, but I could see from where I was in France that the approach here definitely suited me more,” he explains.
“It’s a little slower over there, with a really big forward pack, and more about strike plays. Whereas here it is hard work, playing quick tempo and grinding teams down.
“That is the type of footy that suits me, keeping the ball in play as much as possible, so I’m enjoying it.
“When I joined Montpellier, I probably didn’t look into the way they played too much. I had friends there at the club who sold me on the lifestyle, which made the decision. It didn’t really work out. Lessons learned. You go back to the drawing board and think about what is important, which for myself is playing good rugby and being part of a good club.
“If I’m happy in my rugby I am happy at home. Looking into the way teams play was a big thing this time around and a fair few players would want to come here to play the way we do. Not everybody, but certainly for guys who want to run a lot, this is the right place.”
In many ways, White left Australian rugby at the right time, before the failed expansion of Super Rugby and subsequent destruction of the Western Force. It has been a gradual detachment, from initially following every Super Rugby game after he first left for Europe to now none at all.
He still has friends at the Perthbased Force franchise who are now facing up to life outside of Super Rugby in 2018, describing the drawnout verdict over their future as “a dark cloud over Australian rugby”.
Local attendances were struggling even before he left Canberra behind, hence his enthusiastic reaction towards the crowds he has experienced so far in the Premiership, whether the “welcoming” reception from the Shed at Gloucester or from Sandy Park’s loyal tribe. A full house to host Wasps today should top the lot.
“Coming myself from Australia, where it is no secret the game is struggling in terms of the crowds, and seeing rugby really alive and well here is awesome,” he reflects.
“Gloucester away, the Shed was just pumping and hurling abuse as we were warming up, and I really love that passion. Then coming home to play at Sandy Park, even though the
‘A fair few players would want to play the way we do. For guys who want to run a lot, this is the place’
weather was not great, the stands were packed. I was saying to the guys after how unbelievable it was. They just told me, ‘Mate, that’s nothing’.
“Guys here have not come from that background of seeing struggling crowds, and I love coming out and seeing it packed.
“It is a great feeling playing in front of a crowd, and a well-educated crowd too, who really get into it as part of an awesome atmosphere.
“These are the games you want to be a part of.”