We have some good young talent coming through - Cairns
THE ravages of the salary cap mean Exeter will be losing more of the players who were part of their league and Champions Cup success, but today’s Premiership Cup semi-final against Sale will showcase what tomorrow holds.
The match will come after two of the Chiefs’ acad“I emy recruits, Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza, start for Wales against Scotland at Murrayfield, the future rooted in the present.
“It is tough to see players moving on, but we have some good young talent coming through,” said Exeter’s scrum-half Tom Cairns, who made his Premiership debut against Saracens on December 31.
“The Premiership Cup is an important competition for players who are breaking through to show they can handle the pressure. It is a big game with a final at stake and we will not be leaving anything out there.”
The 20-year-old Cairns supported Exeter as a boy and started playing at Teignmouth, following the path taken by the Simmonds brothers, Sam and Joe.
“The Chiefs have a way of picking players,” he said. “It is about taking your opportunity when you have it, as Daf and Christ have.
“The club is not afraid to promote young players. Daf was given his chance in the Premiership Cup and took it. He is a role model for those who come through the academy, a young player who leads by example.
“I played with Christ in the U18s and you could see then that he had what it took. I grew up watching Exeter and wanted to play for the club. I hope to get an international cap one day, a dream I will try and chase down until I can’t.”
The Premiership Cup is a development competition but some clubs opt for more than a sprinkling of experience in their sides.
“We always focus on ourselves and how we want to play the game,” said coach Ricky Pellow. “You do not know the sort of side you will be facing but we have always based our selection on development and a bit of experience.
“We have gone into games with a weaker side on paper and won. If the opposition has picked a more experienced side, it adds to the challenge.
Sale were one of the form teams in the group stages and we know the strengths they will bring regardless of who they pick.”
The Chiefs are hoping for a bumper crowd for the lunchtime kick-off – they drew nearly 10,000 spectators for the group game against Bath with 8,972 turning up to watch the game against Gloucester the following week.