I’m not here for a holiday says new Chief Dave Dennis

Exeter marquee signing Dave Dennis reckons a stint in the Premiership will improve him as a player as he sets out on the silverware trail at Sandy Park.
Capped 18 times by Australia, the 30-year-old back rower-cum-lock signed a three-year deal and believes last year’s top-flight finalists can go all the way.
Fresh from a Super Rugby campaign with the Waratahs, Dennis told The Rugby Paper: “I’m already impressed and excited by what I’ve seen, and how progressive Exeter have been since they came into the Premiership was one of my main attractions.
“They seem to be a team that always wants to get better and for a foreign player you want a club that’s striving to be successful because it brings out the best in you.
“I’ll try to play my own style of game around the lineout and ball-carrying, but the positive conversation I’ve had with head coach Rob Baxter and the staff is they want me to become a better footballer rather than just play my own style.
“I’ve got the goal of becoming a much better all-round player and it’ll probably be a slightly tighter game of rugby up here around the mauling and set-piece, particularly in winter, so there are elements of my game that I can still develop.
“My priority now is to add value to an Exeter team that went close to last season’s title and, if I can do that, hopefully we can go one step further.”
Despite of a glowing reputation earned over nine years in Super Rugby, Dennis concedes he faces a fight to break into a Chiefs forward pack boasting huge strength-in-depth including Don Armand, Tom Johnson and Dave Ewers, below.
He added: “I can cover the back row and locking positions but, first and foremost, I need to acknowledge that it’s going to be tough to get a starting position.
“They’re a well-connected team with a lot of good players in my positions, so I’m going to have to work very, very hard to start with and really push to get on the field.
“I’m not here for a holiday. I’m ready to fight and I know it’ll be a much longer season than at home.
“Coming into the winter months there’ll be some tight, grinding football against a lot of good teams, so I aim to contribute to that huge challenge.”
Dennis believes English rugby is in great shape and points to England‘s 3-0 Test whitewash of Australia as evidence of an attacking mindset. He explained: “I certainly didn’t think it would be 3-0, but England were very impressive and they showed three different ways of winning a game.
“All three Tests offered different challenges but they looked a really tight group that are going to go a long way, while in two of the games they scored over 30 points, which is also a reflection of where the Premiership is going in terms of attack.
“I’ve been keeping a close eye on it since I signed and the standard has definitely improved over the last few years. Teams like ourselves and Wasps are looking to attack and play positive rugby, which is great.”
NEALE HARVEY