Nick Cain talks to Exeter’s captain Dean Mumm about the Heineken Cup and Australia’s autumn challenge

Dean Mumm does not hail from anywhere within 10,000 miles of Devon. Yet, the Exeter Chiefs captain, New Zealand born and Australia bred, is playing as if he shares a bloodline with Sir Francis Drake.
Mumm, who was capped as a lock or blindside 33 times by the Wallabies before alighting in Exeter last season, got his bearings immediately to establish his credentials as a swashbuckling tight forward. As hard-hitting as he is mobile, his inspirational qualities were established long before he crashed through the Gloucester defence to score his third try of the season at Kingsholm last weekend in an emphatic 29-12 victory.
It was the Chiefs third win of the season, pushing them into mid-table and providing a perfect platform for their Heineken Cup assault on the Lions-studded Cardiff Blues at Sandy Park today, with Sam Warburton, Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert in the visiting starting line-up.
Australia’s loss has been not so much a gain for the Chiefs, as a galleon laden with riches. The reality is that, at 29, Mumm should still be playing Test rugby for the Wallabies.
Judging by the form that he has shown since joining the Chiefs, it’s no exaggeration that, with Mumm in their ranks, Australia would have resisted being bent out of shape by the Lions, and then by the All Blacks and Springboks in their lacklustre Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championship showing.
Mumm admits he is no old hand when it comes to the leadership lark – although it does not take long to realise that he does not consider captaincy of the Chiefs to be a larking matter.
“Captaincy is important, and you can’t take your responsibilities lightly. Really good captains lead by example – such as Warburton and Richie McCaw. What’s important in captaincy is performance. It’s important you have a strategic input, but generally not in terms of interfering with the decision-makers at No.9 and No.10.
I don’t need to control all the strategic processes.”
He adds, “It’s less about detail, and more about momentum. For instance, if there’s been a dip for five minutes, then it’s your job as captain to say let’s be more direct, get some momentum into our game, and kick for territory.”
That ability to lead from the front, and to keep a cool yet ruthless grip on events when under fire, persuaded Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, to pass the captaincy mantle from another Exeter lock hero, Tommy Hayes, to Mumm.
For Baxter it is all about having the right attitude, and he is known for putting in the homework on players to determine whether they are the right fit for the Chiefs. It has paid off, because, as with the estimable Hayes, Mumm is a kindred spirit – and it’s what convinced him to make Exeter his next port of call.
Mumm says: “I wanted to experience rugby in the Northern Hemisphere, and what convinced me was talking to Rob Baxter. He was very straightforward and didn’t over-promise. He said the Chiefs are an ambitious club where you work hard and enjoy yourself.”
He adds: “I had never met him face-to-face before I arrived at Sandy Park, but when I spoke to him over the phone I was really impressed, not only by his quality as an individual, but the organisation of the club.”
Mumm says that Baxter’s strengths range from being an expert analyst to an astute man-manager. “If we have good wins we celebrate, but we do not rest on our laurels. Just as he doesn’t go over the top with big wins, nor does he get too down with the defeats. Overall, he’s very steady.”
However, the former Waratahs stalwart says it is the way of life and the bond between the players that makes the Chiefs experience something to savour.
“Culturally the Chiefs are unique, so there is a difference between them and the rest regardless of the hemisphere. The key element is the bond between the chiefs and their fans, and it is something that is pushed hard by Rob Baxter and (chief executive) Tony Rowe. It is about a really good balance between professionalism and the important parts of the amateur game. It’s about enjoying ourselves in rugby, and outside it – and it’s there that some clubs get lost.”
The Australian’s enthusiasm extends to the Premiership and the Heineken Cup, especially tackling the Blues – although he plays down the importance of getting to the knock-out stages.
“This will sound bad, but we haven’t placed that much emphasis on it. We are pragmatic, and we don’t look beyond the first two rounds. What’s important is to win against Cardiff, because winning your home games is the key.”
He accepts that Warburton, Halfpenny and Cuthbert could have a bearing on that. “Good players always play well – they don’t fall out of form very often. Although their Lions form may be hard to replicate with different players around them, we know that we cannot give away any penalties within 40 metres of our own line, because Halfpenny will kick them.”
Mumm identifies adaptability and resilience as the main attributes required by the Premiership. “It’s a great competition, and the length of it demands that you have to be able to play in different environments, and changes of weather.”
He also savours the parochialism and rivalries among the English clubs. “I like the tribalism and really enjoy the atmosphere at the smaller grounds here. The stadiums seem to hold the noise. In Super Rugby you have to travel further, which has its own challenges, but in the Premiership you are facing a more abrasive environment at places like Welford Road, or in front of The Shed at Gloucester.”
He says the Chiefs supporters trump the lot: “We are also lucky that when you play at the Chiefs you do so in front of the best supporters in the competition. I don’t have an eagle feather head-dress yet – they’re not practical to play in – but I’ll happily don one when I’m retired.”
When it comes to last hurrahs, does he have any regrets that his Wallaby career ended too soon — and if there was a chance of playing for Australia in the 2015 World Cup would he go for it?
“Before I came here I hadn’t played for them for 18 months – since the autumn 2010 tour – and it’s hard to reintegrate from there. Of course, in perfect circumstances I’d like to play for the Wallabies again, it’s a great honour, but it’s very unlikely, and, unfortunately, I can’t have both. I’m enjoying my rugby with Exeter too much, I get on really well with the boys, and get satisfaction from the challenges, including leadership.”
Mumm believes, however, that Australia have paid a price for letting too many players go north.
“If you look at the Australia squad during the Rugby Championship, and the Lions tour, and you take Adam Ashley-Cooper and Will Genia out of the line-up, and that backline had about 20 caps all told. Experience counts for a huge amount in Test rugby – as you can see with New Zealand – and certainly Australia have let too many of those players go.”
He says he hopes Australia have turned the corner with their big away win over Argentina last weekend, especially as new Wallaby boss Ewen McKenzie gave him his first Waratahs contract.
“He’s doing some very good things, and being hard on team culture is the right thing to do. I’m confident he is the right person for the job.”
Mumm says that confidence extends to thinking that Australia can beat England at Twickenham next month, although he acknowledges they are underdogs.
“After winning only two out of six in the Rugby Championship Australia will not be favourites. England are coming off a good Argentina tour and a strong Six Nations – but Australia are definitely capable of winning. England will come hard at the Australian scrum, and it will be more about the set piece, playing for territory, and kicking your goals than last week’s try fest in Jo’burg.”
When it comes to an inside track on what pack England should pick Mumm’s knowledge is indisputable, and he talks openly about the options.
“I’d expect the traditional set piece names from Northampton and Leicester, two teams we didn’t go well against, to put their hands up. But the quality of young talent in England has impressed me, and there is another group out there. For example, Dave Ewers is going very strongly for the Chiefs, and I’m confident he would give it a red hot shot if he got the chance. He’s one of those No.8s who gives you go forward and gets you metres around the edges.”
As for his own position, he says the All Black locks are the new benchmark:  “Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick are the current standouts, and they are not tractor locks. They are big guys but mobile, and they get through a mountain of work – which is what you need at Test level.
He adds, “If it’s good enough for the All Blacks, should it be good enough for England? Geoff Parling did a similar job for the Lions, and Courtney Lawes has the capacity to do the same either as a starter or off the bench.”
However, when it comes to mentioning that a rugged cruiserweight lock in the same mould has given the Chiefs the same sort of go-forward, Mumm’s the word.