Second chance for Stan to prove he’s the man
NEWS EXTRA
DISCAREDED Harlequins enforcer Stan South has revealed why his refusal to give up on his Premiership ambitions paved the way for a dream move to Exeter Chiefs.
South, 23, was deemed surplus to requirements at the Stoop and had been looking forward to playing for Coventry after signing for Championship side in April.
However, a second row injury crisis at Exeter reopened the door to the top-flight, with 2016 England U20s World Cup winner South telling The Rugby Paper: “I wasn’t going to give it up easily and getting back into the Premiership was always in my mind.
“I didn’t get much rugby at Quins last season and Coventry is a really good club that wants to go places.
That really appealed to me and I’d have been happy there, but when Exeter came in for me, I just couldn’t give up the opportunity they offered.
“Coventry always knew that other clubs might still approach me and they were very understanding. They wanted the best for me, which was reassuring, and I want to be playing the best standard of rugby I could so it’s mission accomplished so far.” Injuries contributed to South’s inability to make an impact at Quins following his U20s success and he now faces huge competition at Chiefs, where Jonny Hill, Sam Skinner, Will Witty, Dave Dennis and Tom Price are among those vying for lock places.
Having featured prominently in the opening weeks, however, South said: “It’s a strong engine room here but everyone has different strengths. Some boys are bigger, others are faster and some are better at lineout, but whichever combination Rob Baxter and the coaches put together, I’d hope to play a good part in the Premiership and Europe.
“I’ve lost a bit of weight so I’m a bit more mobile, but I’m still a bit heavier than most boys (18st 6lbs/ 118kg) and I can definitely be influential around the scrum and maul.” South added: “After that Junior World Cup 2016 I wanted to push on. It didn’t happen then, but I’m determined to make the most of this chance.”
