Dave Ewers aiming to show he has real six appeal

Dave Ewers insists he feels no bitterness towards England after his World Cup snub – but is hungrier than ever to prove himself ahead of the Six Nations.
Exeter‘s bullocking back rower was a surprise omission from Stuart Lancaster‘s 50-man training squad, prompting anger and despair among those who believed last season’s form Premiership blindside more than merited a chance on the biggest stage.
England’s subsequent failure to impose their power game on Wales and Australia supported the view of Exeter coach Rob Baxter, who reckoned Red Rose boss Stuart Lancaster badly missed a trick by not employing the teak-tough Zimbabwean.
Now, with Lancaster dismissed and the slate wiped clean, Ewers is one of the fresh breed of flankers looking to impress the new man at England’s helm.
Ewers, 25, told The Rugby Paper: “It’s a chance for everyone to put their hands up and it’s definitely an exciting time for English rugby. As a fan looking in at the World Cup I was gutted to see them crash out, but there are still plenty of positives there.
“The amount of talent you see in the Premiership is pretty unbelievable, so whatever squad the new coach settles on is definitely going to be a strong one – and my goal is to build on my performances each week and be part of the Six Nations squad.”
On his failure to achieve his England dream this autumn, Ewers adds: “I was disappointed because it was a massive goal for me. Before that I was trying to get into the Six Nations squad, but once that didn’t happen it was always going to be hard.
“I was obviously still going to try my best to make the summer squad, but I wasn’t expecting the England coaches to change too much leading into the World Cup, having had a good group of back rowers together for so long beforehand.
“It was disappointing, but I didn’t dwell on it for long. The way I took it I needed to work on things Rob Baxter and (forwards coach) Rob Hunter pointed out, and that’s what I’ve done over the summer and during the first part of the season.
“I need to be playing well for Chiefs, and there’s so much competition here that, short-term, it’s a big enough goal to be staying ahead of those lads. We’ve got so much depth at Chiefs that we could name three strong back-row combinations.”
Performances in Europe are often the benchmark for Test selection and Ewers has his first big chance to impress when Chiefs visit the Ospreys today.
Ewers added: “I’ll be up against the likes of Justin Tipuric, and in their second row they’ll have Alun-Wyn Jones, so they are proven international-class players and it’ll be a good test individually and as a team to come up against those guys.
“We’ve had a good start to the Premiership season and beating Leicester last week was a big scalp for us, but you can’t rest on your laurels and with Bordeaux and Clermont in our group as well, it’s important that we make a good start.”
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