I’ll have to earn my place, says Matt Symons

Wasps lock Matt Symons is relieved to have been given a second Premiership chance after the nightmare of relegation at London Irish.
Combative second rower Symons arrived at the Exiles from Super Rugby last summer with genuine aspirations of fighting for an England spot.
His dream turned to dust, though, as a season of intense struggle at the Madejski Stadium led to the Exiles slumping into the Championship.
Symons told The Rugby Paper: “It was a pretty tough year for all of us – players and management.
“It was a big learning curve for me and you feel sorry for people like Tom Coventry and Glenn Delaney, who had a huge influence on my career but have now gone.
“It was a tough couple of months at the end of the season and I was really fortunate that Dai Young approached me and offered me a place at Wasps.
“I had a couple of good conversations with him and am really pleased to be here. It’s a good group and a refreshing changing room environment.”
Symons, 26, is seen as a like-for-like replacement for departed Wales lock Bradley Davies.
“It’s a huge ask,” he added. “Bradley’s a world-class international lock and I don’t think I’m there yet in terms of that experience.
“There’s a hugely competitive locking department at Wasps so my only focus right now is to force my way into that matchday 23.
“Guys like Kearnan Myall, James Gaskell, James Cannon and Will Rowlands are all fit and raring to go, so the competition is fierce.
“I can’t afford to look too far ahead, first and foremost I’ve got to get into that 23 for the start of the season and then go on from there.”
Having previously starred for Waikato Chiefs in the faster-paced Super Rugby, Symons is relishing the high octane style of Wasps.
He said: “I played against them twice last season and my lungs were burning the most they’d done all year, probably bar Exeter.
“Wasps play a really exciting brand of rugby and that’s something that really drew me to the club.
“There’s a lot of responsibility to get the ball to our backline early and we’re already working really hard on that aspect of our game.
“It’s a similar to how Canterbury played in the ITM Cup, and the Chiefs definitely had a very attacking mindset in Super Rugby.
“The coaches at Wasps want us to use the ball from different parts of the field while keeping a balance and not going too far off the cuff.
“If the opportunity’s on we’ll look to take it and, hopefully, there’ll be some exciting rugby played up here in Coventry.”
While Symons plots a Premiership and England future, he insists he will still keep a close eye on Irish in this season’s Championship.
He added: “Looking at their new management set-up and squad, I’ve no doubt they’ll have a very strong year. Championship rugby is very competitive at the top and the play-off system means it all goes down to the wire, but I’m confident for them.
“I really did enjoy my time at Irish and I wish them well.”
NEALE HARVEY