Dean Mumm, an Aussie ‘old-timer’ who became a young Chief

Dean Mumm, at 28, should be reaching his peak as a second row, but in Australian terms he has already been thrown onto the international scrap-heap.
With 33 Wallaby caps, Mumm, right, arrived in Exeter last week as the first international from the Southern Hemisphere’s big three to sign for the Chiefs.
The former Waratahs second row has not featured internationally since 2010 and cites the impact of George Smith and David Lyons – who made their Test bows at 19 and 20 respectively – for the short shelf-life in Australia. And in the current squad that rings true with Robbie Deans already turning to young trio Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons and Sitaleki Timani as the future in the Wallabies engine room.
But Mumm – who is younger than every England lock in the EPS bar Courtney Lawes – insists he is relishing the prospect of being regarded as a young buck in the Premiership.
He said: “The way we are treated in Australia is very different to over here. It probably stems from the success of people like George, David and Phil (Waugh).
“They all came into Test rugby at 19 or 20 and took to it straightaway so since then there has always been this idea that younger is better.
“It’s definitely true that bringing fresh blood into a team injects some new impetus but whether it’s the right policy or not, I don’t know.
“Up in the Northern Hemisphere the attitude is obviously very different so it’s up to me to prove that I have a lot to offer. I’ve had a chance to look around the club a bit now and it was really the spirit in the squad that appealed when I first signed.
“I hadn’t come up here but I had a chat with Rob Baxter and some of the guys who I know have played here like Chris Malone.
“Exeter are obviously a new club for guys down in Australia, they maybe weren’t really on the radar a couple of years ago. But what I’ve been really impressed with is that they have had to fight and they’ve really earned everything they have got.”
While Mumm has not featured for the Wallabies in nearly two years, his contract with the ARU meant that he was still required to be on standby for the Rugby Championship.
Although Australia still have two games to go in the tournament, Mumm managed to negotiate an early release in order to join up with his new teammates sooner than expected.
And while he admits he is still a little short of fitness, he is desperate to get a taste of Premiership action as quickly as possible.
He added: “I don’t think I was ever actually in with a shot of playing for Australia this year but with my contract I had to stay for a little bit longer.
“It’s great that I’ve been able to get up here a bit earlier than planned so that I can start training with the guys.
“Super Rugby finished a long time ago now so I think I’m going to be pretty rusty. I’ll definitely need a few more games under my belt before I’m at my best.
“Coming overseas is something I’ve really wanted to do for a long time. It wasn’t a reactive decision to no longer being part of the Wallabies’ plans.
“It would have been nice to end it a little better – we didn’t have a great season with the Waratahs this year in terms of results – but now I’m here and I’m just excited to get going.”
PAUL EDDISON