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Giant 132kg England prop tired of 'Championship player' tag

By Online Editors
Harry Williams

Harry Williams insists Exeter Chiefs can ill afford to dwell on the disappointment of defeat in May’s Premiership Final against Saracens.

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Instead, the 6’4, 132kg England international believes he and his team-mates must instead use that loss as ‘fuel to the fire’ as the Devon club look ahead to the new 2018/19 campaign.

The new season kicks-off in less than a month on September 1 against Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park and the 26-year-old is aiming to be part and parcel of Rob Baxter’s mix as they look to wrestle back their title crown from the Londoners.

“Last season has been parked,” said Williams. “Whenever you lose big games, especially finals, it’s always going to hurt, both individually and collectively. That said, you can’t dwell on the past, instead you’ve got to use it as fuel to the fire and push on and improve.

“We’ve talked in pre-season a lot about what we want to do and how we’ll go about it, but now it’s down to all of us to follow that through. Ultimately, we want to improve as individuals, but we also want to be a top team in England and in Europe.”

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Unlike many of his Exeter team-mates, Williams is a number of weeks behind in terms of pre-season preparations, having been part of Eddie Jones’ England squad that toured South Africa.

The talented tight-head featured in all three Test matches, which the Springboks won 2-1, and was encouraged by how he performed having sat out the latter part of last season due to injury.

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“Obviously we were disappointed to lose the tour, but personally I felt I went alright,” he added. “Personally, I was happy to just get back out there and playing rugby again. There’s always stuff to work on, but I did a few good actions and I felt I came back in good order.”

Williams was joined on the tour by club-mates Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sam Simmonds, Alec Hepburn and Jonny Hill, all of whom are also working their way up to full fitness ahead of the new season.

“We’ve all been eased in nicely over the last few weeks, but as the season gets closer I’m sure things will start to ramp up a fair bit as we get closer to the start of the league,” said Williams.

Harry Williams
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However, watching on closely, the former Jersey prop says he’s encouraged by what he has seen of his Chiefs team-mates so far this pre-season. Although the real action starts next week with pre-season fixtures against the Cornish Pirates and Cardiff Blues on successive days.

“I think if you went into any club, they’d all say things are going well and looking good at the moment,” said Williams. “This is when everyone is training hard, getting themselves in good nick and generally getting ready for the new season.

“The real test, I believe, is when it’s dark, cold and wet, that’s when you have to dig in and put in a decent string of games. Right now, it’s easy to be motivated, but that will only get you so far. It’s that discipline and willingness to work that will carry you on further.

“Having been here a few years now, I know how hard the guys here are willing to work. Personally, I’m probably more motivated now than when I first arrived at the club, simply because I feel I can have a real positive effect on the team.

“At that time, it was all new to me, but over the last three years we’ve all improved, both as individuals and as a team, and has some great experiences along the way. As players you want to be playing at the top level and in the big games and the way to do that is by being consistent and focusing fully on your game.”

Indeed, it’s been a remarkable rise for Williams, who arrived in the summer of 2015 having spent the season before with Championship side Jersey. In his three years in Devon, not only has he established himself as a key cog in Exeter’s front-row, but his on-field displays have, quite rightly, seen him rewarded with international honours.

Having made his England debut on the summer tour to Argentina in 2017, he has seen gone on to win 10 Test caps.

Some observers, however, still feel Williams is a relative rookie on the big stage, a claim quickly dispelled by the likeable Londoner.

“I think I’ll have to get a testimonial here before people stop referring to me as a Championship player,” he said. “I’ve been here three years now and I think that’s about time to say the apprenticeship is over.

“Yes, I’m proud to have said I’ve come up through the ranks of the Championship to playing international rugby – and it’s definitely made me better as a player and a person. Now, I want to push on. I don’t want it to be a cape I have to wear in my career.

“As I said, looking around the squad, everyone looks strong and you can see there is real competition amongst the guys. At the same time, I think we can go into this new season with a real, fresh approach and that you’ll see a new and improved Exeter Chiefs, which is exactly what we want to do.”

Source: Premiership Rugby

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Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

18 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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