Armand expects more from Chiefs

Fresh from giving European champions Toulon a scare on their home patch, Exeter Chiefs back row Don Armand insists there is no limit to what the Aviva Premiership club can achieve.

Armand, who joined the Devon club this summer after spells with Western Province and the Stormers, believes the set up down in the Westcountry compares favourably with anything he has seen.

Certainly on the pitch the Chiefs have hardly taken a backwards step since earning promotion to the Premiership in 2010.

The past two weekends are testament to that with Rob Baxter's side claiming a bonus point in the 14-9 home Heineken Cup defeat by Toulon before Armand's converted score put the Chiefs ahead last weekend in a match the French side eventually won 32-20.

And as they prepare to return to Aviva Premiership action, with Newcastle Falcons the visitors on Saturday, Armand believes there is more to come.

"I only joined in the summer but for a lot of the fans and the players who have been here longer I could sense how big it was to have a team like Toulon come here," said Armand. "It's a great club with the way it is run, very professional and like all of the top clubs.

"In the summer I did a lot of research when I had the offers and people spoke very highly of Exeter. You can look at Exeter as an up and coming club still but they haven't reached their peak yet, there is still a long way they can go. At the moment we're still losing the tight games, sometime we're not getting the calls, but that's something we can improve on. The way the club is set up there is a lot of hunger to go further."

Armand's own ambitions certainly match up to the Chiefs', with the Harare-born, South African-educated back row admitting he is keen to break into the England set-up.

First the 25-year-old must nail down a starting spot for his new club but having made three starts off the bench in the Aviva Premiership so far he's happy to go at his own pace.

"It's a case of slowly getting to know all the systems and tactics and once you do that it means you can play for the team rather than just yourself," added Armand. "I came over to play in England and go as far as I can in my rugby career. Hopefully that means becoming part of the England set-up and that is something I aspire to but I've got quite a lot to do before I can really think about that.

"It was a new challenge for me to come over and a new experience as well and I've really enjoyed it so far."