Dream start for Arnott

By Mark Stevens

Even in his wildest dreams, it's unlikely Jack Arnott thought his Aviva Premiership debut for Exeter Chiefs would have turned out as it did.

The 21-year-old had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes when he plucked Will Chudley's hanging kick from the grasp of London Welsh's Seb Stegmann with his very first touch to score his maiden top flight try.

Arnott's try was one of seven the visiting Chiefs produced during a ruthless 52-0 opening day victory against the newly-promoted Exiles at the Kassam Stadium.

For Arnott, though, just to be involved with the first team after what seemed an age of rehab on a shoulder injury was something he was keen to savour whatever the outcome.

Arnott said: “I couldn’t ask for much more, that’s for sure. It was a fantastic performance all round and to get a try and make my debut made it a sensational day.”

The young Plymothian was one of nine debutants for the Chiefs on Sunday, with Thomas Waldrom (2) and Chrysander Botha also marking the occasion with tries. The other scores came from Dave Ewers, Sam Hill and Ian Whitten, with Gareth Steenson and Henry Slade kicking the rest of the points.

Following a strong pre-season, Arnott has made the most of injuries to fellow wingers Jack Nowell, Tom James and Fetu’u Vainikolo to get himself firmly in the mindset of head coach Rob Baxter ahead of the new season.

“It’s obviously a really good pat on the back, but I think it shows the level of training that has been put in over pre-season,” said Arnott, who is also dual registered with hometown club Plymouth Albion.

“Injuries have helped me to be here. You don’t wish an injury on anyone, but I think I’m fortunate enough to be in this position and I’ve got to make very chance count. I think Sunday went pretty well so it’s a case now of pushing forward with that.”

And whilst the mood within the Chiefs camp was euphoric following Sunday's success, Arnott and his team-mates know this weekend's visit of Leicester Tigers to the new-look Sandy Park will provide a much stiffer test for the Devonians.

“We were all ecstatic come the end," added Arnott. “To go away from home and put 50 points plus on a team is fantastic, but we know it was only week one. We’ve got a big game this week so heads are staying level.”

Meanwhile, Baxter himself has praised the way Arnott slotted into the team, having had his chances limited over recent seasons due to injuries.

“Jack has had quite a frustrating period for a little while due to on and off injuries and not being able to put a long run of matches together and get really up to speed and feel comfortable with everything,” said Baxter. “He did a bit for us in pre-season and on Sunday he fitted straight in and came up with a really good play, and after that he was very sound defensively as well.

“There’s a lot of good points to these lads. They work extremely hard and I’m a big believer that they get what they deserve. The guys who tend to be the most professional, work the hardest and are most diligent tend to be the ones who come through. Jack was ready to go when he had an opportunity. His battle now is to make sure he performs at a level where he gets plenty of opportunities.”