Chiefs are ready to adapt - Whitten

By Howard Lloyd

Ian Whitten has revealed that Exeter Chiefs will play a slightly different style of rugby this season as they try to crack the Premiership's top four.

The 28-year-old back and his teammates are going through the final stages of their first block of pre-season training before enjoying a two-week break.

That initial block has seen them putting into practice some new techniques being introduced by the club's coaching staff.

And with 10 weeks still to go before the start of the Premiership season, Whitten thinks that time will be vital as they put those new lessons into practice.

"There are always things you can add or improve and we've been looking to do that. If you rest on your laurels then you are sunk – you just go backwards," said the former Ulster player.

"Changing the way we play a wee bit and working on things in contact are the kind of things we have been working on recently.

"We are pretty good fitness-wise. Skills-wise and rugby-wise there are a few things we still need to touch up on.

"It's going to take a wee while for all of that to bed in and get used to different ways of doing things, so we are just keeping up the repetition so it is natural for us at the start of the season."

Whitten's comments echoed those of assistant coach Ali Hepher, who said just two weeks ago that sides in the Premiership had to evolve their style of play simply to maintain their levels of the previous season.

The 2014/15 campaign also saw Rob Baxter's side not only lose the LV= Cup final, but also miss out to eventual champions Saracens on points difference for the fourth semi-final berth.

And while Whitten admits there were bright spots, the disappointment of coming so close to a top-four finish has still not worn off.

"Last season was good in a way but overall it was very disappointing to miss out (on the top four) by one point," he conceded.

"At the end of the day, the table doesn't lie. We may have only missed out by one point but we still finished fifth, so we aren't quite top four yet.

"Our goals are fairly similar in that we are there or thereabouts – we are not too far away, but we just have to try and knock the level of play on that tiny bit.

"It is important we stay in the top six but we also have to keep aiming higher and be focused on improving to get that extra edge."

As for his own goals this season, the versatile Whitten said he just wanted to play, whether that was on the wing like much of last season, or in his more accustomed position of centre.

He said: "I just want to be on the pitch and be playing, whether it is centre or wing. Centre is more what I am used to, but as my career has gone on I've learned how to play on the wing.

"The way the club plays, it doesn't really matter if you are 13 or 14 – there isn't much difference because you can still get involved out on the wing.

"Me and Jack (Nowell) sort of swapped over for a wee while but it is however Ali sees it really and how he wants us to do it. It is up to him, we just have to do our best for him and the club."