Hooley gets to grips with Exeter life

By Nick Warren

Will Hooley says he is getting to grips with the way Exeter Chiefs play after just a few days of pre-season training.

The Sandy Park outfit returned to duty last week, with the 21-year-old fly-half one of a host of summer signings to join the action in Topsham.

As well as using the three months of pre-season to get in the best condition possible, the former Northampton playmaker also has to get to grips with the club’s calls and patterns.

Backs coach Ali Hepher has chatted to the former England under-20s player about his role, and the new arrivals had a meeting about Exeter’s playing style when they turned up for training last week.

And Hooley is already starting to feel comfortable with the way the Chiefs go about things.

“As soon as I came to the club, Ali brought me over and talked me through a few things,” he said. “We had a meeting with the new players early in the week to go through calls and systems. It is different from Northampton where I came from, but you pick things up quickly and we’ve had a few sessions to get into patterns and I feel pretty comfortable working with the guys already.

“It’s still going to take time, there’s no doubt about that, it’s only been a few days, but things make sense to me. I’m going to knuckle down hard, study the playbook and not get too carried away with things.”

Hooley said his introduction into the way Exeter play has been helped by the fact the coaches introduced the ball from the start of pre-season training.

“I think as players we love it when there’s variety in pre-season,” he said. “We know you have those gym-based sessions when you’re lifting weights, and then you have sessions when you’re running around, on a cycling machine and rowing machine because you’ve got to work on your fitness, but ultimately you want to get the ball involved and work on your skills.

“It’s the time of the year when you’re as fresh as you can be and it’s a great opportunity to learn, especially the skills-based things – passing, typical techniques and kicking.

“We’ve been getting the ball involved early on our anaerobic games and the boys thrive off that, knowing their going outside not just to run from cone to cone but also play some rugby.”

Hooley has moved in with former England under-20s teammates Sam Hill and Alec Hepburn, the latter having joined the Chiefs in January.

And he said living with people he knows so well has helped him settle into life in Devon a lot quicker.

“I’ve moved in with Sam Hill, who I know from the under-20s, so that made it easy to come down,” he said. “I’ve settled in really quickly at home, living with Sam and Alec Hepburn, and it helps being in an environment off the pitch that you feel comfortable.

“I came down about a month ago to bring my stuff in but been here properly for two weeks now, walking around the city to get to know the place. As a youngster, it’s been really useful for me to go and have a look at a different place and meet different people and I’m enjoying it so far.”