Hooley pleased with first outing

By James Reid

Exeter Chiefs fly-half Will Hooley says he was pleased with his successful debut in his side's 41-38 triumph over Gloucester in the West Country Challenge Cup.

The summer signing from Northampton Saints admitted he was delighted to get his first taste of life in a Chiefs jersey - and by marking the outing with a hard fought success at Sandy Park

“It’s been a good few months now since I’ve played a game," said Hooley at the final whistle. "I’ve only actually been here for seven weeks, which isn’t that long, but it feels like I’ve been here a lot longer as the boys have really made me settle in well."

Indeed, Hooley quickly showed his talents to the watching Chiefs faithful, landing two penalties and two conversions during his second half showing.

He added: "For me the excitement is this new challenge of being here at Sandy Park with the Chiefs. I was itching just to get out there and put the shirt on, even in a pre-season game.

"Its good to get the first hit out and even though the end of the second half is a little bit disappointing, a win’s a win at the end of the day."

Hooley kicked a perfect four from four which eventually proved critical after Chiefs late breakdowns in defence allowed Gloucester to add gloss to the scoreline.

The young playmaker was one of nine debutants paraded by Rob Baxter who sent out completely different XV’s in each half in order to get as many players as possible crucial game time.

“We had a few new faces, including myself, so it was never going to be easy having two teams but I think everyone stuck at it. There were a few mistakes here and there, but there’s a lot to build on and a lot of positives to take forward.

"The season is still six weeks ahead, so were just focusing on the here and now. We know how hard it is and we know we're going to have to put a lot more work in in the next three pre-season games."

Next up for the Chiefs in the West Country Challenge Cup will be a home encounter against Bath on Saturday, September 19 (3pm) before they face back-to-back away days against Gloucester and Bath on October 3 and 10 respectively.

Baxter's side then head to Bath a week later (October 17) for their opening Aviva Premiership fixture of the season (2pm).

Already Hooley is relishing what lies ahead and is hoping he can continue to stake his claim for a key role within Exeter's future plans.

He continued: "We’ll watch the clips from the game, learn from our mistakes and go hard again in two weeks' time. Any player in rugby wants to win things, its important for us boys to get in winning habits and if that means winning silverware, even in pre-season, then happy days.

"For us it's a case of one step at a time, so the Gloucester game was a good win, but there is lots to work on ahead of Bath."

Tickets for the home encounter with Bath on September 19 can be booked online by clicking here