Opportunity knocks for Low

By Nick Warren

Moray Low wants to make the most of every chance he gets with Exeter Chiefs now that he is back to full fitness.

The Scotland international played the first 40 minutes of the Sandy Park outfit’s opening pre-season clash with Gloucester.

That was his first taste of action for five months, after injuring a hamstring in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final at home against Newcastle in early April.

Having come through unscathed, he wants to show the coaches he is not only fit but also able to play the way they want him to as he battles for the tighthead spot in Tomas Francis’ absence.

Low said: “It was a while since the Newcastle game but I’ve done well with the physio and rehab staff getting fit, and there was a bit of time in the off-season staying in and working an extra six weeks while the boys were on holiday so that I could be ready for the start of pre-season.

“It was quite lonely then, but to be back training with the boys was good fun and to be pushing to get out and do what I want to do, which is play rugby.

“It was good to be back playing. The lungs were obviously blowing a bit but so was everyone else. There were a few things to work on, we were a bit rusty in places, but there were some positives as well so we’re quite happy to build on that.”

Low and his team-mates have three more warm-up matches – two against Bath and one against Gloucester – to prove their worth before the Aviva Premiership opener against Bath on October 17.

And the 30-year-old said the players’ performances in training would also count towards selection.

“You’ve got the pre-season games and the training we do, and when we get an opportunity to run moves or have live scrums I’ve got to do my bread and butter,” he said. “If I do that, in training or matches, you’ll be likely to be playing in the Premiership and other matches.”

Low joined the Chiefs last summer from Glasgow and was a regular in the matchday squad before injuring an ankle against London Irish in January.

He featured four more times after working his way back to fitness, before seeing his season ended early with hamstring trouble.

And Low admitted it was difficult to have to work hard to get back to fitness over the summer.

“It’s a tough thing – you feel you’re getting somewhere then you pick up an injury and it knocks you down a bit and you have to build it back up again and get going again,” he said. “It’s different to other types of jobs but it’s like that in sport and part of the job. These things happen, it’s about rehabbing quickly and getting back safely and enjoying it when you’re back playing.”

Low was not alone as he put in hours of hard work to get back to full fitness, with the likes of Jack Yeandle and Kai Horstmann doing extra work after going under the knife at the end of the season.

He said that helped his recovery as the other players could help lighten the mood.

“It was good to have a couple of other guys to work with, you’d rather be working with people rather then by yourself,” he said. “It’s a team environment so if you’re rehabbing by yourself it can make it quite hard, it’s not what we’re used to. When there are other guys there you can work off each other and have a bit of fun while making sure you’re working hard.”