Exeter life suits Sio just fine

By Mark Stevens
28/1/23

Having been sold the dream of living overseas by a number of his fellow Aussies, Scott Sio insists his Exeter Chiefs adventure is already living up to expectation.

As the latest in a line of high-profile names to swap life ‘Down Under’ for that of the Westcountry, Sio insists his switch to pastures new is already reaping its rewards and he is excited at what the future holds here in Devon.

“I’d talk to a few people about the club, the city, the people before I came here and all I got was positive vibes,” he explained. “Having been here a few months now, it’s everything I thought it would be and more. Everyone has been so welcoming, the guys have been sound and the city itself is beautiful. From the get-go, I’ve been made to feel very welcome by everyone.”

The main purpose of Sio’s round the world switch, however, was to test himself in a new environment and with a club who share the same high ambitions that he holds himself.

“It’s different for sure,” he laughs. “The weather forces you to play a certain style of rugby up here and there is a big focus on set-piece. Luckily for me, I played with the Brumbies and we were called the boring team in Super Rugby because we only scored maul tries. The thing was, we won games, and that was the main thing.

“Coming here, though, it’s been good to test myself in a different way. Obviously, I had been here on tours in the past, but being here week by week, coming up against a different calibre of player, it’s been cool to challenge myself.”

Certainly Sio has settled well to life with the Chiefs, producing some notable displays in both the Gallagher Premiership and the Heineken Champions Cup, both competitions which the club will be looking to really attack over the coming weeks and months.

“Rob [Baxter] said to me, Super Rugby is more of a tournament, whereas the Premiership is a full-on season, which it is,” explained the 71-capped Wallaby. “Because the season is like that, the mindset changes and you have to play the long game. Every week here is a step towards an end goal and that’s something I’ve had to adjust to.

“That said, I’ve really enjoyed challenging myself in that way. Also, things like the bus trips home and being able to be back in your own bed that night after a game, it’s been a welcome addition.”

And it’s not just on the field where Sio is making a big impact, his close, daily work with a number of the club’s up-and-coming youngsters is also making a real impact.

It’s a role, however, that the Sydney-born forward is keen to take on, given his vast experience at both club and international level.

“If I can offer some advice to some of those younger guys, I’ll do that,” he said. “Coming here, I like how the young players are all in the main changing room with the rest of us. It can get a bit packed a bit messy at times, but it also allows you to build relationships with those boys - and it means that when they do come into the side, they are a lot more confident and comfortable having trained with us.”

One such example has been the rise of back-row forward Greg Fisilau who, as the youngest on the recent trip to South Africa, was tasked with looking after a toy baby at all times.

Sio, himself no stranger to trips around the Southern Hemisphere, said the tour itself had produced many positives.

“For a lot of the boys it was a new experience, living in each other’s pockets 24/7,” he said. “When you’re in Australia, you are not near anyone and you have to travel a fair bit. I thought I had left the South African teams behind when I came here, but it looks as though they have been a welcome addition to the Champions Cup.

“For us as a team, though, it was good to see how everyone interacted with one another. It was different to what they are normally used to, but it’s those kind of trips that help to really bond teams and that can be something you use further down the line.”