Hawkins can't wait to get going

AS one of Exeter’s new kids on the block, Joe Hawkins says the Chiefs are bang on track as they ready themselves for the demands of the upcoming Gallagher Premiership season.

- MARK STEVENS

The Welsh sensation was Rob Baxter’s high-profile capture of the summer, swapping life in the Principality for that of Devon and a new start at Sandy Park.

However, the 21-yearold insists he’s taking things ‘step by step’ as he looks to acquaint himself with the inner workings of the Chiefs, who themselves have made no secret of the fact they are laying the foundations for a next golden generation of talent to shine.

Hawkins’ early arrival, having been surprisingly omitted from Warren Gatland’s Wales squad for the Rugby World Cup, has meant the Swansea-born star has not only been able to put the disappointment of not heading across the English Channel to the back of his mind but, more importantly, settle into his new surroundings .

“It’s been amazing so far, if not a little bit different to what I was used to,” said the former Ospreys starlet. “It’s the first time I’ve lived away from home, but having to fend for myself and do things that I perhaps didn’t have to in the past, it’s helped me massively.