Gallagher Premiership side the Exeter Chiefs are in the midst of a mightily impressive rebuild under long term Director of Rugby Rob Baxter.
Pretty much starting from scratch as the club ushered out most of it’s Premiership and Champions Cup winning stars ahead of last season, the Chiefs shocked many in the rugby world by surging to the Champions Cup semi-finals.
Ending their Premiership season six points adrift of a semi-final spot combined with their quarterfinal loss away to eventual champions Toulouse was a good return for the young side.
Now a year further into their development, the Chiefs have added some necessary reinforcements as they look to push towards the top four in the Premiership and deeper into the Champions Cup.
One such player is former London Irish and Ealing prop Will Goodrick-Clarke.
The 28-year-old was a mainstay in the Exiles squad before their collapse and is now looking to once again make his mark on the Premiership.
Discussing his move to Exeter, Goodrick-Clarke said, “I am relishing the chance to get back out there, play in these big games, and see what I can contribute to this Chiefs team.”
At 6’1″ and 124kg, the loosehead is no shrinking violet and will bring even more physicality to an already strong Exeter pack.
In addition to Goodrick-Clarke his former Ealing front row teammate Jimmy Roots has joined the squad. Roots who is the younger brother of backrow Ethan, is equally impressive in stature at 6’2″ and 126kg.
Now firmly into their pre-season program, the Chiefs released a sneak preview of the power that Goodrick-Clarke possesses.
In the midst of a gym session, the prop can be seen dumbbell bench pressing two 70kg DBs for reps! For anyone who has ever lifted a weight they will know this is a monstrous effort from the big man.
Joining the likes of Taniela Tupou and Andrew Porter in sharing his training footage, Goodrick-Clarke sent out a reminder that front rowers are up there with some of the most powerful athletes in the world.
From 62s to 70s 😤
First Chiefs pre-season going strong for WGC 💪#JointheJourney | #PreSeason24 https://t.co/3qXlwAHs4X pic.twitter.com/BofS4yPsjn
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) August 12, 2024
In addition to the clip of Goodrick-Clarke, the Chiefs have produced some epic videos of their pre-season training.
One such video showed the players training with highly trained Marines in what is a real display of what it takes to even get your foot in the door at the top level.
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