Gareth Steenson hoping to bring curtain down on glittering career in style

A former Royal School Armagh pupil, the out-half went to Queen’s, had a stint with Dungannon, and spent time at Rotherham and the Cornish Pirates before moving to Devon where he has spent the last 12 years.

Steenson he has been instrumental in Exeter’s rise from a Championship side to Kings of Europe.

With another final to prepare for this afternoon the Chiefs players have had much time to celebrate the dramatic 31-27 victory over Racing 92 last weekend.

“We have had a few days training to get back up to speed but the talk has been pretty much about the Premiership Final,” said Steenson.

“I think once we play the Premiership Final and come out on the right side of that then we can really savour that we have done something big but the guys are walking around maybe an inch taller.

“We have trained really well this week, it is very unusual that we have played in a big final and came out the other side and been training the week after, so that is completely new to us so hopefully we can get it right this week which will really allow us to enjoy it after.

“Racing came at us the entire time, we were in good positions throughout the match and were always in the lead, the problem was we kept giving them wee ‘ins’ and the yellow card really put us under pressure, but it really just showed the fight the lads had right through to the end to get themselves into a position to win the match.

“Then Joe (Simmonds) knocked the kick over at the end with the whole debate (over) the best option with what was going on with the clock but it all worked out well in the end.”

Exeter face Wasps at Twickenham tonight - a repeat of the 2017 final when Steenson captained the Chiefs and kicked a late penalty to clinch a 23-20 victory.

“It is a fantastic way to go, get through this weekend; I am very fortunate that I have won every trophy I could possibly win in the club game, from the Championship, the Premiership Cup, the LV Cup, the Heineken Cup and the Premiership - it would be unbelievable to go off on a double,” said Steenson.

“It is something we have been hunting down and I’m really excited to see how we can go this weekend now that we know are playing Wasps.

“It will bring back memories of 2017 but it will be very different circumstances there will be nobody in the crowd.

“It is good it is Wasps, it’s good for the competition that the top two teams in the competition are getting to play in the final I think the biggest die hard Bristol fan would say the same thing.”

It has been a rag to riches story for Exeter, who 23 years ago were playing in the third tier of English rugby.

“From the top I do believe and even before I got to the club, Tony (Rowe, Chief Executive and Chairman) and the guys all sat down and said we want to be a top club in Europe at some stage,” Steenson continued.

“The best thing about the Chiefs and the journey? It was never something that had to happen straight away because that is just not realistic, it was very much a steady build, a steady growth, establish ourselves at each level and just keep continually growing, and that’s the thing for me being at the club for 12 years: it has always got better and it has never sat still.

“The thing about the Chiefs is to achieve the pinnacle of European Rugby and it still can get better is the most exciting thing about the group we have, that group is going to be together of the next three or four years and they can go and achieve special things.”

Steenson joined Exeter in 2008 and there was one attraction for joining the Devon club he couldn’t refuse.

“If I’m honest it was the airport to get me home. At the time my father had just passed away when I was down in Cornwell and when I got the chance to go to the Chiefs there was an airport five minutes from the ground, obviously that was just one thing.

“When you go to Sandy Park and look at it and the vision that was portrayed and given to you could see that it was a club that was going to move forward and it just seemed the be the right spot for me at the time coming off the back of my father passing away.

“It just seemed the prefect fit. There was an airport close, my mum and family could get over and see me, I could get home if I needed to and you could see even then there was an ambition in the club to go forward.”

A few Ulster players have turned up at Sandy Park, as Steenson noted.

“Paul McKenzie came over midway through the year we won the Championship and we have had a few Ulster boys there; John Andress, Lewis Stevenson and now obviously Ian (Whitten) is there, there has always been a good connection with Irish lads and it is always good to have a few similar accents around.”

Steenson says the time feels right to hang up the boots after a long and successful career.

“I’m at the point now where I am quite content with it, the head is willing to continue with it but at the end of the day, with what was achieved last weekend there is nothing else I can do in terms of club rugby.

“I can walk away it from it now content. I always said I’d love to walk away with the double and I feel there are a couple of Premiership titles we have not be fortunate enough to get and it would be great to finish as part of a double winning team.

“I have been very lucky to be part of a number of firsts for the club, be it the first Heineken Cup game or the first European game.

“At the point where I am coming 37 on my next birthday I’m in a very fortunate place being involved with the squad.”

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