One lock back, one lock waiting
Rob Baxter has two second rows recovering from the same operation, and only one of them will be ready when Exeter open their season.
Dafydd Jenkins and Andrea Zambonin both had shoulder surgery over the summer. The timing is what separates them. Jenkins went under the knife straight after the Gallagher PREM final defeat to Northampton Saints, which cost him Wales’ summer tests against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa but bought him a head start on his rehabilitation. Zambonin only had his operation once he had returned from the Nations Championship with Italy.
Baxter expects Jenkins to be available for the Premiership opener against Gloucester on 26 September. Zambonin will not be.
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Who fills the gap
“Dafydd Jenkins should be there or thereabouts for the start of the Premiership season, which is fantastic for us,” Baxter said. He was blunter about the Italian: “Zambo will be a bit behind.” The Exeter boss expects him back after the autumn window, meaning a full opening block of fixtures missed.
That block matters more than the phrase makes it sound. Exeter reached last season’s final by beating Bath at the Recreation Ground by a single point in the semi, the sort of margin that gets decided in September as much as in June. Dropping results early in a 10-team table is expensive.
Harry Wilson has caught Baxter’s eye through preseason. Obinna Nkwocha is being reintroduced on a slower curve after an Achilles problem. Lewis Pearson brings a stack of Premiership minutes to the same conversation.
An opening for the younger carriers
Baxter also pointed at Joe Bailey and Oscar Beckerleg. Both get preseason game time, and both know what is on offer if it goes well.
“There’ll be a weight on these guys’ shoulders to fill those voids,” Baxter said, before framing the whole thing as part of a longer project rather than a patch over two injured internationals. Exeter have leaned on that argument for a few seasons now, and a squad that lost a final by one game and won a semi by one point has a reasonable case for keeping faith in it.
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