there a dark horse in your opinion? NE: It's tough to say this early in the season. It is hard to go past the usual suspects for the Premiership...Leicester, Northampton and Saracens but I am sure the other clubs will have something to say about that. In the Heineken Cup there are some tough groups but I would expect the usual faces to be there...Leinster, Toulouse, Munster etc however it will be great to see how Exeter go in their first taste of Heineken Cup. DT: Yes Exeter certainly were a joy to watch last year; both for their quality and their flawless attitude on the pitch. As an Exeter man myself I can say that the region was proud of their efforts. Your coach, Conor O'Shea, declared that last season's victorious campaign was 'forged by spirit' too, during the aftermath of the Aviva Premiership final and was very vocal in his praise, both for the players and previous Director of Rugby, Dean Richards. What qualities do you think Conor himself brings to the table though? NE: Conor has a big influence on us as a group. Probably the most influence comes from our values and how we run as a club, not only on the field but more importantly off the field. A lot of responsibility is given to the players to make decisions on and off the field. Conor is definitely a more positive Director of Rugby but does not take fools lightly and demands excellence and a