Higgins looks for new start in Exeter
Exeter's Andrew Higgins says he is chomping at the bit to start the new domestic season as he looks to make up for the disappointment he suffered during his time at Bath.
The former Bath man said he seriously considered walking away from the game when he felt he was given an overly-harsh ban of nine months for missing two drugs tests.
His reputation took a huge battering within the community and he said that he was starting to doubt whether he would ever get the chance to play at the highest level ever again.
He seems to have a renewed ambition and determination to do well at his new club. Needless to say he was immediately relieved of his contract at Bath and ever since it seems that there has been a huge gap within this player that he can now fill with Exeter.
Revitalisation
The chance to play Premiership rugby again is something that Higgins would not have been expecting. It is clear that this thought really got him down while he was banned from the game and it's also clear that it still haunts him today.
He can turn these feelings into something positive because he is surely going to lift his performance levels in every game he now plays for Exeter. He is determined to make the most of a situation that he never thought he was going to get back and this is something the club need him to do if they are going to have any chance of staying up next season.
Higgins plays at centre and this will mean that he will be at the very heart of the action most of the team. He can get really stuck in and will have a smile on his face regardless of the match situation. This can prove to be something very positive for Exeter next season.
Prove Wrong
Higgins has said that he wants to prove everyone who ever doubted him and his ability wrong. The player will get a chance to run out against Bath in front of Bath fans who may have called him every name under the sun. He can use this chance to prove them wrong and show Bath that they were wrong to let him go.
However, this depends on him getting into the side and staying in the side because Exeter are shaping up to have a very competitive playing squad next season. The point is though that this is the one game that Higgins will want to play in more than any other.
It will cause him to raise his performance and playing levels much higher than any amount of personal heartache or determination can do. It would be no surprise at all if he runs out at Bath and plays the game of his life in front of a very hostile crowd who thought they would never see him on their pitch again.
Advice
Higgins does not play in an area of the pitch, which will allow him to burst forward and score a lot of tries and points. He will get on the scoreboard occasionally but he will be used more in a defensive role to break up the play. Remember this before you decide to start betting huge sums on him.
Exeter's chances of staying up seem to improve by the week and if you can get good odds on them doing so then snap the bet up. They seem like a very determined club with very determined players. They worked hard to get where they are and this should be proved again next season.
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