Honeyben joins Exeter
James Honeyben has joined Exeter on a one-month loan from National One side Blackheath.
Honeyben was once a main part of the London Wasps Academy system and has been brought in as cover for Garrick Cowley and Junior Poluleuligaga who are both suffering with injury.
Honeyben has played virtually his whole career for Wasps before joining Blackheath this summer and then Exeter on loan. He should have very little trouble fitting in with the way of Premiership life.
Honeyben has a high number of skills and attributes that will see him do very well during the month he's at Exeter. However, it will be difficult for the player to have a huge impact when he knows he'll
only be at a club for a short amount of time.
Skills and attributes
Honeyben is very strong and physically imposing, which makes him an ideal player in the scrum-half position. He can get stuck in against a very aggressive opposition but has the ability to be a little
more creative when necessary.
He is a superb passer of the ball, which is important at any time on a rugby field. He can lay off the ball to someone close by, who can go for a try, or he can play a longer pass or kick forwards for
someone to run onto the ball.
He will be fired up by this move because he may have feared that his Premiership days were over. Leaving Wasps is not something that would have been easy and he will be very determined to make the most
of this deal with Exeter.
Exeter head coach Rob Baxter said: "James was available, he has good pedigree and we are happy to give him an opportunity to show us what he has got. We have signed him for a month on a short-term loan
deal to help us cover the injuries we are having with a couple of our scrum-halves. Junior still has a slight hamstring problem and we are unsure how Garrick will come through for this weekend, so we have moved quickly."
Some restrictions
Some will argue that a
loan deal will not give Honeyben enough time to have a serious impact at the club. It is also quite clear that he has only joined Exeter as cover and isn't part of the club's long-term plans.
This means that when Honeyben plays for the club, there is a good chance that he won't display the performance levels and determination that many expect. This is because there's no light at the end of
the tunnel because the player will leave in four weeks.
Honeyben added: "I know I'm being thrown in at the deep end, but it's what you do it for. I spent six years at Wasps. It's not going to be a new experience, it's just something I am looking forward to."
Betting advice
Honeyben has too much Premiership experience to let this chance pass him by. He should be very determined to make the most of this four week deal. His presence in Exeter's team will make the side much
harder to break down and beat.
He could occasionally get forward when he plays for Exeter and score a few tries. Don't be afraid to have a punt on him scoring in any game because he has the skill and quality to do so.
Exeter are looking a little stronger with each week that passes. The odds on Exeter staying up are shortening all the time so have a punt on the South West club staying in the Premiership.
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