Sam Simmonds: British and Irish Lions forward says he can have a 'big impact' on tour
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Sam Simmonds began the season with an opening-day hat-trick at Harlequins and is three tries off equalling the Premiership record of 17 in a single season
Sam Simmonds says he can make "a big impact" after being selected for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa.
Simmonds, 26, has not played for England since March 2018.
He is on track to break the Premiership try-scoring record for a single season and is the European player of the year.
"I might not have the amount of carries as some of the bigger players, but I feel like every time I do touch the ball it's an effective carry," he said.
"Whether it's in wide channels or full traffic, it's not just bulldozing my way through, it's finding other ways of beating defenders and gaining metres.
"I'm not just a ball carrier and a try-scorer, my tackle numbers are up there throughout the Premiership this year and I think on both sides of the ball I can have a big impact."
His work at Exeter has been renowned since he burst on to the scene in 2017 when he famously scored a last-minute try as they beat Saracens in the Premiership semi-final before beating Wasps for their first title.
"That ability to get you over the gain line and get you moving forward quickly is probably second to none in the Premiership at the moment and he still doesn't get the credit for the quality of his defensive work," said Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter.
"He's not a soak-up tackler. He's a guy that gets off the line and stops people and you can see that on a regular basis - what his speed allows him to do is make tackles that no other forward makes.
"There's lots there to like, but you've got to look at those positive attributes and you've got to use them in your team, and if you use them then it means he's the guy you get on the ball."
Simmonds' two tries for England both came in a 46-15 win over Italy in the 2018 Six Nations
Despite Simmonds' prolific try-scoring numbers - he has scored 15 in all competitions this season to add to the 19 he got last season when Exeter won domestic and European titles - he has not been able to find a way into England boss Eddie Jones' plans.
"I guess it's just a matter of opinion. I'm sure there are other pundits and other things that don't see why I should be in the England team," said Simmonds.
"There's been more chat between me and the other coaches at England about what I can do and the potential of joining up.
"With the Six Nations and how the world is at the moment and bringing people in, I guess they had to stick to the squad they first selected and people might not understand that.
"I'm not the only back-row or number eight playing good rugby. You look around the boys who are actually involved, someone like Tom Curry is a nailed-on Lions tourist, so there are players playing well as well."
Lions picks show Exeter's continued progress
Exeter's Luke Cowan-Dickie (left) and Jonny Hill (right) have been picked for the British and Irish Lions, but Henry Slade (centre) has missed out on selection
Simmonds is one of four Exeter players to be named in Warren Gatland's squad, with Luke Cowan-Dickie joined by Scotland captain Stuart Hogg and England second-row Jonny Hill.
The selections are another indication of how the club has risen over the past decade.
They only won promotion to the top flight for the first time in 2010 and won their first Premiership title in 2017, while four years ago Jack Nowell became the first-ever Exeter player to be picked for a Lions tour.
"It's another one of those little steps that we've always wanted to take as a club," said Baxter.
"Getting in the Premiership was a huge one, getting international players has been fantastic for us and getting a number of players in the Lions would show not just the success of individual players, which is nice, it shows the success of the club and where we want to go and being on an upward trajectory.
"You want to show other players that if you come and work hard at Exeter, or if you're an academy player at Exeter, that the world really is your oyster.
"International rugby and playing for the British Lions, they are genuinely achievable if you come to this club - and those are fantastic things for us to be able to show."
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