Steenson calls time on stellar Chiefs career

It’s the place where dreams were forged, victories were celebrated, and where bonds were formed that transcended the boundaries of mere team-mates.

Now, as the sun dips below the horizon, casting its golden glow upon the stadium, Steenson know it’s time to bid farewell to the club he has given his all to.

The memorable journey began long ago, when the young Ulsterman with a passion for rugby crossed over the Irish Sea, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

Having impressed many with his promising talent for both Rotherham Titans and then the Cornish Pirates, little did the Dungannon-born playmaker know that he would become a legend in the annals of Exeter Chiefs’ history.

Through the highs and lows, the triumphs and the setbacks, Steenson has always remained a steadfast pillar of strength for those around him, his leadership on and off the field guiding them through the storm.

However, the time has come for Exeter’s all-time points-scorer to now head home and take on the next challenge with wife Karen and their two sons, Oscar and William.

“I’ve had a great journey and one which I’ve been very fortunate to be on both sides,” said Steenson. “I’ve been in the changing room, I’ve been in the coaches office, I’ve seen it from all different angles.

“Along the way, I’ve met some great people, on the pitch, off the pitch, but for me I think the time is right to move on and look at other opportunities and different things in different fields.”

However, calling time with the Chiefs, a club where he had won a European Champions Cup, two Premiership titles and three Premiership Rugby Cups, one of which was as a coach, was by no means an easy decision to make.

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“It was tough, we’ve been back and forth about this for quite a long time,” added Steenson. “I’d say probably over the last 18 months we’ve talked about the potential of moving back home and we’ve talked about that at great lengths, especially around the kids and the opportunities they are going to get.

“It’s been soul-searching because Exeter’s been a big part of my life, especially my adult life, and it’s given me so many great memories and great opportunities, so I’ll forever be grateful for that, the people like Tony Rowe, Rob Baxter, everyone at the club and, of course, the supporters, who have been amazing.”

It’s all a far cry from when Steenson was released by Ulster Rugby as a youngster and left to wonder just exactly where his rugby career would take him next.

His next move was not in Ireland, far from it, instead it was heading to Clifton Lane in Rotherham, a tough Yorkshire outpost that Steenson did not know a huge amount about prior to his switch.

“Rotherham was a strange one,” smiles Steenson. “At the time, I wasn’t getting the opportunities I was hoping for back home. I had been to two Under-20s World Cups and was coming through the Ulster Academy. Then, the decision was made, I was being released and my world just fell apart at the time.

“A coach called Andre Bester, who was part of the Belfast Harlequins at the time had always wanted me to join them, so when he moved to Rotherham, that’s when the opportunity came up and he said to me if you’re not getting a chance there, come over and play rugby with me.”

Having never really ventured too far from home, it was somewhat of a seismic decision for Steenson to make at the time.

“It was difficult because I was leaving home for the first time, but also my father had just been diagnosed with cancer and my brother had just got married, so a lot of people were moving out of the house. That said, I always wanted to try to get that opportunity to play a professional sport and I saw it as an opportunity to go and do that.”

Steenson was a virtual ever-present in the Titans line-up, helping himself to 264 points in his one and only season with the club. His on-field prowess had been duly noted by others and in the summer of 2007 he made the switch to Cornwall, teaming up with the Pirates who were keen to replace their own master craftsman, Alberto Di Bernardo, who was moving in the opposite direction to Leeds Carnegie.

Again, Steenson settled well into his new surroundings and would amass another 290 points during a stellar season in the Duchy.

“The Pirates were fantastic for me,” he said. “Like Rotherham, they looked after me incredibly well. It’s well documented, though, it was whilst I was in Cornwall that my father passed away. The last game he listened to ironically was the Pirates beating Exeter.

“I really enjoyed my time when I was there and I got to play some fantastic rugby and it definitely gave me an opportunity to move on with my career.”

Indeed it did, as just up the A30, the Exeter Chiefs were quietly assembling the cream of National League talent under then coach, Pete Drewett.

“When I came to Exeter I was under no illusions how hard I would have to work,” continued Steenson. “I think there was something like 45, 50 senior players here, all with the aim of getting us promoted into the Premiership.

“We had about three or four players in each position. Again, it was a big decision to make for me, but it made sense because there was a vision, an opportunity, there was also an airport nearby, so it was an easy transition for me to get family back and forth.

“Even then, I still had ambitions to go back and play for Ulster and play for Ireland. I just didn’t know how things were going to play out for me – or what was going to happen with the Chiefs, but I’m obviously delighted how that went in the end.”

Although Drewett failed to get the Chiefs promoted, his successor, Rob Baxter, would go one better, capped by a magical night in the rain at Bristol’s Memorial Stadium, where Steenson delivered a kicking masterclass.

“Look, if I’m honest, I still look back on that as one of the biggest achievements I’ve ever had,” he said. “If you look right across my career, there have been some big games along the way. However, none of those games would have happened without that experience and that group of boys who were brought together and kind of told you weren’t good enough in other places.

“We all had a chip on our shoulders in a way and going into the Premiership, we were always told we were never going to make it. For us as a group, we all bought into the culture that we had. We had a belief in our squad and our ability. We knew what our game plan was and we knew that we could upset teams.”

The Chiefs did just that, they bloodied the noses of some of the Premiership’s elite during that first campaign and used that as a springboard for the successes that followed. Each year the Devonians would improve, on and off the field, eventually being rewarded with silverware in the cabinet.

Just as the case in 2010, Steenson’s metronomic right boot came to the fore in the 2017 Premiership Rugby final, where two crucial late kicks – one in extra time – were enough to give the Chiefs a maiden title against rivals Wasps.

Further trips to Twickenham would follow, not always in glory, but Steenson’s role within the ranks remained as strong as ever. Indeed, as his own playing time started to curtail with the emergence of Joe Simmonds in the No.10 role, so he began to look to the future.

With the world in chaos following the Covid outbreak of 2020, so the Chiefs were forced to into change like the rest of us. Sidelined for months, when they eventually returned to work, albeit in empty stadia, Baxter’s side had come together like no other, creating a formidable force that would take them to a historic league and cup double.

“We always felt the season would end at some point, but we had put ourselves in a really good spot before Covid hit, that we wanted to finish the job as such. Personally, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen and when my career would finish, but during that time we actually became very close as a group.

“There were What’s App groups going out, boys doing training sessions early in the morning, and we all kind of drove each other on.

“Then, when we all came back in, we were just so excited to be back amongst one another. It was very much like, we had ten games to play in six weeks, so as a rugby player you can’t get anything better than that. It meant you weren’t going to train too much and just play.

“What made it for me was that it was a collective effort in the end. You had senior guys, you had academy guys, all working together to make sure you walked away with the biggest prizes you can possibly get in the club game.”

It was in some ways the fitting finale for Steenson, who bowed out after 312 games for the club with a haul of 2,593 points.

Within two weeks, however, he would be reporting back for duty, but this time as part of the club’s coaching set-up, where he has remained in place until present day.

“It was bizarre,” he laughs. “Two weeks’ prior, I was sitting in the changing room having a beer with the lads and celebrating arguably the biggest success the club had ever had. Now, I was walking into the coaching office, the door shut behind me, and prepping for a new season. I didn’t know what to wear, what to say, even where I was sitting.”

Four years on, Steenson has been involved in helping nurture the new crop of Chiefs, including a number of his Under-18s side from a few years ago, who have now transformed themselves onto the first-team stage.

“Guys like Will Becconsall, Zack Wimbush and Ben Hammersley were all part of that group, so that’s nice,” said Steenson. “At the same time, I’ve been able to work with the likes of Harvey Skinner, Joe Simmonds when he was here, and Henry Slade.

“I take a lot of pride in seeing how they’ve all done and I’d like to think that if I’ve helped them in some kind of way, then that’s a huge thing for me.”

Certainly, Steenson’s departure will be felt around Sandy Park, but his legacy will endure for years to come. His character and spirit will forever remain intertwined with the fabric of the club, a constant reminder of what it truly means to wear the badge with pride.

And, as he sets himself to walk into the sunset, a new journey awaits him, one filled with endless possibility and boundless opportunities.

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