Roots brothers push each other to 'higher standard'

Sets of brothers playing for Exeter Chiefs is thing caller - though nan club's latest group of siblings person travelled nan furthest to forge their careers astatine Sandy Park.

Following successful nan footsteps of Sam and Joe Simmonds, Jack and Sam Maunder, and existent leader Rob Baxter and his relative Richie - who some played pinch favoritism for nan Devon nine - are New Zealand-born siblings Ethan and Jimmy Roots.

Prop Jimmy joined Exeter this summertime from Championship champions Ealing Trailfinders, pursuing his older brother, who has had a meteoric emergence since making his move to Sandy Park 12 months earlier.

Having travel successful from Welsh broadside Ospreys, Ethan's shape earned him a spot successful England's Six Nations squad this twelvemonth earlier touring to his homeland this summer.

"We've astir apt sewage higher standards of ourselves than we would clasp to different people, which is only going to use us," says Ethan, 26, of nan beardown enslaved pinch his relative built arsenic they grew up successful Auckland, playing for East Coast Bays and North Harbour.

"I'd beryllium a batch harsher connected Jimmy than I would beryllium connected immoderate different tighthead, and he'd beryllium a batch harsher connected maine than he would beryllium connected immoderate different loose guardant because we expect nan champion retired of each other, particularly if we're going to stock nan section together.

"We expect everything retired of each other, truthful I deliberation we're only going to spell from spot to spot pinch that."

Ethan's 4 caps for England astatine nan Six Nations - won little than 4 months aft making his Premiership debut - has shown his 24-year-old younger relative what tin beryllium achieved if you tin return your chance.

"I'm massively grateful to beryllium down here, backmost pinch nan bro and playing astatine nan top," says Jimmy.

"That's what you ever want to do, particularly arsenic a young fella, conscionable play astatine nan apical wherever you tin and I'm ace grateful to beryllium here.

"Prior to him coming to England it was ever a extremity of excavation to play astatine nan apical - immoderate convention I was successful it was conscionable get to nan adjacent level and play astatine nan top.

"Him coming present and taking disconnected conscionable benignant of deepened that thought and showed maine moreover much truthful that it was very overmuch imaginable for 2 fellas from New Zealand to do immoderate they want anywhere.

"There's nary boundaries to what we tin group for ourselves and it fuelled it moreover much so."

With an English begetter and Kiwi mother, nan Auckland-born duo person nan qualifications to play for 2 of nan biggest nations successful world rugby.

But Ethan says an world headdress - for immoderate federation - is simply a reward not conscionable for him but for nan family, friends and coaches who person helped him scope nan top.

"My mum would ever say, 'You're going to play for nan All Blacks 1 day,' and past my aged man would beryllium like, 'What astir nan Rose?'

"So it's ever been there, nan aged man's ever been pushing it, we conscionable ne'er thought it was a anticipation because of wherever we were.

"So to travel complete present and person that opportunity to spell retired and correspond England was evidently unbelievable.

"People will opportunity you're raised by a village, not conscionable your parents, it's a colony that raises you and that's what was bully about, it felt for illustration I sewage location for everyone else, not needfully conscionable myself."

Jimmy says he was "pumped" erstwhile his relative won his first England cap.

"I've seen him activity truthful difficult for truthful galore years now and sometimes spell without being noticed.

"So to spot him measurement into nan ray and really tally distant pinch it, it was really inspiring for me.

"I felt truthful ace proud conscionable to watch him beryllium capable to do what he told maine he was going to, because he said 2 aliases 3 years agone that was his goal.

"So for him to beryllium capable to measurement successful and make it hap for illustration that done difficult activity I deliberation showed nan benignant of characteristic he is."

Ethan joined Exeter soon aft nan nine said goodbye to a big of established players, including family names specified arsenic Stuart Hogg, Jack Nowell and Sam Simmonds, who had helped to triumph 2 Premierships and a European Champions Cup.

The new-look squad, pinch nan likes of Roots, Josh Hodge, Christ Tshiunza, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Dafydd Jenkins taking up much salient roles, earned nan moniker 'Chiefs 2.0' successful immoderate quarters.

And that rebooted Exeter squad only conscionable missed retired connected a play-off spot arsenic they yet vanished seventh successful nan Premiership - a position Ethan successful keen to amended on.

"Anyone who watched nan title knows really tight it was past year, particularly coming into nan run-in station that Six Nations block," he says.

"Going into that past crippled I deliberation location were 4 teams that could person taken that past spot successful nan apical four.

"Seventh's not a awesome number, but we're beautiful happy pinch what we produced past twelvemonth and we're looking to return it up different level this year.

"Our large maturation areas is our distant games, becoming a spot tougher there," he adds.

"We put retired immoderate bully performances, but besides put retired immoderate beautiful disappointing ones, truthful I deliberation that's benignant of a attraction for america this year."