Exeter’s Joe Simmonds says he wants to move on from some poor seasons.
Simmonds, 25, captained the Chiefs to a Premiership and European double in 2020, but saw Exeter finish a disappointing seventh last season.
“In the past couple of years I’ve probably let myself down a little bit with how I’ve been performing,” Simmonds told BBC Sport.
“I kind of just want to put whatever I’ve done behind me and just move on and become this new player.”
With injuries to Stuart Hogg and Josh Hodge, Simmonds has started at full-back in the opening two league games this season – a position the fly-half played just once all last term.
But a try at Worcester last week and an assured performance against Leicester – bar a mistake early in the second half which led to a try – drew praise from his coaches as a re-invigorated Exeter side look to have re-captured the form that took them to six consecutive Premiership finals.
Simmonds was the focus for much of Exeter’s successful end to the Covid-19 delayed season in 2020.
His faultless kicking saw his side beat Wasps for the domestic title, while his late penalty ensured victory over Racing 92 in a European final that also earned him an MBE.
But that success affected Simmonds, the younger brother of England forward Sam, in the weeks and months after the victories.
“I probably put too much pressure on myself coming off the back of that,” he said.
“I think it’s kind of normal, you probably would get that pressure, but looking back on it, it probably hindered me a little bit.
“But for me, now I’m just enjoying my rugby. I’ve been playing rugby from such a young age, it’s just game and I’ve just got to perform week in, week out. I try and just enjoy my rugby now more than worry about things.”
The recent temporary move to full-back has allowed Simmonds to show off his talents with the ball in hand – as displayed by his try early against Worcester on Sunday.
“I have played a few times there in the last few years, but I’m enjoying it, I’m getting the ball in the hands a little bit more in space,” he added.
“We’ve changed it around a bit with how we attack at Exeter, we had a long pre-season with a lot of changing.
“So for me, if I play at 10 or full-back, it’s very similar positions we get into, and whatever position I get put into I try and do my best, but I do feel like this new shape is helping my game at the moment.”
