Thomas Waldrom knows he has a lot of homework to do to get up to speed with new club Exeter Chiefs after starting pre-season training.
The former Leicester No. 8 joined his new teammates as they were put through their paces at the club's temporary training base at the University of Exeter on Monday.
The 31-year-old, who was born in New Zealand but has won four England caps, has set his sights on winning a place in the starting XV when the Aviva Premiership season starts in September.
To do that, Waldrom admits he must understand how head coach Rob Baxter wants the side to play and the calls as quickly as possible.
"You have to turn up in pre-season and put your best foot forward," said the former Hurricanes and Crusaders ace. "Whoever does that will get the opportunities.
"It's about working hard and myself, being new to the team, will have to do a lot more homework to get up to speed and make sure I know everything to give myself the best shot."
Waldrom spent four seasons with the Tigers, during which time they won the Premiership and LV= Cup.
And with a host of younger players in the Chiefs squad – including England Saxons back-rower Dave Ewers – Waldrom is hoping his top-flight experience from playing in England and his native New Zealand can help the squad.
They missed that last season, with seasoned campaigners such as Rich Baxter, Tom Hayes and James Hanks all retiring in the past 13 months.
"I'll bring a bit of an older head, a bit of experience," said Waldrom.
"I've been around and played some rugby now with the Tigers and at international level so I've experienced a lot of rugby all around the world.
"Hopefully I can adapt to the way they play and just add as much experience as possible and leadership if required.
"The main thing is to go out there and just enjoy it, and make sure the young guys enjoy it as well."
Waldrom has been impressed with what he has seen of the crop of youngsters coming through from the Chiefs' academy so far.
He puts that down to the work the coaches do with the players, and thinks they will all have to make the most of any chance they are given next season.
"It's a credit to all the coaches and the schoolwork they do down here to make sure that we make the right decisions in those pressure situations when they do arrive this year," he said.
"If they (the youngsters) get a chance they have to take it with both hands. That goes for everyone – whoever puts the shirt on has to go out and do the job the coaches want us to do."
Waldrom and the majority of the Chiefs squad were welcomed back on Monday with a series of fitness tests as well as some games to get their hands on the ball again.
And while he enjoyed his first stint in Chiefs colours, the back-rower knows pre-season will get a lot tougher as the players go through the first five-week block before they have a break.
"It's going to get a lot harder, we were only out there playing some small-sided games on Monday," he said.
"It's enjoyable to run around and see how much skill is going on here and what they're trying to build with all the young kids.
"It's something I'm really looking forward to and hopefully I can add something to it as well."
And Waldrom had a warm welcome on Monday as the sun shone on the first day of training – in contrast to the rain last summer.
He said the early signs were that Devon was everything he had been told to expect.
"It's nice being outside, you've got to embrace it," he said. "It's a lovely place to be and a lovely part of the world, everyone I spoke to said it was a lovely place to come and live and it's definitely living up to that so far with the weather."
Having come up against the Chiefs several times in the past, Waldrom knows the way they are viewed by opposition teams. He hopes they can build on that in the 2014/15 campaign.
"Everyone knows when they come against the Chiefs it's a tough, physical game and you've got to work to beat the Chiefs," he said. "All we can do is work hard and try to achieve the goals we set out early on in the year."
