Henry Slade is setting his sights on more game time at both club and international level during the forthcoming season.
The 21-year-old fly-half made 18 Premiership appearances last term, starting seven of the Chiefs' last 10 games.
His club form saw him feature in England's non-cap 39-22 defeat to the Barbarians alongside clubmates Sam Hill and Dave Ewers at Twickenham in June.
The trio have now returned to pre-season training with the rest of the squad, and Slade says pushing long-standing No. 10 Gareth Steenson for a starting berth is the key for more days out with the Red Rose.
"Last season I spent a lot of time on the bench. Steeno had a great season and is one of the best at the club," said the Plymouth-born back.
"But if I can keep pushing him, get some regular game time and hopefully keep training with England too then that would be something I would love to do.
"It was an awesome experience to be with England. To go and train with all the senior players and coaching staff was massive.
"I really enjoyed it, particularly with a few of the other boys from Exeter also picked. Playing some of the world-class players who were in the Barbarians side was amazing and brought the best out of me really.
"It was good to play against so many players you have grown up watching and seen on TV so many times."
Slade impressed as part of a youthful England set-up against the Baa-Baas, bagging a try as part of a 15-point haul.
It also allowed him to get up close and personal with destructive Kiwi back Rene Ranger, with two particularly hefty collisions leaving Slade with nine stitches and a black eye.
Clips of the tackles are now doing the rounds on YouTube, but Slade insists there were no hard feelings after the match.
"During the game it doesn't hurt as much as you think, but looking back on it now, it looks pretty bad," Slade conceded.
"I got a few stitches for it but he is a top bloke. I had a chat and shook his hand after the match and that is the great thing about rugby.
"To represent your country and play against those big, strong boys was fantastic. It was a really tough match but I enjoyed it."
Switching his attentions to pre-season training, Slade – who made his Premiership bow in April 2013 against London Irish – praised the impact of Exeter Chiefs' summer recruits.
The likes of Tomas Francis, Elvis Taione, Adam Hughes and Mitch Lees have all been having their first taste of the Chiefs' pre-season techniques.
But Slade also feels that the input of the new players can act as a breath of fresh air to the squad's current methods.
Slade said: "It's good to be back. It is obviously a pretty short turnaround for some of us boys but it's nice to be back with the lads.
"I think the new guys who have come in have slotted in pretty well, blended well with everyone and it seems a happy squad.
"Having the new guys puts a fresh perspective on things and hopefully we can use that.
"They bring a different perspective to rugby and hopefully we can use their systems and other good ideas to make us better."
See Henry Slade and Rene Ranger collide in the England v Barbarians game here:
