Fit-again Capstick looking for slice of the action
PIZZA boss Richard Capstick says he desperate for a slice of the action as Exeter ready themselves for the return of the Premiership later this month.
The 24-year-old forward has battled his way back from two long-term injuries on his neck and shoulder to now put himself firmly in Rob Baxter’s selection mix.
Sidelined initially after he scored for the Chiefs in a 50-14 victory at Bristol Bears in October 2022, Capstick thought his injury woes were finally behind him at the start of this season, only to be foiled at the same venue in a pre-season fixture in September of last year.
It’s been a seemingly endless return to the fold for the former England U20s international, but alongside his rehabilitation programme, the Taunton-born ace has teamed up with his two brothers to start two pizza franchises.
“It actually started when I was in lockdown,” he explains. “I was sort of trying to procrastinate for my uni work, just because I didn’t have any rugby at the time. I decided to have a look at things and potentially something I could invest in. It was then I saw this opportunity to become part of a Fireaway franchise, so I looked into it a bit more.
“It was exciting and it was fast growing, so I contacted them, I went through an interview process, and basically just asked lots of questions about it all.
“At the same time, my brothers (Matt and Michael) who were in the Marines and the Navy were looking for a bit of a career change, so it all kind of fell into place. We decided to go ahead with it all and my dad helped find the first property in Bridgwater.
“Since then, it’s just taken off and we were then able to open a second store in Taunton. Obviously, we learnt quite a lot from the first process and that made the second one a lot easier.”
And while Capstick has left much of the day-today running of the businesses to his siblings, his main focus now is getting back to on-field matters and helping the Chiefs as they enter into the final straight of the season.
“It’s just great to be back,” added Capstick, who continued to get match minutes under his belt with an outing for the Devon club in their 63-7 friendly win against the Royal Navy on Wednesday night.
“Personally, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. Having been out so long, you don’t realise how much you miss playing and being involved each week. We’re still in a good place in terms of the Premiership and we’ve got a big European game against Bath here as well, so there’s lots to be excited about.”
That’s a far cry from where Capstick has spent much of the past 18 months.
“I won’t lie, it’s been tough,” he said. “Having worked so hard to get back from that first injury to then pick up another one at the start of the season, it does get to you in a way. Thankfully, the boys, the coaches, the medical staff, they’ve all been brilliant and helped me get through it all.
“Having guys alongside you in rehab, it does pull you through on the tough days. Guys like Stu Townsend, Billy Keast, Iestyn Harris and Jack Innard, they were in a similar position to me, so they know what you’re going through. Now, we’re all back and fit again and we’re kind of all wanting to make up for lost time.”