Captain America stars for the Chiefs

By Harry Scott-Munro
6/2/22

It was a stunning performance from Exeter Chiefs Women’s very own 'Captain America', as co-captain Kate Zackary’s hatt-rick helped her side to a stunning 36-32 victory over Gloucester-Hartpury in the Allianz Premier 15s at Kingsholm.

The USA Eagle's treble, including a stunning solo effort from halfway, were the highlights alongside further scores from compatriot Rachel Johnson, Clara Nielson and Kanako Kobayashi, with Patricia Garcia adding three conversions.

After a week of reflection on a difficult day up at Wasps, Zackary praised the effort of the pack, as their relentless effort at the scrum and in defence resisted wave after wave of Gloucester-Hartpury attack.

“In all fairness, the forwards and particularly our front row, really gave us the go-forward we needed today. The scrums started it all for us because we won the engagement and had that go-forward,” explained Zackary. “It helped us open up and give the backs opportunities to show what they could do. Kanako’s try, we got down the field, made those carries and then moved it to space. On the flip side, we were then able to also put our hooker on the wing to score out wide!”

Zackary admitted that the side had left Wasps last week "disappointed” in their performance, but explained how the focus in training had been about finding go-forward in their performances.

“You need to look at what you can fix and what you can control. That was the theme for this week, and it was all about finding that momentum again.”

Zackary’s first score came from a phenomenal 50-metre break off the base of the scrum, with the No.8 highlighting the decision-making that happens on the field as to what move to make.

“Even before we start for a scrum, we look at connections. For me, it’s about whether I am connected with whomever in the backline, be that Merryn or someone else,” explained Zackary. “It’s about working off of what they see: whether that’s me going into space or it being their ball. From there, it’s just about searching for the space and searching for the edge. For me, it left me available to do what I needed to do.”

This was a huge result for the Chiefs, both in the context of the season and in finally ending the hoodoo against their Westcountry rivals. Next up though, is a trip to Franklins Gardens for the first time, to take on Loughborough Lightning and Zackary was quick to point out that with just five rounds to go, it was all about grinding out results.

“It’s exciting that we all get to be out there [at Franklins Gardens,] but it’s a new stadium and a new pitch. For us, we can take it to them, look to build on this momentum and move forward,” noted the American. “That’s what it is all about now. Who can grind it out and get those results? For us, that’s what we need to do to keep pressing for the top four. “