Chiefs to face Gloucester-Hartpury
By Harry Scott-Munro
4/2/22
“We’ve had a good week prepping, so we’re ready to go again.” Those were the words of Exeter Chiefs Women’s Head Coach Susie Appleby, as her side aim to bounce back from the disappointment of last Saturday’s draw with Wasps, when they take on Gloucester-Hartpury at Kingsholm tomorrow in the Allianz Premier 15s (12:30pm).
Last weekend at Twyford Avenue, it was a lack of discipline at the breakdown that allowed the Londoners to snatch a late draw from the boot of Flo Williams, this after tries from Clara Nielson, Zintle Mpupha and Rachel Johnson looked to have secured a narrow victory for the Chiefs.
Reflecting on that match, Appleby maintained “that the breakdown wasn’t good enough,” but felt that her side had been able to pick up some key learnings from the game.
“We’ve done some work on breakdown. We had a very good driven line-out that we over-relied on last weekend, instead of playing enough rugby. Those have been the two learnings to come out of it, along with a bit of game management.”
The breakdown has always been a key feature of the game, but its importance seems to have gone up a level this season, with Appleby highlighting that need to protect the ball if you want to win the game.
“It's not complicated. If you get that bit right, you can play and you can function. If you stop their breakdown, you can really stifle their play. When you look at it like that, it’s a simple game really.”
One facet of the Chiefs performance last weekend that did please Appleby was the application of her side in defence. That will from her side to stop opposition players from crossing the try line has been a feature of the Exeter’s performances since their league debut last season, with Appleby explaining just how much her players embrace the challenge of defending their line.
“It follows on from last season really. Our defence then was second best alongside Quins, who went on and won the thing. This isn’t a new thing for us. It’s something we picked up and continued this season,” she added.
That reinforcement of that defensive effort has been taken to another level by the arrival of Steve Salvin, with Appleby nodding towards the fact that his “passion” for defending has been matched by the squad.
“A lot of defence is about players embracing it and the girls really have. They are into the double shots and maintaining our wall in defence. We’ve really got some good outcomes from that. As you get good outcomes, you get more buy in and keep ticking over.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash, Appleby has made several changes to her side. Most notably, American prop Hope Rogers will have the opportunity to start for the first time in an Exeter shirt, having made a big impact since arriving in January.
“We’ve had a few changeups in the side this week which have been merited. There’re some players in the side who really want to play fast rugby and that, married up with a good defence, should allow us to open up,” Appleby noted. “Hope is getting her first start. She’s been really impressive since she arrived from the States and has really settled into what we do.”
Elsewhere, flanker and top try scorer Ebony Jefferies returns to the starting XV, as do Brooke Bradley Kanako Kobayashi and Jennine Detiveaux. Bradley’s inclusion at scrum-half sees her team up with Patricia Garcia in a new look half-back pairing, whilst on the bench, there could also be a Chiefs debut for Canadian Gabby Senft.
Appleby now feels that there is real depth in her side, as they look to kick on into the final six games of the league season.
“Gabby Senft arrived from Canada and has been biding her time. She now has her first inclusion on the bench. She’s a good, physical and very mobile player. Brooke is back in the side as well at nine. She’s a wonderful young player and Kananko is back as well. She’s had a long time out with injury, but she was lighting up the league last time she was on the field. We’ll see what she can do this time off the bench.”
Appleby though is well aware of the challenge that Gloucester-Hartpury will pose with tomorrow’s hosts sitting fifth in the table and on a strong run of form.
“They are a really good side. Obviously, I used to coach there, but they’ve got a lot of continuity and a lot of good individuals who have been there a long time and played alongside each other for quite a while,” Appleby explained. “They are coached well by Sean Lynn and his team. They like to play fast. When we played each other at Sandy Park, neither of us probably played the game we wanted to, and the game was a little bit stagnant.”
The Exeter head coach isn’t expecting a repeat of that December clash at Kingsholm though, as she anticipates a fast-paced game.
“At Kingsholm on a fast track, both of us will want to put our best feet forward and play some decent rugby. I’m expecting a good encounter, where we both want to play. Ultimately, there will be a lot that is determined in the breakdown again.”
Whilst the Chiefs still currently sit in a play-off position heading into what will be a crucial set of fixtures, Appleby admits that she does have one eye on the league table, with Saturday’s match and the following game away at Loughborough Lightning likely to go a long way to determining the success of the Chiefs’ season.
“As a coach, you look at the table quite often. It’s about trying to not get distracted by that and focus on performance,” she mused. “Yes, we’re in a good position now, but ultimately, if we perform, we can get into a really good position over the next few weeks. It could be quite sticky if we don’t. It’s a key point in the season. We’ve got two really good sides to play who are good for different reasons. We need to be very good to come out on top.”
Tomorrow’s match will be streamed live on the Premier 15s website, with coverage starting from 12.15pm.
