Chiefs to face Loughborough Lightning
By Harry Scott-Munro
18/2/22
Two weeks on from a crucial bonus-point victory away at play-off rivals Gloucester-Hartpury, Exeter Chiefs Women know that they will need to put in a similar performance if they are to come away with victory, when they take on Loughborough Lightning in the Allianz Premier 15s at Franklins Gardens tomorrow (5.15pm).
That 36-32 victory away at Kingsholm really put a marker down for Susie Appleby’s side, with the head coach thrilled that her side had been able to “perform well throughout the game.”
Despite a victory over Harlequins and a draw away at Wasps, Appleby and her coaching staff had been seeking an improvement in the level of performance heading into the clash – and the Head Coach highlighted just how pleased she was with how her side performed.
“It was a really good win. They came back into it at the end, but the game was done by then,” said Appleby. “A lot of what we talked about we were able to put on the field. It’s probably the first time we’ve had a real comprehensive performance, so it’s a good one to push on from into another big game against Loughborough.”
That big game against Loughborough will be the first to be played at Franklins Gardens as part of a double header and Appleby is expecting a tough assignment for her side.
“Franklins Gardens is one of the best pitches in the Premiership, so it’s nice to play at a proper ground and the girls are excited about that. It’s not supposed to be the most brilliant of conditions, so that will be tricky, but it’s another game though at the end of the day and we have to treat it as that. Loughborough is a massive challenge, as is going on the road.”
After a slow start to the season, Loughborough have come roaring back into the play-off equation, with victory last time out against Sale Sharks backing up a big result on the road against Wasps.
It was the Chiefs who edged out a 14-7 victory earlier in the season at Sandy Park, but Appleby is expecting a completely different challenge tomorrow evening.
“It’s going to be a whole different ball game to when we played them last time. They are on fine form and put in that huge score against Wasps, so they are really hitting their straps. We need to be on our money on Saturday,” she explained.
Despite losing their talismanic centre Emily Scarratt to injury in the opening game of the season, Loughborough have strengthened and galvanised themselves. Appleby admitted that she has been impressed with what she had seen from tomorrow’s opponents but backed her side to show the needed “physicality” upfront.
“They lost Emily Scarratt early in the season and had to rebuild a little, as she’s such a big focal point for them. But they’ve done that really well. They have a huge pack that is galvanised by Sarah Hunter. Helena Rowland at fly-half as well; if she’s on the front foot, you’re in trouble,” acknowledged Appleby. “We need to show some physicality up front. They are a complete team, very much like us.”
Ahead of kick-off, Appleby has been somewhat forced to ring the changes, due to international call-ups and injuries.
With Patricia Garcia away with Spain and Brooke Bradley suffering damage to her jaw last time out, there’s a new-look half-back pairing for the Chiefs, as Flo Robinson and Meg Foster return to the side at 9 and 10 respectively.
Laura Sheehan is also unavailable, meaning that Liv Jones will make her first league start for several months against her former club.
Up front, Emily Tuttosi is ruled out, so Clara Nielson starts and Daisy French comes onto the bench, with Linde van der Velden returning from injury at blindside flanker. The other changes for the Chiefs see Lizzie Hanlon and Eilidh Sinclair come into the match-day side.
Despite the enforced changes, Appleby was quick to highlight the opportunity within the selection for a number of her players who have been performing strongly in training.
“Linde and Flo have come back in, which is brilliant. Yes, we’ve lost a few but it gives opportunities to others. They are people who have been training really well, so we just hope we can continue to perform. That’s how we need to progress so that by the end of the regular season, we’ll have everybody competing for the shirts.”
Victory over Gloucester-Hartpury showed the Chiefs at their very best, with a perfect balance of forward dominance and ball being spread wide in the backs. After some criticism of her side for their use of the pack, Appleby admitted that she wanted her side to show that they “aren’t a one trick pony,” despite the ability within her pack.
“It’s not rocket science, if you’re dominant in a certain area, you keep to it. However, we also showed against Gloucester that we’re quite capable of playing with it through the centre-field when we need to. A player like Jennine Detiveaux is absolutely lethal, so we need to get more ball out to her.”
With the final run-in fast approaching and the race for the top four looking tighter than ever, Appleby is well aware that “the pressure is still on.” She has though, been delighted with the trajectory her side have been on in recent weeks, challenging them to continue to look at the remaining fixtures on a game-by-game basis.
“We’re on the right course, so we need to make sure we keep going and improving. After this one, Worcester are improving as well ahead of next week. It is a cliché but it’s really true that we take each game as it comes.”
