Chiefs Women to face DMP Sharks
By Harry Scott-Munro
4/3/22
“The expectation is on us but to be fair, we had everything to lose last week as well.”
Those were the defiant words of Exeter Chiefs Women’s Head Coach Susie Appleby, as her side look to close in on a coveted spot in the top four against DMP Durham Sharks tomorrow at Sandy Park (2.30pm).
Last week against Worcester, the Chiefs brushed off the disappointment of their late defeat to Loughborough with a spell-binding performance to put 60 points on the Warriors. It was a performance that firmly answered the questions of the critics, with Appleby delighted with how her side fared.
“It was brilliant to come back home as we hadn’t played at Sandy Park since January," said Appleby. "We performed really well and the girls were really resolute and wanted to perform. The really pleasing thing was that we had a hooker and a full-back both scoring hat-tricks. As a coach, I can now see us moving the ball to different areas of the field, which is something that we have been slightly criticised for in the past. We’re now getting to where we should be and we’re looking to kick on and improve.”
As well as the result, the size of the crowd last week at Sandy Park was something that really pleased Appleby, who was thrilled that as the fanbase has continued to grow, a real buzz has started to generate around the side.
“It’s amazing. In the beginning, when I first came here, fans would stop me in my Chiefs kit to talk about the men mainly. But now they talk to me about the women’s game, which is so important for the game to spread,” she explained. “The players now will go into a coffee shop and be recognised and have people talking to them. We’re all in this together as rugby players. That’s how Tony and Rob see it here. As long as we maintain that, we’ll keep building.”
Looking ahead to this weekend, Appleby is expecting a DMP Durham Sharks side with “nothing to fear” once kick-off comes tomorrow.
“Darlington may be at the bottom of the table, but they are a good side. They’ve got good players; they are very well coached and very much improved as a side. They are a good mixture of young and experienced players with nothing to fear.”
Appleby also singled out full-back Holly Thorpe as a crucial player for the Sharks, as well as back-row Jasmine Hazell.
“They’ve got a really good young player at the back in Holly Thorpe and a fabulous player at No.8 in Hazell, who can free her hands up at any opportunity. Tamara Taylor has been back playing recently as well, so they’ve got good fundamental players and they have no fear, and why should they.”
As for Appleby’s side, she has made several changes to her side, as she welcomes back international trio Chloe Rollie, Patricia Garcia and Laura Delgado, with the Spanish pair both poised to make an impact off the bench.
“We’ve got a couple of changes. Chloe is back after securing that World Cup place, which is brilliant. Pat has come back as well from being with Spain. It’s always a challenge to reintegrate players but we’ve got such a good core group that are driving us forward.”
Elsewhere in the side, Welsh wing Caitlin Lewis starts her first game for the club, having suffered an injury earlier in the season. Alongside her, Canadian Gabby Senft will also make her first start at No.8. She is joined in the back-row by Ebony Jefferies, who returns to the starting XV with Linde van der Velden dropping to the bench.
With such strength in depth throughout her side, Appleby has credited the “competition for shirts” as the key factor in driving the side forward, as well as praising McKinley Hunt, for her performance on her first start since suffering a leg break earlier in the season.
“McKinley was really good in the second-row last week as well. We’ve got a really good, big squad that are capable of stepping up and putting that performance on.”
That competition for places and the experience within her side has been a crucial component for Appleby this season, with those international players in her squad spurring her young guns onto new heights.
“The fact that the likes of Kate Zackary and Patricia Garcia are there is fantastic, but it’s that whole squad that are driving this forward. When you sit in meetings and someone like Nancy (McGillivray) is now confident enough to speak, it’s just brilliant. But that comes from having an international player next to her,” highlighted Appleby. “She’s been able to spend time with them and she’s now going to be in the U20s in a couple of weeks. That’s where we want to be. With Nancy and then players like Flo Robinson growing in confidence, alongside Merryn (Doidge) in the backfield, that’s where we want to be.”
With a break in the fixture list after tomorrow's match, Appleby explained that her players and staff “thoroughly deserved a week off,” noting how with no Premiership fixtures for several weeks, more players within the side would have the opportunity to impress in the Allianz Cup.
“The break will mean that everyone will come back rejuvenated into the weeks building up to the cup. Although it may seem that there are big gaps between fixtures, there’s a group of players that are very excited about the opportunity that is in front of them. Those cup games come quite frequently as well once we’re back in.”
Tomorrow’s match will be streamed live on the Exeter Chiefs YouTube channel
