Chiefs Women to face Sale Sharks
By Harry Scott-Munro
18/12/20
Susie Appleby is bracing her side to come up against a team with ‘huge physicality’ when Exeter Chiefs take on fellow Allianz Premier 15s newbies Sale Sharks tomorrow at Sandy Park (2pm).
Last week’s performance against Loughborough Lightning highlighted the ever-improving match-day performances of the Chiefs - and Appleby is hoping that her side can learn the lessons from a narrow defeat to one of the league’s best.
‘’I think we did some really good things; we had a really good contest up there,” she said. “But, we let ourselves down by doing some simple things poorly and making errors in the wrong bits of the field. We’ve been focusing really hard on sorting that out and, hopefully, that will lead to a really good performance on Saturday. ‘’
Tomorrow’s fixtures marks the halfway point of the season, giving Appleby and her coaching team a chance to reflect on how far her side have come since the beginning of the season.
‘’What have people thought of us?’’ Appleby muses, before answering her own question, declaring that she ‘’isn’t really that bothered!
‘’I’m concerned with what we think of ourselves and what we’re producing on the field. I think some of it we’re really proud of and really excited. Little things every week, we didn’t quite get right, and we’re looking for the perfect performance. But we’re not going to get it so every week, can we improve? Can we add little tweaks here and there to keep moving us forward.’’
Tomorrow’s starting XV sees just one change from the game up in Loughborough; flanker Ebony Jefferies returning in place of Abbie Fleming, who drops to the bench. The match will also see a return to the match-day side for Canadian international prop Olivia De Merchant, having missed a large chunk of the season through injury.
Appleby was keen though to highlight the efforts of all involved within the team so far.
‘’The girls are just amazing. We have a fabulous squad from 1-40, who are all buying in to what we want to achieve.’’
Looking ahead to the game against Sale, Appleby knows that her chargers will be coming up against a side that ‘’play with a lot of passion.’’
“They’ve come together really nicely, bearing in mind they’re a new team like ourselves and quite a bit of flair as well,” added Appleby. “When Katy (Daley-) McLean’s in the equation, you know they’re going to want to play rugby. So, we’re expecting a really tough contest and we’re preparing for that.
Since joining the Premier 15s alongside Exeter Chiefs this season, Sale have slowly grown in strength, securing their first-ever league victory in an 11-0 win over Worcester Warriors in November.
‘’They (Sale) had a large nucleus go over from (Firwood) Waterloo, so some of the players we know from there. They’ve got Hannah Field who’s a quality player, (as well as) Lauren Delaney. They’ve got a fantastic infrastructure up there and they’re building a really good thing up there, much as we’re trying to do here, so it’s really exciting to see us both growing as sides.’’
Having looked back at her side’s performances, Appleby has challenged her side to continue their rugby development away from the field.
‘’At times in the game, we want to play, when actually sometimes it’s better to play without the ball,’’ explains Appleby. ‘’It’s an interesting concept and almost trying to stop them playing a bit at the right time. It’s the off-field stuff and the comprehension of it. You saw the men play against Glasgow and play in the right areas of the field, that’s what we’re trying to progress to to take the next step.
Tomorrow’s clash will also see the Chiefs Women play in front of a crowd for the first time, with the club set for a ‘’hugely exciting day.’’
‘’It’s testament to the local area and how much they want to support Exeter Chiefs no matter who is in the Chiefs shirt,” said Appleby. ‘’It’s just brilliant. But the message to the players is to keep their feet on the ground. It’s about our performance. If we put a performance on, the fans will have a great day and they’ll want to come back. That’s what we want to do, we are growing our fanbase. Saturday is the start of the future.’’
EXETER CHIEFS WOMEN TO FACE SALE SHARKS
15. Merryn Doidge
14. Lottie Holland
13. Lauren Cattell
12. Gabby Cantorna
11. Garnet Mackinder
10. Taylor Black
9. Patricia Garcia
1. Sachiko Katoh
2. Emily Tuttosi
3. Laura Delgado
4. Poppy Leitch
5. McKinley Hunt
6. Ebony Jefferies
7. Kate Zackary
8. Linde Van der Velden (capt)
16. Daisy French
17. Michaella Roberts
18. Olivia De Merchant
19. Alex Powell
20. Abbie Fleming
21. Flo Robinson
22. Louise Burgess
23. Niamh Terry