Hepher says Chiefs must stay focused
By Mark Stevens
24/2/20
Ali Hepher says it’s important his Exeter Chiefs side continue to ‘stay hungry’ in their pursuit of honours this season.
The table-topping Chiefs extended their lead at the summit of the Gallagher Premiership on Sunday to eight points, producing arguably their best display of the season so far to see off visiting Northampton Saints at Sandy Park.
For 30 minutes at least there was little to choose between two of the division’s leading lights, but once the hosts clicked into overdrive, there was only going to be one winner.
Head coach Hepher watched on with great satisfaction as the Chiefs helped themselves to eight tries on the day. Forwards Jonny Hill, Elvis Taione, Ben Moon, Jannes Kirsten and Sam Simmonds all touched down, whilst there was a brace for Tom Hendrickson and another for Tom O’Flaherty.
The boots of skipper Joe Simmonds and Gareth Steenson added the remaining points for the Devonians, whilst all the Saints could muster in terms of a response was a converted James Grayson try.
Post-match, a delighted Hepher was quick to praise the efforts of his team, but also warned that the celebrations wouldn’t last long and that the focus would be quickly switching to their upcoming trip to Harlequins this Saturday.
“It’s a great result for us and the lads have done fantastically well today,” he said. “However, next week is another massive game. They [Quins] are going to be hungry after yesterday and we’ve got to make sure that on a short turnaround we’re in the right frame of mind – and make sure that we’ve got the appetite to go after them with four or five points on offer.
“That’s the secret for us going forward, so we’ve got to make sure that we stay hungry and that we don’t take our foot off the pedal.”
In what was a meeting of the division’s top two sides going into Round 10, the opening half-hour proved a decent slugfest with defences on top and neither side really causing any significant problems.
It was the Chiefs, though, who flexed their muscles in the final ten minutes of the first half, scoring three tries to give them a 22-0 lead at the turn.
“We were a little bit disappointed with the early part of the game, but they’re obviously a very good side for a reason,” said Hepher. “It was important that what we focused on was ourselves and, if we’re being honest, we were a little bit slow in the way that we played the game. We wanted to start with a bit more tempo than we did, so there’s areas to improve in there. Equally, there was a lot of good stuff in the second half, we fought hard for those points, and we relentlessly kept going, which is a pleasing sign.”
Having lost their two previous home fixtures to Sale Sharks (Premiership) and Harlequins (Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final), the Chiefs were desperate to rediscover their winning formula back at Sandy Park.
Hepher acknowledged the challenge is there for his side every time they take to the field – in whatever competition – and that moving forward the Chiefs will need to keep focused on delivering performances.
“The mentality of it all means it’s tough to do it every week, but it was good to see the guys in a good headspace, particularly in the last 50 minutes of the game,” added Hepher.“We were in a mood to work and we worked hard. It didn’t feel like that scoreline really, it felt a lot more competitive than that, but the guys kept going and going.”
With tries spread across the team, it was a victory for all elements of the club’s coaching staff, a point Hepher was quick to raise.
“It wasn’t just the attack, it was the whole combination that was important in getting those scores today,” he continued. “It’s the whole picture, the line-out, the set-piece, it’s the attack, it’s the defence. Rob Hunter is working hard with the forwards, Julian Salvi with the defence and Haydn Thomas does a fantastic job working on our kick chase, which was a huge area for us today.
“People will always say we score a lot of five-metre tries, but you’ve got to do a fair bit of work to get five metres out. For us, it’s just another way to score. If we get there without it, then great. The aim is not to get into the five metre channel and stop, it’s to score tries.
“Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes certain players score, something others do. It’s really all about the collective effort and making sure that we are moving in the right direction. We’ve got tactics in there, but equally we’ve got tactics in other areas which can open up opportunities and look to take.”
Quite rightly, South African lock Jannes Kirsten picked up the game’s man of the match accolade, but there were countless others who can have lay claim to the prize, including the centre partnership of Hendrickson and Ian Whitten, the latter of whom was making his 150th Premiership appearance for the club.
“Tom is a fantastic guy,” said Hepher. “He trains well every single day and he’s an integral part of this squad. He’s got a great attitude and he just gets on with his work. We’ve got no doubts when there are opportunities for him, but the thing is he plays in a position where there is good competition in that area. I’m really pleased for him because he’s knuckled down, got a couple of scores, and shown that he is very capable of playing at this level.
“Equally, I’m delighted for Whitts. He’s probably under-rated by many, but within these four walls he’s hugely rated. He brings a work ethic and intensity every day that can’t be faulted. He knows exactly what being a pro is all about and he’s a great player, leading by example to all the younger players. He’s been a massive part of the success of this club through the last few years and he doesn’t look like stopping yet!”