Hepher's joy at six-try show
By Mark Stevens
14/12/20
Head coach Ali Hepher believes a new found confidence within the Exeter Chiefs squad can be the catalyst for them to push on further in both the Gallagher Premiership and Heineken Champions Cup this season.
Having lifted both trophies last season, the Devonians have already signalled their intent to replicate that feat with a near flawless start to the latest campaign.
Ahead of their opening Champions Cup fixture against Glasgow Warriors at Sandy Park, the Chiefs had already accrued maximum points from their Premiership encounters with Harlequins, Bath and Leicester Tigers.
Kicking off their latest European escapades, they were buoyed by the return of their international contingent following the recent Autumn Nations Cup. All of them played a part as the Chiefs ran riot against the visiting Scotsmen, running in six tries with another highly impressive performance.
European Player of the Year Sam Simmonds picked up from where he left off last season, claiming the game’s opening try - his seventh in four games - to get the Chiefs up and running.
Jonny Gray and Stuart Hogg, against their former employers, also found their way over, alongside further converted scores from Jack Yeandle, Olly Woodburn and Jonny Hill to seal an emphatic 42-0 victory.
Understandably, Hepher was delighted with the performance of his side, who must quickly ready themselves for Sunday’s Round Two clash away to Toulouse.
“It’s a fantastic win,” said Hepher. “We know the group is going to be tight this year, given the competition that exists, so every point is going to matter. To keep them to nil was fantastic, as was scoring the tries which got us the bonus point.”
Up against a stiff first half wind, the Chiefs dug deep into their reserves to turnaround 14-0 up, before then turning the screw after the break and condemning Danny Wilson’s side to a hefty loss.
“Going into a strong wind, we knew it would be tough in that first half,” explained Hepher. ‘The guys, though, dug deep and worked through it. At the start of the game, we’d have happily taken a 4-0 win, but to come away with the full five points is a great start and gives us something to build from.
With little time to really celebrate their double-winning triumph of last season, Hepher admits it’s been all-go for the Chiefs on the resumption of play.
“The biggest thing I have noticed even coming back in the Premiership, you worry as a coach about that potential hangover and the lads taking their foot off it [following significant success after winning the Gallagher Premiership and Champions Cup last season], but the important thing is we didn’t have long off,” he said.
“You couldn’t decondition, they were ready to go and what we saw in the Premiership and now we have seen it in Europe, is that level of confidence. They know how to win games, they know how to deliver and it is not an ageing squad, it is a hungry squad, probably averaging around 26 or 27, and we have three, four, five, six years with these guys - however long they want to take it.
“The pleasing thing is that inner confidence and inner belief has just grown to a new level and that is superb because it just means we can go on to a new level and go after more trophies.”
A testing Champions Cup draw means the Chiefs face another stern test this coming weekend as they travel to France to take on Toulouse, the side they beat 28-18 in the Champions Cup semi-final just a couple of months ago.
It will be a first-ever trip to the State Ernest Wallon for the Chiefs, who were definitely boosted by the return of their own supporters to Sandy Park for the first time since March.
Hepher said: “I felt pretty emotional when the lads came out and got such a warm round of applause, obviously for last year, and it is just great to have them back and hopefully over the next few months we can get a few more.
“We have done pretty well when we have had to play in isolation, but it always helps to have the fans, especially down here - these guys are phenomenal.
"It is a bit sad they didn’t get to enjoy the end of last season with us, but they will be back and today it didn’t feel like there were just 2,000 here, it felt like a lot more.”