Kvesic happy to lead from the front
By Mark Stevens
3/11/19
Matt Kvesic says Exeter Chiefs will use the disappointment of defeat at Bath last week to re-ignite their fires ahead of today’s Gallagher Premiership trip to Worcester Warriors (3pm).
Rob Baxter’s side were unable to follow up their opening day win over Harlequins by going down 13-10 to their Westcountry rivals in Round Two at The Rec.
In what was a rare off-day for the Devonians, one which was compounded by a noticeable splattering of indiscipline, the Chiefs were made to pay the penalty as Rhys Priestland’s second half kick proved the ultimate difference on the night.
Baxter expressed his frustrations, not only to his players, but also in his post-match press conference, where he said lessons would need to be learned by his team moving forward.
At Sixways this afternoon, the Chiefs will have a swift opportunity to put things right against a Warriors outfit they have already beaten in home turf this season in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Kvesic, who is one of two changes to the Chiefs starting line-up from last time out, will be aiming to lead from the front against his former club who, like their opponents, have collected a win and a loss from their opening two games.
“We were disappointed, not only with the result, but more so with the way we played,” explained Kvesic. “The beauty of rugby, though, is that you always have next weekend to put things right and we’re looking forward to Worcester. We have taken the learns from last week, we’ve had a good training week, and now we want to hit the ground running at Worcester.”
Today’s fixture marks a first Premiership start of the season for Kvesic, who comes in at No.8 for fellow England international Sam Simmonds, who is not being risked on the artificial surface having not long returned from a long-term knee injury.
As Kvesic mentioned, the Chiefs have used the past week to address certain issues from the Bath game, but also ready their game plan for what will be a testing assignment against Alan Solomons’ side.
“Rob wasn’t happy after Bath - and quite rightly so,” said Kvesic. “We’ve talked about that game and now he wants us to focus a bit more on our individual performances, making sure we are all on the same page, and that we are heading in the right direction.
“There were positives to take from the Bath game and now we have to build on them. At the same time, it was a tricky night. Going away to Bath, you always know it’s a tough place to go, especially if you add in the weather as well.However, if we all up our performances five to ten per cent, clue in a bit more, then the result should look after itself. Hopefully, we can get that good performance, which is what we are after.”
The Warriors, though, will be no pushovers and having spent four years with the Midlanders at the start of his senior career, it’s a fixture that 27-year-old Kvesic says he is relishing.
“I’ll be honest, I will always have a soft spot for Worcester,” he said. “Where I am now in terms of my career is down to them because it’s where I started out. Obviously, a lot has changed since I left, I think there is only two players left, but the city and the people are really nice. I have fond memories of the place and it will be nice to go back, so long as I help the team to get the job done and that we get the four points. Anything after that will be a bonus.”