Kvesic targets Cup glory
By Steve Grace
29/3/18
Exeter Chiefs defeated Bath Rugby in last weekend’s Anglo-Welsh Cup final dress rehearsal and flanker Matt Kvesic is determined to bag the same result at Kingsholm on Friday night.
The reigning champions edged to a 20-18 win in their Aviva Premiership Rugby clash at The Recreation Ground last Friday, a Joe Simmonds penalty proving the difference between the two in a hard-fought Westcountry derby.
The Chiefs have been involved in the last three Anglo-Welsh Cup finals but, having only won once - that was against Northampton Saints back in 2014 - Kvesic is hopeful their timely confidence boost can tip the balance in their favour.
He said: “Winning a competition is massive for the club. We have been in the final and lost it a few times in the past, so we need our best performance.
“The win on Friday was massive. Bath is a tough place to go and Exeter have not won too many away from home, so it was a big game to get the win. It was close, we knew it would be, but we ground out the result.”
Although Kvesic was only a spectator last Friday, the England international is expected to be part of the travelling Chiefs tomorrow after the original Cup Final was called off earlier this month due to adverse weather.
Regardless of the line-up though, the 25-year-old, in his first season at the club since switching from Gloucester, is confident his team-mates can clinch the first silverware of the season.
Kvesic added: “To be in a position to come away with a win and a trophy is a big job for the boys that get the chance to play.
“I think we will go with those guys that played in the semi-final and were named for the final last time. It makes sense, they’re training well as a group together.
“I have not been here too long so I have not seen the full pathway, but it’s a well-supported club all the way through to Under-16s and Under-18s. Those young lads are training as much as possible with the first team, getting exposure with the coaches, etc.
“That aids their development when they come in full-time – they know what’s expected of them, the way we play and the way the club works. They are picked on merit and when they do come in they fit in and that’s a credit to Ricky Pellow who develops those guys.”
