MacDonald wants to keep Chiefs momentum going
By James Fowler
24/1/23
Exeter Chiefs Women’s winger Claudia MacDonald says she’s ‘hugely pleased with the result’ following her side’s impressive 41-0 Allianz Premier 15s victory over the Bristol Bears at Sandy Park on Sunday.
Two first half tries from Cliodhna Moloney, plus a penalty from Liv McGoverne gave the Chiefs a 13-0 lead at the break, before Lori Cramer, Hope Rogers and Silvia Turani added further scores for the hosts in the second half.
It was, however, MacDonald herself who scored the final try of the afternoon, as she produced an extraordinary solo effort from over halfway out, which was well and truly worthy of her world class status.
Reflecting on the victory, MacDonald was keen to highlight her delight at securing the win against their Westcountry rivals.
“Obviously we’re hugely pleased with the result,” she said. “We don’t come out here expecting anything, we expect it always to be a really massive competition, big fight up front, and that’s what we had today. Bristol brought a lot of energy, a lot of big hits, a lot of big runs, fortunately we were able to find the spaces and come together at times and put those points on the board.”
MacDonald, who only arrived in Exeter following the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup in November, spoke of how much she has enjoyed playing alongside players from so many different countries since her arrival, and she was keen to emphasise her belief that there’s more to come from this squad.
“I’m really chuffed with my decision to come down here,” she added. “The players that I get to play with from across the whole world, so many different playing styles that have been coached in so many different ways, it’s just a really exciting opportunity for me to see how I can link up with them. I think the most exciting thing about this squad is that we know we’re not the finished product, we know we’re no way near it yet. We finish games still leaving opportunities out there and that means we can still grow and build towards the end of the season which is really cool.”
MacDonald highlighted her happiness at her side’s defence in Sunday’s victory, with the Chiefs shutting out the Bears completely and denying them not just of any points, but any realistic point scoring opportunities throughout the entire 80 minutes.
“We can take a huge amount of confidence from keeping them to zero, it’s a huge achievement from us,” said MacDonald. “I’ve got to say the defence from us was brilliant today and that comes down to being the root of how we play. If we can’t defend, then we can’t attack. It’s really good that we can see the opportunity to attack a game through our defence, we’re very comfortable without the ball and I think we showed that a bit today.”
The typically selfless MacDonald, who although clearly pleased with her individual score of brilliance, was keen to praise the efforts of her teammates in creating the space for her.
She continued: “Really chuffed, I get good balls from inside and just get given opportunities and players around me backing it, so again it’s just the work from inside and the hard carries that are creating the space out on the wings and fortunately I was able to get on the end of it.”
The Chiefs will travel to London this weekend to take on struggling Wasps, who are without a victory so far this season, and MacDonald spoke of her excitement at the prospect of taking on her former club.
“For us it’s just going to be about continuing that momentum, we’ve got Wasps, then DMP and then a week off. We want to finish this sort of round of games really well, really strong.
“It’s always going to be tough going up against what was your home side for four years, but I’m excited for the opportunity and just looking forward to next week and getting back on the pitch already.”
Despite the clear momentum that has been created by seven bonus point victories in a row, MacDonald was keen to make sure the squad’s feet are kept firmly on the ground, with there still being a long way left to go in the season.
“I think if we can keep building, if we can keep working out what errors we’re making and capitalising on those and improving each week, then I think we’ve definitely got a good shot at having a look at that top of the table and having a look at those play-offs.”