Match Reaction - Ali Hepher
By Mark Stevens
11/12/22
Exeter Chiefs head coach Ali Hepher toasted a ‘special night’ for his side as they kicked off their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a superb 27-12 win away to Castres.
Tries from Sam Simmonds, Dave Ewers, Sam Maunder and Olly Woodburn paved the way for the Devonians to claim not only all five points at the Stade Pierre Fabre, but at the same time inflict a rare home defeat on the French outfit, who replied with four first half penalties from Julien Dumora.
It was, according to Hepher, the perfect outcome from his side, who this weekend must brace themselves for another hugely physical encounter against tournament newcomers, the Bulls.
“We’re really pleased with the outcome,” he said. “We stuck at things, particularly that first 20 minutes, when they were tough, resilient and put real heat on us at the breakdown. That said, we stuck to our core processes and we actually did a lot more damage than people would think without getting reward at the time.
“In the second half, that work enabled the space to open up and that’s where we capitalised on things.”
With the sides deadlocked at 12-12 at the break, Maunder’s early try in the second half put the Chiefs back in front, only for Castres to then pile on a heap of pressure as they looked to respond. Last season’s Top 14 runners-up had a succession of close-range scrums where they looked to pounce, but having been warned by Irish referee Frank Murphy about their infringements, the Chiefs rallied to win a crucial turnover penalty through man-of-the-match Ewers.
“It was a defining moment for sure,” added Hepher. “They had that third scrum which, had they driven us over or we conceded another penalty, we could easily have been down to 14 men. What was good was that everyone stuck together, everyone did their job and it resulted in Dave winning that crucial turnover.”
Certainly it was a definitive moment in the match, but from there on in it was the Chiefs who ruled the roost, much to the delight of their coach.
“Night like this are always special,” added Hepher. “Any away win in France you have to celebrate and that’s what we’ve said to the guys in the changing room. Personally, I’m delighted for all of them, especially the younger guys who have not got to experience something like that before.
“Now, though, we have to show that same drive and determination next week and have that hunger to be better and win things.
"Every point in this competition is really important, with a maximum of 20 [to play for], so you have to take as many as you can. Taking one more away from home is important and we know we have to back it up next week, but we will enjoy this one."