Match Reaction - Ali Hepher
By Mark Stevens
28/1/23
Exeter Chiefs head coach Ali Hepher wants his side to start ‘accelerating’ towards the finish line after they moved back into the Gallagher Premiership’s top four with victory over Gloucester at Sandy Park.
First half tries from Jonny Gray, Solomone Kata and Olly Woodburn paved the way to their 24-17 success, but Hepher is keen that recent momentum is maintained as the club head towards the business end of the season.
With a crunch Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final sandwiching a two down weeks for the Devonians, the Chiefs coaching staff are determined to ensure they are in fine fettle by the time second-placed Sale Sharks visit on February 28.
“We need to start accelerating things,” said Hepher. “We’ve only seven games left in the league, so it’s an acceleration to the finish line now. What we need to do is utilise these weeks off and then look to get the hammer down and put ourselves in the best state of mind to face Sale at home.”
In what was a hard-fought encounter against the Cherry & Whites, the Chiefs did much of their hard work during an action-packed first half, bagging three tries and restricting their play-off rivals to very little throughout the whole contest.
“We knew over this period that the home form was going to be key for us, and we have negotiated it well,” added Hepher. “We have now got five wins in a block of eight matches, so we are really pleased with that.
“I am really chuffed with the way the guys stuck to the game plan, we didn’t really give them too many opportunities, which you have got to try and starve them of, because they can be dangerous with their set piece and maul.
“It would have been nice to get the bonus point but we didn’t quite get there. We started well and got those three tries in the first half which put us in good stead, but couldn’t get another.”
A penalty by Gloucester in the final minute earned them a losing bonus point, and Hepher said: “It is so tight and it would have been nice to have a 5-0 and not a 4-1, so Gloucester will probably be pleased with that, but just to get the win is important in this block because we did struggle over the autumn and this was one of the fixtures we lost in that period.”
Asked about the omission from the match-day squad of Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg, Hepher added: “He hasn’t run with us. He was obviously in camp with Scotland all this week and if he had been training with us or playing before that break, it would have been a very easy call, but I think he is approaching fitness so I think he will be fine Scotland wise.”
Wales back rower Christ Tshiunza was also an absentee after getting a couple of knocks against Castres, and Hepher explained: “He has got a couple of niggles. He was with Wales in the early part of the week, and he has done a lot of minutes for us and sometimes it is going to take its toll on a young body so we have got to manage him over this next period and see where he is when we get him back from the internationals.
“As far as I am aware, he will be okay for the start of the Six Nations and his injury is not a major problem.”