Match Reaction - Gareth Steenson

By Mark Stevens
12/2/23

Delighted Exeter Chiefs coach Gareth Steenson praised his young side as they sealed their spot in the final of this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup with a comprehensive 46-3 victory over Sale Sharks at Sandy Park.

The Devonians dominated for much of their semi-final encounter, running in six tries and producing a performance that augurs well for next month’s showpiece against London Irish at the G-Tech Community Stadium in Brentford.

Santiago Grondona, Sean O’Brien and Rus Tuima all crossed the whitewash in the first period, before team-mates Tom Wyatt, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Dan Frost did similar after the break.

For the experienced Steenson, himself no stranger to featuring in major finals for the Chiefs in the past, it was a performance to savour as he gave a glowing post-match assessment.

“We’re very pleased,” he said. “It’s been a really good week in training and the guys have been really enthusiastic and brought a lot of energy. It was great that they could go out and put in that kind of performance. We knew they had it in them and they’ve gone out and shown that. The first 15-20 minutes were a little bit nervy, but once they got into their groove, we were really pleased with how the guys performed.”

In a competition which has served the Chiefs well over the years, Exeter’s impressive mix of youth and experience combined impressively to see of a Sharks outfit, who took an early lead thanks to a fourth-minute penalty from Tom Curtis.

“That’s the beauty of this competition,” added Steenson. “A lot of these guys often help prep the first team for Premiership games, but with performances like this, they are playing themselves into the side. There is great competition for places across the board and it’s bringing the best out in everyone.

“Winning today, this group have now got something tangible to look forward to, but first we’ve got some big weeks coming up in the Premiership and we’ll need everybody to play their part in that.”

As expected, the Sharks - who visit Sandy Park again in a fortnight in the Gallagher Premiership - were tough opponents, offering a constant physical threat to their rivals in all departments.

“It’s a semi-final, you’re not going to have things your own way,” explained Steenson. “Sale came at us, as we knew they would, and they brought real physicality to things. Our guys, I thought, stepped up massively and we shut them down on numerous occasions. To a man, every player worked their socks off and they’ve got their rewards at the end.

“Whether it’s us as coaches, the players, the club, the supporters, we all want to be in finals. It’s great to see the guys go out and express themselves like they did today. You could see they were playing with smiles on their faces, lots of energy, so it’s fantastic that we’ve produced a performance like that.”