Match Reaction - Susie Appleby

By Harry Scott-Munro
29/1/22

Exeter Chiefs Women’s Head Coach Susie Appleby couldn’t hide her disappointment, as she saw her side concede a late penalty to leave Twyford Avenue with a 15-all draw with Wasps Women in the Allianz Premier 15s.

Tries from Clara Nielson, Zintle Mpupha and Rachel Johnson looked to have seen the visitors scrape a victory, before the boot of Flo Williams snatched a late draw.

“I’m really disappointed. We had the chance to really rip it away from Wasps, especially in the top corner. The line-out had been functioning really well and then we threw one that wasn’t straight.”

Whilst results have been coming Exeter’s way in recent weeks, the performances have not been where the coaching staff would have liked, and Appleby was forthright and honest in her assertion that her side need to find improvements.

“We’re not good enough at the moment in key areas and we’ve got to be better. I don’t know what it is. I’ve asked the players to work it out,” she said.

Wasps were abrasive and relentless throughout, especially at the breakdown, with Appleby accepting that it was in those areas where her side let the result slip through their fingers.

“Our attention to detail on attack needs some work and we weren’t good enough in the breakdown. That’s where we came unstuck,” explained Appleby. “With players like Claire Molloy in the Wasps side you know they are going to attack the breakdown. We know it will also be like that for the next few weeks, so we need to get better.”

Whilst there are obvious frustrations at not securing a victory, Appleby still saw positives in the strength of the performance from her pack.

“The maul was really good. We need to keep that going for 80 minutes because that is what wins you games. Our defence was good, but our discipline let us down, so it’s a bit of the same story there.”

Appleby also singled out scrum-half Patricia Garcia and centre Zintle Mpupha for praise with South African Mpupha impressing with ball in han as she scored her second try in as many games.

“We need to get Zintle more ball. Pat reverted back to nine today and did well at times. Zintle is doing really well though and she is only going to grow and grow,” Appleby noted.

Looking ahead to the next two games, Appleby knows her side will have to find improvements, ahead of what she feels “could be season-definers” against Gloucester-Hartpury and Loughborough Lightning.

“We’ll look at Gloucester and make sure we prepare very well before we go to Kingsholm. That’s their territory and they will be really up for it. They’ve been playing really well, as have Loughborough, who are finding their form. We need to sort ourselves out and find the form we know we are capable of.”