Match Reaction - Susie Appleby
By Mark Stevens
23/4/22
Delighted Exeter Chiefs Women’s head coach Susie Appleby praised a ‘squad effort’ as her side claimed a first-ever piece of silverware with victory over Harlequins in the Allianz Cup.
The Chiefs produced a powerful, all-round display to brush aside the Londoners at Sandy Park.
American duo Hope Rogers and Kate Zackary both bagged two tries apiece, whilst team-mates Linde van der Velden, Patricia Garcia, Emily Tuttosi, Kanako Kobayashi and Gabby Senft were also on the scoresheet as the Devonians ran out comfortable 57-12 victors.
In front of a crowd of just over 2,000 people, the Chiefs dominated from start to finish, producing a performance that Harlequins simply could not contain, particularly in the second half.
Naturally, Appleby was full of praise for the display of her team at the final whistle. She said: “This is a huge occasion for us as a club. We’re only in our second season, but we’re developing really well. That said, when you start to win trophies, then you know things are really on the move and on the up.
“This Cup has been really good for us to develop, not just as a squad, but as a club. To finish with a trophy at the end of it all, it’s absolutely fantastic and I’m really pleased with that!”
Now, Appleby wants her side to use the success as a springboard to attack the final weeks of the Allianz Premier 15s season, where the Chiefs will be looking to book their spot in the end of season play-offs for the first time.
“This has got to be a boost,” added Appleby. “Right now, we’ll take this win, we will enjoy it, celebrate tonight, and take it for what it is. But, once you win competitions, it must become a habit. We’ve got to build on this and use the momentum from today in those last two league games [against Saracens and Bristol Bears].
“In two weeks’ time, we’ve got to go again and stick to what we do well. As I said, we’ll enjoy tonight, but then we need to focus on that next task.”
With both of those games set to be played out at Sandy Park, Appleby is hoping those who poured in for the cup final will be back again to roar her side onwards and upwards.
“That’s the really special thing about today,” she continued. “There are girls out in the crowd who play rugby or who want to play, watching their heroes out on the field. For me, that’s progression. We have over 2,000 people here today and I’m just overjoyed by that. These people love their rugby, they love the Chiefs and they love us. They’ve gone away tonight knowing they’ve had a great day.”
After a tight first half in which Harlequins countered with a penalty try and a further score from Lagi Tuima, it was the Chiefs who ruled the roost in the second half.
“In any game, you know have to work the opposition over,” explained Appleby. “Teams just don’t fold, you have to get your basics right and you have to grind them down. We did that to a degree in the first half, but we were a little bit inaccurate at times. Getting that third try just before half time was a real positive and it meant we didn’t have to change too much at half time.
“Second half, we had the wind at out backs and we knew if we could tidy up a few things, including the breakdown, then things would get better and we’d get some real value out of things. We also knew they would start to fatigue a bit, so everybody sticking to what we do well meant that the game really opened up and we were able to exploit the openings.”