Match Reaction - Susie Appleby

By Harry Scott-Munro
05/03/22

Exeter Chiefs Women’s Head Coach Susie Appleby was left delighted, as her side put on a swashbuckling display to dispatch DMP Durham Sharks 90-7 at Sandy Park.

Four tries from Jennine Detiveaux, with a double from Hope Rogers set the tone. The Chiefs would score 14 tries in all, with Kate Zackary, Merryn Doidge, Kanako Kobayashi, Lottie Holland, Emily Tuttosi, Linde van der Velden, Gabby Senft and Maisy Allen all crossing the whitewash; Meg Foster converting 10 from the tee.

A week on from a similarly commanding performance against Worcester Warriors, Appleby was really pleased with what her side showed on the park.

“We’ve spoken this week about fixing up little individual things rather than whole things as a team. It’s been a case of more of the same and just being confident in what we do. I was really pleased to get that performance today.”

Fast starts have become a feature for the Chiefs in recent weeks, with Zackary crossing after just 30 seconds this weekend. Appleby was thrilled to see her side starting so quickly but also showing a more expansive dynamic to their performance.

“It shows the willingness of the girls to play and to explore where the space is. There were some really good performances today. Meg Foster has really taken hold of the game at 10. Her and Flo are now combining really well.”

As well as Foster, Appleby was quick to pay tribute to Gabby Senft, who impressed on her first start for the club, as well as the returning Caitlin Lewis, who was finally able to return to action in a Chiefs shirt after several months out with injury.

“Gabby Senft did really well at 8 today as well and really got to grips with the game. There was some really good stuff going on all over. Caitlin Lewis came back from injury today as well which was really good to see.”

The day though, belonged to Detiveaux, who continued her fine try-scoring form of recent weeks. Appleby has been challenging the American to go hunting for the ball more and was delighted to see Detiveaux doing just as instructed.

“Interestingly, we’ve switched her over to the left wing. She seems to have got her hands on the ball more and is finding her way more with the ball in hand, which is really pleasing. To score four is pretty good isn’t it!?” Appleby laughed. “Everyone is getting their hands on the ball, and it’s put us into a really good position heading into the break.”

Heading into that break, both players and staff will now have a “well earned week of rest,” before attention turns to the cup fixtures, and an opportunity to continue fighting on two fronts.

“We’ll get ready now to take on Loughborough and Saracens in the cup. They are both very good sides and whilst it might look a bit different with the U20s and internationals all away, it gives other an opportunity to show what they have got. Everyone we play in the cup will have mixed up squads, but it makes for a really exciting competition,” explained Appleby.

Moving into the business end of the league season, this could potentially be a crucial day in the race for the play-offs, with results elsewhere seeing the Chiefs move up into third place in the league. Whilst challenging matches against the current top two in Saracens and Bristol remain, Appleby insists that her side are in the best position they could be, heading into those fixtures.

“We heard that Wasps had beaten Harlequins convincingly and a draw as well between Bristol and Loughborough. It’s not just the top four sides, there are seven teams who can beat each other on their day. That’s been shown over the last couple of weeks, and it makes for a very exciting and competitive league. We’ve done what we can at the moment. We’ll take a break and recharge, then we’ll be ready to go again.”