Zackary delighted to be back at Chiefs
By James Fowler
5/12/22
Exeter Chiefs American international Kate Zackary said ‘it was great to be back’ following her return to Allianz Premier 15s action in Saturday’s 62-18 thumping of the Worcester Warriors at Sandy Park.
The player nicknamed ‘Captain America’ lined-up alongside fellow Eagle Gabby Cantorna, producing a mammoth display and scoring the opening try of the afternoon for the Chiefs in their ten-try victory.
This was all in spite of the American star remarkably having only returned to the UK on Tuesday after a period of rest following the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup.
Despite the short preparation time, the 33-year-old spoke about how much she enjoyed being back in the Chiefs squad.
“I got in on Tuesday and hit the ground running,” she said. “It’s just exciting, it was good, it was fun rugby, it was fast rugby and more than anything it was great just to see how much work they’ve been putting in and I think we’re going to progress really well this season.
“The team was so welcoming. It was great to meet the new medical and S&C (Strength & Conditioning) staff that we’ve got here who are looking after us super well, and it’s always nice to get a run out on this beautiful park.”
The most obvious difference between the victory over Worcester and the defeat the Chiefs suffered at the hands of Gloucester-Hartpury in Round One of this season’s league seemed to be the play-making options that the Chiefs had available, with many different players being able to slot in at first receiver and distribute the ball effectively, and this was a point Zackary was only too keen to emphasise.
“Getting to play off of Gabby and getting to play off Liv (McGoverne) has been remarkable. The pair work well together and even Robyn (Wilkins) coming off the bench, really strong play-makers which makes my job trying to figure out how to play really easy.
“As I said, they talk well, they communicate well, they link well with the forwards, and it’s kinda like the QB (Quarter Back) if you will that we need on the team and they do it really well.”
With the Chiefs backline really starting to tick, Zackary was also keen to put her forwards cap back on and praise the efforts of the packs dominant display, which was typified by yet another close-range driving maul try just before half time, which brought up the bonus point for the hosts.
“It’s always great to see the mauls continuing to work really well for us, there’s bit that we need to clean up and I will always be the first to say that,” she added. “You’ve got Silvia (Turani) in there putting in a lot of great work, Lizzie (Hanlon) making a huge impact, just everyone’s doing amazing work.
“The forward pack, it’s non-stop work all week, and you can see they come out here and work on their craft, and they’re really going to turn some heads this year I think.”
Despite scoring 62 points, the Chiefs were disappointed to still concede three tries, two of which came late in the game. Zackary therefore spoke about how important having a strong defence will be heading through the rest of the season.
“It’s just a matter of getting to play defence 80 minutes of a game. We need to keep the point differential down, we need to keep teams from getting any losing try bonus points, and that’s something we gave up last year a lot, cos even in games we won, we allowed teams to sneak in with a few bonus points, which made the table a little tighter.
“So looking ahead for us the next few games, getting the bonus points ourselves, getting the win, but also shutting them down on defence and keeping that scoreline low.”
Heading into this Saturday’s game against Loughborough Lightning at Franklin’s Gardens, a game which will be broadcast live on BBC television, Zackary spoke of how much her side will be looking to avenge the defeat they suffered at the same venue against the same opponents last season.
“Last year we went out for their debut game at Franklin’s Gardens shortly after announcing that partnership, and they came out with a lot more force that we did. We lost that game, so we’ll definitely be looking to right that wrong.”