Irish win gave us extra lift

 

Haydn Thomas insists Exeter Chiefs never doubted their ability to win on the road with last weekend's victory at London Irish a timely reminder of their credentials to their Aviva Premiership rivals.

Despite a formidable unbeaten league record at Sandy Park, the Chiefs had not won on the road until their 27-23 triumph at Madejski Stadium - a record which had seen them not fulfilling their potential in mid-table.

The Chiefs had lost three of their last four away games in the Aviva Premiership by eight points or less - proof that Rob Baxter's side were close to replicating their Sandy Park form on the road.

And now that they have ended their away-day hoodoo scrum-half Thomas insists confidence is sky-high in Exeter - and the side now have their sights firmly set on breaking into the top four.

"We were never scared about going away from home, personally our run was never something I had an issue with, I always knew eventually we would pick up a victory," he said. "We've always gone and performed well away from home and I always thought we were close to getting over the line in the way we did.

"Wins breed other wins and we've made no secret of our desire we're not where we want to be in the Aviva Premiership currently and we need to kick on from here. We need to back it up now because we're confident at Sandy Park. We worked hard for it, we've got to look to build on it now because away form is important when you look at the league."

Thomas believes the push for the top four will be aided by the influx of young talent, with players such as Jack Nowell - who made his Aviva Premiership debut against Irish - particularly impressing during the LV= Cup break.

And the 30-year-old admits having a youth academy brimming with talent is keeping the Chiefs' senior players on their toes.

"There's always pressure on everyone in the squad, no-one can just sit back and take anything for granted," added Thomas.  "It was fantastic to see Jack Nowell make that step up but I don't think he will be the only one, I think there are plenty of other people who can step up - we've got a fantastic youth set up here and it keeps everyone striving to improve."