Welch remains positive

By Mark Stevens

It wasn't quite the outcome he craved on his full debut for the Exeter Chiefs, but summer signing Damian Welch insists there were still plenty of positives to take from last Saturday's Heineken Cup loss to French giants Clermont Auvergne.

Recruited in the summer from Pool 5 rivals Scarlets, the imposing second row forward has had to bide his time to get his first taste of senior action with his new club.  However, the 30-year-old's patience duly paid off when he was used as a second half replacement for James Hanks during Exeter's first-ever Heineken Cup fixture at Sandy Park.

"It was good to have a crack at last," said Welch. "Obviously we were disappointed with the end result, but for me personally it was good to get the shirt on and finally get out there."

In a storming first half from Rob Baxter's side, the Chiefs actually went in at the break 12-10 to the good after four penalties from fly-half Gareth Steenson had edged out a converted try from Napolioni Nalaga and a penalty from Morgan Parra for the visitors.

The second half, however, proved a much different affair for the Devon club who were blown away with 36 unanswered points by their star-studded visitors. Nalaga, Wesley Fofana (2), Julien Bonnaire and former All Blacks winger Sitiveni Sivivatu all crossed for further tries as Clermont ensured themselves of maximum points for the second week running.

The end scoreline was certainly emphatic, but the Chiefs - and Welch for that matter - were quick to stress that Exeter's efforts were more significant than it may appear.

"The boys did really well in the first half and for a while things were looking like they could have gone our way," added Welch. "In the second half, though, they ramped up the intensity and the momentum which took them away from us.



"That said, the rugby we played up until half time was probably some of the best we've played all season. It was up there with the same kind of rugby we played against Harlequins in terms of everyone doing their
jobs and things working well for us. It was just a shame we couldn't sustain that for longer as at one point it looked like we were going to cause some serious damage and that they were the ones who were going to be on the ropes."

Clermont, though, are a classy outfit and as Baxter himself predicted afterwards - they are potential champions in waiting - if they continue to perform as they did in this latest encounter.

"They have a great team with lots of strength in depth," said Welch. "They've got people like Regan King, who I know from the Rabodirect Pro 12, he was one of the stars there, yet he can't even get into their side for these kind of games. That goes to show the depth and wealth of talent they have got."

With the Heineken Cup now taking a break until early December, Welch says the Chiefs must use their experiences of the past fortnight to kick on in both the Aviva Premiership and the LV= Cup, before battle resumes once more against his former club on December 8 at the Parc Y Scarlets.

"We have just spoken about making sure we improve from these games and get better," added Welch. "Obviously there are a few games between now and then, so we'd like to think by the time it comes round to the Scarlets match we will be a lot better for these experiences."

And Welch knows better than most what will await the Chiefs when they travel to the Principality for their third European fixture of the campaign.

"Again it will be tough up there," he warned. "And the crowd will be very passionate, so it will be interesting. It will be one of those games where you have to turn up in the right frame of mind, which I am sure the boys will be do. The Scarlets are a good team, but like all of us they have their strengths and weaknesses, so it will be our job to expose those weaknesses and keep away from those strengths."

Helping to back the Chiefs as always will be the ever loyal tribe of travelling fans, many of whom packed into Sandy Park last weekend. For Welch, it was his first experience of a senior match day on home soil and the Reading-born forward was suitably impressed.

"It was a hell of an atmosphere," he said. "You can see the crowd know about their rugby and that they come to watch a good brand, which the boys are clearly producing. As a player it's great to have that support behind you as it makes a real difference."