Hunter happy with victory

By Mark Stevens

Rob Hunter hailed an "excellent" display from the Exeter Chiefs as they kicked off their LV= Cup campaign with victory over holders Harlequins at Sandy Park.

In a dominant display from the home side, the Devon club hit back from conceding an early Paul Sackey try to win 19-5 thanks to a touchdown of their own from Fijian powerhouse Sireli Naqelevuki and 14 points from the boot of skipper Ceri Sweeney.

Forwards coach Hunter, who is helping take charge of the Chiefs for the LV= Cup alongside skills coach Ricky Pellow, was quick to praise the performance of the Exeter side, which was completely changed from that which had won at Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership last time out.

"It was an excellent start to the LV= Cup for us," said Hunter. "It was not only a great performance, but a tough performance as well. That has been the feature of our game over the past couple of weeks - we've stood up and defended well to get results.

"It was also great to see some of young guys back on the pitch, plus a number of guys back from injury.

"I thought that Harlequins played their part and really attacked us, their back three were electric every time they got the ball, so it really tested us and was a good game of rugby."

As Hunter stated, not only were the Chiefs able to once again blood a number of their highly-rated youngsters such as Jack Arnott, Jack Nowell, Henry Slade and Tom Hendrickson, but there were also first starts for the likes of Sweeney, Greg Bateman, Don Armand and Romana Graham.

The home side were also able to add into the mix the return of established stars such as Luke Arscott, James Hanks, James Scaysbrook and Naqelevuki and it made for a potent force that took to the field.

Among those to catch the eye was debutant Sweeney, who landed four penalties and a conversion in a polished performance. The former Welsh international has had to bide his time to feature this term, such has been the form of Gareth Steenson and Slade, but he did not disappoint on his first competitive outing.

"I think you have to take your hat off to Ceri, who has been a great guy since he joined the club," added Hunter. "He has been a brilliant guy to have around the squad and he lead the team really well.

"We had a lot of guys who were playing their first rugby for a while, so it took time to come together, but we started to pull some phases together, kept good pressure on and we have some exciting players here.

"We will enjoy this for the next few days and then we'll crack on into Bath as we are all really excited to get to that next week. As I understand it, Exeter's record is not the best up there and we've obviously got them coming up as well, so it will be tough for us. They have been going well this season and like us they're in the top four. They also have a good mix of youth and experience, so I'm sure it will be a cracking match."

Urged on by a crowd of just over 9,000 at Sandy Park, which itself will host the LV= Cup final on Sunday, March 16, Hunter admitted the Chiefs would be using the competition to not only get crucial game time into a number of their squad, but at the same time add competition to the mix for starting places within the Exeter line-up.

"I think that was a real feature about today," continued Hunter. "We've got guys here who to want to play for each other and who want to get out there and play. To have a crowd of over 9,000, especially when there is an international match on, is just fantastic.

"I've no doubt that these next two weeks will be key for us and that we will have some tough decisions to make when we come back to the Premiership. At the same time, though, having so many guys fit and available will allow us to keep the squad fresh and will mean guys are not maxing out. Keeping it fresh and having that competition for places, it will all hep drive performances up."