Hard work starts today - Johnson

Flanker Tom Johnson says his Exeter Chiefs team-mates will have a lot of work to do today when they meet back up for training.

The players had yesterday off to rest any bumps and bruises, with their next game coming on Sunday against Saracens.

They will still have a full training week and Johnson thinks there is a lot to go through following their latest defeat.

Saturday’s 27-23 reverse against Bath came after a 17-16 loss at home against Northampton the week before.

“We’re gutted after that,” Johnson said of Saturday’s defeat. “At half-time we felt we were the better side but we let them in for a couple of soft tries.

“It’s something we need to address as a group. We talk about enjoyment but you only enjoy it when you’re winning and playing well. We need to focus on doing the good things well. There’s a lot to do on Tuesday.”

The England forward, who is with the international squad at the start of this week, said it was paramount the players are switched on in training to get results on the pitch at the weekend.

And that is not just being 100 per cent focused for the rugby sessions but also in the work they do in front of a computer screen and in their conditioning sessions.

“It’s important to stay close but you do that by having mutual respect and knowing you’re all pulling in the same direction and putting the hard work in,” he said.

“As a team, you have to make sure you’re doing the video analysis, the gym work and everything else to the full. Good things will happen from that.”

The Chiefs have endured a poor run against the sides above them in the Premiership table this season, with a string of narrow losses.

Five times they have gone down by seven points or less to claim a losing bonus point, which shows they are not far off.

Johnson thinks they need to concentrate for the full match if they are going to cut out the mistakes which have cost them dearly in recent months.

“We were pretty pleased with our first half but we need to bang in an 80-minute performance,” he said. “We can’t be satisfied with little bits here and there. It’s probably down to a bit of focus. In the big games we have to win some key set-pieces and keep hold of the ball, especially towards the end of games, when we seem to be letting our foot off the pedal.”

Things do not get any easier this weekend as the Chiefs travel to play second-placed Saracens.

Exeter lost 31-11 in the first Premiership match on the artificial pitch in Barnet last season.

Mark McCall’s outfit also triumphed 16-9 at Exeter earlier this season.

However, Johnson thinks that could be just the test they need to lift them out of their current slump.

“Going away to Saracens is going to be a tough ask but probably what the boys need,” he said. “We need to knuckle down and bang in a 15-man performance.”