Hunter happy with victory

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs forwards coach Rob Hunter praised his side as they alive their hopes of qualification in this season's LV= Cup with a 36-22 victory over the Ospreys at Sandy Park.

Tries from Luke Cowan-Dickie (2), James Scaysbrook, James Phillips and Don Armand were the highlights for the Devon club, whilst skipper Ceri Sweeney weighed in with the remainder of the points.

The Ospreys, who countered with four tries of their own through Daffyd Howells, Morgan Allen, Matthew Jenkins and Tom Grabham, played their part in an entertaining tussle. However, it was never enough and condemn them to a third successive defeat to the Chiefs in this competition.

Post match, Hunter said: "It was a good workout against a very young Ospreys side who really challenged us, especially on the break and the turnover.

“We probably left a couple of try-scoring opportunities out on the pitch, and we maybe let them score a little bit too easily, but I thought both sides did really well, considering it was so windy.

“The two teams tried to play off the top, tried to move the ball round, and both sides drove well early in the match, and I think that made for a pretty good game."

The win followed up another for the Chiefs over Welsh opposition just seven days earlier as they wrapped up their Heineken Cup campaign with a 19-13 success at Cardiff Blues.

And Hunter says building momentum through victories like this is key to Exeter's goal for the remainder of the season.

"At this time of year it's just important to get that winning habit," he added. "It's also good to get plenty of guys on the pitch and also give that opportunity to some of the young guys to make their first starts.

"At half-time, we just told the players to relax. We were only two points behind and we were playing pretty well at that point. We just needed to settle down a bit, and we did that very well after the break."

As is the case often for the Chiefs in the LV= Cup, they are never afraid to mix up their blend, offering crucial game time to some of their more experienced stars, as well as offering openings to some of the club's highly-rated youngsters.

"It's really good for us," explained Hunter. "We need that competition for places, but we also need to make sure we are fresh going into the next couple of weeks. We've got a tough away game next week at Worcester, then obviously a very tough February, so we must make sure we get all the squad in a good place for that month.

"All the time we talk about wanting to do well in all competitions and the other results have been kind to us today and made sure we are well in this competition. Now we'll look to go to Worcester strong next week and really get after it.

"Right now we'll enjoy this one, but there is stuff to work on. However, that is what Monday to Friday is for. Getting back to back wins is great for us, but come Monday we'll focus on Worcester and going there because it will be tough. They've been picking up recently and they'll be strong at home, plus everyone wants to bounce into the Premiership well, so it's going to be a big week for us."