Mumm targets Bath scalp

By Bill Sobey

Exeter Chiefs will have a double incentive in their LV= Cup semi-final with Bath this weekend, according to skipper Dean Mumm.

The Devon club have already lost to their Westcountry rivals three times this season as the hunt for their first top-flight win over Bath continues.

Australian lock Mumm says earning some retribution for that statistic is one major motivation on Sunday, while the prospect of a Sandy Park final on March 16 is quite another.

“There are two firsts on offer to us this weekend,” said Mumm. “There’s a win against Bath and the opportunity to reach a final and chase some silverware for the first time since we came up.

“It is a nice little carrot. It would be great for the fans for us to win up there and then bring ourselves back home for the final next week. We want to reward them this weekend and then there’s something else to look forward to.”

Chiefs earned their first Premiership win of 2014 last weekend when they beat London Irish 18-0 at Sandy Park. It ended a winless run in the league dating back to December 21.

But Mumm said: “The other element that is exciting this weekend is that this is a one-off game and whatever else has been happening is irrelevant. This is another competition, we’re playing against someone we always love to play and want to beat.

“The real boost against London Irish was keeping them to zero. We scored some pretty good tries but we probably left three or four out there. It was as good of a game as we’ve had in a while defensively. It is nice to have momentum, it makes our Sundays a little easier and the coaches happier.

“We probably were not quite as clinical as we would have wanted to be. We will certainly have to have those elements this weekend to get the win against Bath.”

The two sides last met on February 15, when Bath edged a 27-23 win. Mumm said: “In the Premiership, we have been close to getting them and the reason we haven’t is because were off in some key moments.

“We have been working really hard in training to nail those. It will be about discipline in key areas and that is how you get the extra six or seven points we have missed out on recently.

“They are an excellent set-piece side, from that point of view we are really going to have to be on our game to get level and overcome them. The biggest challenge will be nailing the detail in our game and converting pressure into points. That is what wins big games.”