Ambition is driving us on - Lees

By Mark Stevens

Mitch Lees insists there is a real ambition within the Exeter Chiefs ranks to cement themselves as a top four club in this season’s Aviva Premiership.

Having narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season on points difference, Rob Baxter’s side have started this latest campaign in fine fettle, notching up five wins from six starts to date.

The latest of those victories came on Saturday as the Chiefs swept aside fellow high-flyers Wasps 41-27 at the Ricoh Arena to ensure they will head into the Christmas period in the division’s top two.

Defending champions Saracens regained top spot from Baxter’s outfit on Sunday when they won 38-3 at Newcastle Falcons, but the Chiefs can be more than content with their lofty position heading into the latest round of European Champions Cup battle against top French side Clermont-Auvergne.

Certainly Aussie lock Lees - who was named man of the match against Wasps - underlined the confidence that exists within the Sandy Park ranks post-match in Coventry, saying: “There is great ambition at the club to really press on from where we were last year. We were unlucky at the end, just missing out on points difference, but our goal this time is to make that top four. Then once you’re in the semi-final it’s win or lose, so you can really take it to them from there.”

Having not leaked a try on home soil all season, Wasps were expected to provide stubborn resistance to the free-scoring Devonians, who in recent weeks had pocketed wins against Leicester Tigers and Harlequins in the top flight.

From the outset, though, Baxter’s side took the game to their rivals, claiming four tries in the first half alone to put them in charge at 27-13.

Among those to cross the whitewash was Lees himself as he powered his way over from one of several well-drilled driving mauls to claim his first-ever Premiership try for the Chiefs.

Also on the mark during the contest were fellow Chiefs Jack Nowell, Moray Low and Thomas Waldrom, the latter of whom helped himself to a hat-trick of tries.

Despite his treble, England international Waldrom was pipped to the BT man of the match crown by Lees, who was quick to pay tribute to his fellow forwards for their sterling on-field efforts.

“It’s tough on Tom not to get the man of the match with a hat-trick,” added Lees. “I thought he really took it to them out there today with his carried and his work at the back of the driving mauls. He controlled that area very well, but overall I thought the whole pack stood up very well.

“We said from the outset that we wanted to take it to them in the early minutes and that’s exactly what we did. I thought Wasps played a good game and they really came back at us in the second half, but we wanted to show that intent in the game and we did that.

“In the scrums and in the mauls were very good today. As a group we can be very proud of what we did today and now we have to build on that again over the next few weeks.”