Chiefs need to reset quickly - TJ

By Mark Stevens

Bruised and battered following a hefty collision with Harlequins at the weekend, Tom Johnson says it's vital Exeter Chiefs reset themselves quickly for the visit of Bath to a packed out Sandy Park on Saturday.

The England international was part of the Chiefs side that made it back-to-back victories in the Aviva Premiership with a 32-21 win at the Twickenham Stoop.

Exeter's latest success in the capital not only allowed them to secure their first top flight double of the season, but crucially kept Rob Baxter's side firmly in the mix at the top end of the table after 15 rounds.

A 27-point haul from fly-half Henry Slade, plus a first half try for Ben White, were the key highlights for the visitors, who despite having three yellow cards during the contest, still had enough in the tank to see off the Londoners.

But no sooner had the 32-year-old finished celebrating the Devon club's latest success, he was quickly switching his thoughts to the impending visit of their Westcountry rivals this weekend.

“We are going to need to reset ourselves. The boys are going to be sore after Saturday as it was a tough game,” said Johnson, whose appearance off the bench saw him make his 150th league appearance for the club.

“I thought the boys were fantastic. We got through a ropey opening 15 minutes but came through strong. All of the boys stepped up at a very very tough place to come and win against a very good Quins team, so we are very pleased with the result.

“We know Bath lost so they will be looking to bounce back because they are doing very well in the league. We need to rest up and get ourselves prepared for a tough encounter.”

Bath's first home loss of the season to Northampton allowed the Saints to pull further clear at the top of the table, but Johnson is well aware that the Chiefs can expect a backlash against a team they have yet to beat in nine previous attempts in the Premiership.

"They will want to get back on track as quickly as possible," he said. "Bath, we know, are a top side and they'll pose a huge challenge for us. We have to be ready for that and show the same kind of desire and determination that we showed against Harlequins."

Certainly the Chiefs underlined their own top four credentials against Conor O'Shea's men with a powerful and ruthless display both in attack and defence.

And Johnson says it's key they maintain their recent momentum against Bath.

"The media bring up every time about us not beating them in the league and that obviously is a driving force," he said. "But what we need to do is focus on ourselves and make sure we do what we can to beat a very good team."